INQUIRY AHEAD OF A POTENTIAL
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
THAT ALSO MAY BE SHARED BY SOME
CONSERVATIVES.
MEMBERS OF HIS CAUCUS REMIND
HIM DAILY THAT THEY HAD THE
POWER TO CALL A VOTE TO OUT HIM
ANYTIME THEY LIKE.
>> I RISE TODAY TO SERVE NOTICE.
MR. SPEAKER, YOU ARE OUT OF
COMPLIANCE WITH THE AGREEMENT
THAT ALLOWED YOU TO ASSUME THIS
ROLE.
THE PATH FORWARD FOR THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES IS TO EITHER
BRING YOU INTO IMMEDIATE TOTAL
COMPONENT, OR REMOVE YOU FOR THE MOTION TO VACATE THE CHAIR.
THE MOTION TO VACATE THE CHAIR.
>> NBC SENIOR CAPITOL HILL
CORRESPONDENT IS AT THE
CAPITOL. MONICA ELBA IS OUTSIDE THE
MONICA ELBA IS OUTSIDE THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHY BRING THIS IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY NOW?
IS IT POTENTIALLY MORE ABOUT
THE FUNDING DEADLINE THEN MAKE
IT WHAT IT IS GAME HERE?
>> LOOK, RYAN, THEY ARE
CERTAINLY RELATED.
I BELIEVE WHEN HOUSE
REPUBLICANS TOOK CONTROL, AN
IMPEACHMENT OF JOE BIDEN WAS
PROBABLY INEVITABLE.
WHEN THE PRESSURE GOT TOO
GREAT, AND MODERATES WHO DON'T
WANT TO GO DOWN THIS ROAD TO
HOLD IT BACK.
McCARTHY HAD USED THAT SOME OF THE TRICKS HE HAD WITH THOSE
THE TRICKS HE HAD WITH THOSE
FAR RIGHT MEMBERS, STRIKING A
DEAL THAT THEY ULTIMATELY
WEREN'T SATISFIED WITH.
NOW HE'S GOT TO ESCALATE TO
KEEP THINGS MOVING ALONG.
PART OF THIS MESS HERE, WE ARE
NOT HAVING A VOTE TO LAUNCH.
McCARTHY DOESN'T HAVE THE VOTE
TO DO IT RIGHT NOW.
THIS, I WANT TO PLAY A LITTLE
BIT OF WHAT HE SAID.
>> HOW ARE YOU NOT HOLDING A
VOTE ON THIS?
11 DAYS AGO YOU SAID YOU WOULD?
>> NANCY PELOSI ON SEPTEMBER
24th CHANGED PRESIDENTS FOR THE
HOUSE.
SHE CHANGED THE COURSE OF WHAT WE COULD DO.
WE COULD DO.
YEAH, NANCY PELOSI ON 9/24
CHANGED THE PRECEDENT OF THE
HOUSE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO
HAVE A VOTE.
>> SO YOU HAD NO INTENTIONS OF
DOING THAT?
>> I DIDN'T SAY THAT.
>> WELL, I'M SORRY YOU ARE
CONFUSED.
WERE YOU CONFUSED WHEN NANCY
PELOSI DID IT?
THEN DON'T BE CONFUSED.
>> YOU HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR
THAT SHE WOULD.
>> IT IS ALL CHANGED.
>> I'VE BEEN ON THE PHONE WITH
LEGAL EXPERTS ALL DAY TRYING TO
SEND IS DOWN, GOING BACK TO THE
HISTORY OF IT IN 2019.
THERE WAS NO AND SPECIAL --
OFFICIAL INQUIRY.
BETWEEN THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE
PHONE CALL THAT ULTIMATELY DID
LEAD TO A VOTE.
I THINK McCARTHY IS HOPING FOR
SIMILAR THINGS TO HAPPEN HERE.
HE WANTS TO SHINE A BIGGER
SPOTLIGHT ON THESE ONGOING
INVESTIGATIONS.
IF SOMETHING SHAKES OUT, THE
POLITICS WILL IMPROVE FOR HIM
DOWN THE LINE.
>> YEAH, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE HE
WAS SO EMPHATIC ABOUT DOING THE
EXACT OPPOSITE MORE THAN A WEEK
AGO.
GARRETT, IF THIS WAS TO BUY
GOODWILL WITH THE RIGHT WING OF
HIS CAUCUS, DID IT WORK?
FROM YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH
FOLKS TODAY, BUT WE JUST SAW
HIM GIVE THE FLOOR, HAVE THEY
CALMED DOWN NOW?
ARE WHERE THEY MAY BE STILL
NEED DEMOCRATIC VOTES?
>> LOOK, THERE IS A WIDE
SPECTRUM OF ANSWERS TO THAT
QUESTION.
HE WOULD NEVER COME AROUND ON
KEVIN McCARTHY.
I DON'T THINK HE IS GOING TO
START NOW.
SOMEONE LIKE A MARJORIE TAYLOR
GREEN, WHO HAS BEEN SUPPORTIVE
IN THE BATTLE OF THE
SPEAKERSHIP.
WITH JOE BIDEN OR SUPPORTING
DONALD TRUMP, THIS IS A MOVE
SHE HAS PRAISED.
IT MIGHT BE THE KIND OF THING
THAT BRINGS HER ALONG A LITTLE
BIT ON THE PENDING BILLS.
RYAN, YOU COVER THIS EVERY DAY
LIKE I DO.
HE CAN NEVER GO QUITE FAR
ENOUGH ON A LOT OF THESE ISSUES.
THERE IS MORE TO BE ASKED.
DID HE BUY HIMSELF SOMETIME?
YES.
THE BAR GOES HIGHER AND HIGHER,
THE CHALLENGE GETS BIGGER AND
BIGGER EVERY TIME.
THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY CARDS HE
HAS AVAILABLE TO PLAY.
>> OF COURSE, THERE ARE THE
CONCERNS HE HAS WITH THE FAR
RIGHT OF THE PARTY, WHICH GREEN
IS A PART OF.
THERE IS ALSO A SIZABLE
MODERATE, I THINK 18 HOUSE
REPUBLICANS THAT WON DISTRICT
THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN ALSO ONE.
ARE WE GETTING ANY SENSE FROM
THEM WHERE THEY STAND ON THIS
MOVE?
>> AS A GROUP, THEY HAVE BEEN
FAIRLY QUIET SO FAR.
I THINK PART OF WHAT HE DID FOR
THEM TODAY, BY NOT HOLDING A
VOTE, HE LETS THEM KEEP THEIR
POWDER DRY A LITTLE LONGER.
THEY CAN BE GENERALLY
SUPPORTIVE ARE GENERALLY
CRITICAL.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO FULLY ON
THE RECORD UNTIL THEY SEE THEM
ON THESE RECORDS, IF THEY ARE
ABLE TO PRODUCE ANYMORE
EVIDENCE.
PART OF BEING A MODERATE IN
TODAY'S AGE IN THE HOUSE, YOU
ARE VERY RELIANT ON LEADERSHIP
TO GET YOU RE-ELECTED.
UNIQUE KEVIN McCARTHY, HIS
SUPER PACK, THE MONEY THAT GETS
MEANT.
THEIR DESIRE TO NOT ALLOW
THEMSELVES WITH THE FAR RIGHT
OF THE CONFERENCE, BUT ALSO NOT
MAKE ENEMIES WITH THE
LEADERSHIP.
THOSE MODERATES HAVE A VERY
FINE LINE TO WALK.
THEY DON'T WANT TO IRRITATE
SOME OF THEIR CURRENT ISSUANCE
WHO DON'T WANT THEM TO BE THE
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN'S OF THE
CONFERENCE.
IT IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH
COUPLE WEEKS TO BE A NEW YORK
REPUBLICAN, I THINK.
>> MONICA, WE REPORTED ON BOTH
ENDS HOW DEMOCRATS PLAN TO GO
ON THE OFFENSIVE WITH THIS
LOOMING IMPEACHMENT THREAT.
WHAT IS THE WHITE HOUSE DOING
SO FAR?
>> Reporter: THEY ARE REALLY
SAYING, HEY, WE PREPARED FOR
THIS.
WITHOUT THIS WOULD LIKELY
HAPPEN.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, THEY HAVE
BEEN GETTING THIS TOGETHER.
AUGUST REALLY RAMPED UP BECAUSE
THEY WERE EXPECTING THIS AS A
REAL POSSIBILITY.
THEY ARE POINTING OUT A LOT OF
ISSUES THAT THE TWO OF YOU DO
THIS DAY IN AND DAY OUT HAS
SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING
ABOUT.
THE FACT THAT SPEAKER McCARTHY
ANNOUNCED THIS WITHOUT A VOTE.
THEY WILL TRY TO MAKE A BIG
DEAL OF WHAT THEY ARE CALLING
THIS HYPOCRISY, GIVEN HIS
COMMENTS BACK IN 2019 WHEN
SPEAKER PELOSI DID THE SAME
THING.
I THINK YOU CAN EXPECT THEM TO
CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS RAPID
RESPONSE EFFORT, BASICALLY THIS
MEGA LIST OF EVERY REPUBLICAN
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS
EXPRESSED A LITTLE BIT OF DOUBT
AND SKEPTICISM.
SOME PRIVATELY, BUT A LOT OF
THEM NOW ARE MORE PUBLIC,
SAYING I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE
EVIDENCE IS, NOT SURE WHERE
THIS COULD GO, NOT SURE THIS IS
THE BEST USE OF TIME.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THEY HAVE
THESE LAWYERS.
THEY HAVE EVERYBODY GOING
THROUGH THIS, MOUNTING THIS
RESPONSE.
OVERALL, THEY ARE USING THE
ROAD MAP WHEN PRESIDENT BILL
PAYNE -- BILL CLINTON WAS
IMPEACHED.
PRESIDENTS THAT WERE IMPEACHED
IN THE LAST COUPLE DECADES SAW
THEIR POLL NUMBERS GO UP.
IT IS IN SAYING THIS IS WHAT
THEY WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO
SEE HAPPEN, BUT THEY ARE
POINTING OUT THERE MIGHT BE A
SLIGHT POLITICAL UPSIDE.
THEY ARE ALSO UNDERSCORING THAT
THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE
EVIDENCE THESE REPUBLICANS ARE
TALKING ABOUT.
SO FAR, IT S NOT CLEAR THAT
THERE HAS BEEN ANY, AND THAT
THEY WOULD EVEN POINT TO THE
IRS WHISTLEBLOWER AND THOSE
UNDER OATH WHO SAID THEY
COULDN'T PROVIDE ANY LINKAGE
BETWEEN WHAT HUNTER BIDEN WAS
DOING AND DIRECTLY TYING IT TO
THE PRESIDENT, WHO WAS THEN