D.C. WHO HAVE PROVEN THEMSELVES TO BE EXTRAORDINARILY CORRUPT
WITH MEMBERS’ DUES, NRA MEMBER’S
DUES.
DUES. ANOTHER ISSUE THAT THE MAJORITY
OF AMERICANS AGREE ON, JOE, HAS
TO DO WITH WITNESSES IN THE
CURRENT IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS.
75% OF AMERICANS IN THE LATEST
POLL SAY THEY WANT WITNESSES.
THAT’S CONSISTENT WITH JUST
ABOUT EVERY OTHER POLL THAT WE
HAVE SEEN.
HAVE SEEN. OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF
AMERICANS SAY LET’S -- YOU KNOW
WHAT?
WHAT? WE WANT THE FACTS.
LET’S BE TRANSPARENT AND FIGURE
OUT WHAT HAPPENED FROM PEOPLE
LIKE JOHN BOLTON WHO WERE THERE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WELL, JOE, HERE’S THE THING.
AND I’VE SAID THIS.
I THOUGHT BOTH THE DEFENSE AND
THE PROSECUTION WHICH IS THE
HOUSE MANAGERS AND THE
PRESIDENT’S DEFENSE COUNSEL.
THEY HAVE BOTH DONE ADMIRABLE
JOBS.
JOBS. THEY WERE WELL PREPARED.
WE LISTENED TO IT.
IT GAVE YOU A LOT OF THOUGHT
BACK AND FORTH.
THE ACCUSATION CAME COMING BACK
THAT THE HOUSE DID NOT DO DUE
DILIGENCE.
DILIGENCE. ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS GOING TO
BE IF YOU ALL HAVE BEEN SO
ELOQUENT AND SAYING THE HOUSE
DID NOT DO AND GO THROUGH THE
DUE PROCESS OF SUBPOENAS AND
GETTING WITNESSES AND ON AND ON,
EVEN THOUGH WITH DON McGAHN AND
THE AMOUNT OF TIME, THEY DIDN’T
GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, AND NOW
THE HOUSE, THE DEFENSE IS ASKING
US AS A SENATE THAT WE SHOULD
HURRY IT UP NOW.
DON’T DO IT.
DON’T CALL WITNESSES.
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION AND A
RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE A
THOROUGH TRIAL.
THOROUGH TRIAL. HOW DO YOU HAVE A TRIAL WITHOUT
WITNESSES AND EVIDENCE THAT
WOULD BE TO THE CHARGES THAT ARE
BROUGHT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES?
AND HE SAID THAT HE WANTED
WITNESSES, TOO, TO CLEAR HIS
NAME.
NAME. HE OUGHT TO HAVE THE RIGHT TO
HAVE A FAIR TRIAL IN THE SENATE.
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO.
>> SENATOR, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
75% OF THE COUNTRY AGREES WITH
WHAT YOU SAID.
THEY WANT TO SEE WITNESSES IN
THE TRIAL.
THE TRIAL. IT DOESN’T MEAN THEY WANT TO
VOTE TO CONVICT THE PRESIDENT,
BUT THEY WANT TO HEAR THE
EVIDENCE.
EVIDENCE. I THINK THAT’S YOUR POSITION.
JOHN CORNYN TALKED TO BOB COSTA
A COUPLE MINUTES AGO AND SAID MY
SENSE IS WE WILL GET TO THE
PLACE WHERE WE WILL NOT HAVE
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. IS THAT YOUR SENSE TOO, IT WILL
ONLY TAKE FOUR, ONLY FOUR
REPUBLICANS TO SWITCH OVER AND
VOTE WITH DEMOCRATS TO ALLOW
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. WHAT’S YOUR SENSE OF WHERE THE
WHIP COUNT IS RIGHT NOW?
>> WILLIE, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT
PART OF THE DAY.
TWO DAYS AGO THE MORNING THAT
JOHN BOLTON’S TRANSCRIPT CAME
OUT AND THEN THINGS KIND OF GOT
A LOT OF CHATTER.
WE HEAR CHATTER ALL THE TIME,
THE SAME AS YOU HEAR CHATTER, I
THOUGHT THINGS WERE MOVING IN
THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I THOUGHT WE HAD AT LEAST THREE
AND THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING
TWO OR MORE.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN FIVE OR
MORE.
MORE. I ALWAYS FELT THAT WAS VERY
DOABLE.
DOABLE. AND I THOUGHT WE WERE RIGHT ON
TRACK.
TRACK. I SAID THAT MAKES SENSE.
I DON’T KNOW HOW ANYBODY GOES
HOME AND SAYS I THOUGHT I HEARD
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH. WAIT A MINUTE.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE’VE
EVER DONE AS A PUBLIC OFFICIAL
AND JOE WILL TELL YOU THIS.
NOTHING RISES TO THE LEVEL OF
SHOULD WE REMOVE A PRESIDENT AND
NOBODY WANTS TO BE IN THAT
POSITION.
POSITION. AND LET ME SAY THIS.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THE HYPOCRISY,
AND I MEAN ON BOTH SIDES,
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.
YOU HEARD THE CLOSING ARGUMENTS
FROM THE DEFENSE.
THE CLOSING WAS SHOWING THE
CLIPS 20 YEARS AGO FROM THE
PROSECUTION OR FROM THE HOUSE
MANAGERS OF WHAT POSITION THEY
TOOK 20 YEARS AND WHERE THEY ARE
TODAY.
TODAY. YOU HEARD DERSHOWITZ, STARR, AND
SCHUMER AND McCONNELL.
PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED.
DID THEY THINK THE BRILLIANCE OF
OUR FRAMERS OVER 230 YEARS AGO
LEFT THAT MUCH WIGGLE ROOM IN
THAT YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR
POSITION EVERY TEN OR 20 YEAR?
PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED.
THIS IS TOUGH, BUT THE BOTTOM
LINE IS WE CANNOT LEAVE THIS
PLACE AND ALLOW OUR FOREIGN
POLICY TO BE BASICALLY
TRANSMITTED TO OUR ALLIES BY A
ROGUE PROXY SUCH AS RUDY
GIULIANI OR ANYBODY ELSE ON
BEHALF OF THE PRESIDENT OR ON
BEHALF OF ME AS A SENATOR OR
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. WE’VE GOT TO STOP SOME THINGS
THAT ARE WRONG, AND WE CAN FIX A
LOT OF THINGS OUT OF THIS
PROCESS.
PROCESS. >> WHAT’S YOUR VIEW OF THE IDEA
THAT’S BEEN FLOATED OUT THERE IN
SOME CIRCLES IN THE SENATE OF A
ONE FOR ONE TRADE FOR WITNESSES.
SOME SAY IT’S A SUCKER’S DEAL.
BOLTON FOR HUNTER BIDEN.
I THINK ADAM SCHIFF THIS IS NOT
A FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT.
WE’RE NOT GOING BACK AND FORTH
WITH WITNESSES.
WITH WITNESSES. WE WANT TO TALK TO RELEVANT
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO A ONE FOR
ONE DEAL?
ONE DEAL? >> LET MY SAY I BELIEVE -- I’VE
NEVER BEEN ON JURY DUTY.
NEVER BEEN CALLED IN MY LIFE ON
JURY DUTY.
JURY DUTY. ALL OF A SUDDEN I’M SITTING IN
THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS JUROR IN
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. AND ON THAT I SAID SOMEONE’S GOT
TO BE A REFEREE HERE.
THERE’S ONLY ONE PERSON I
DEFINITELY THINK THERE HAS TO BE
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. WHO THE WITNESSES ARE, I WOULD
SAY HAD TO BE PERTINENT TO THE
CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. ANYBODY THAT HAS PERTINENT
INFORMATION HAS TO BE CONSIDERED
AS A WITNESS.
AND IF IT GETS OUT OF HAND WHO
IS CALLING WHAT, WHO IS PLAYING
POLITICS, WHO IS DOING IT
CONSTITUTIONALLY, THEN THERE HAS
TO BE -- THERE’S ONLY ONE JOHN
ROBERTS AS CHIEF JUSTICE.
THEY VOTED THAT DOWN.
WE SHOULD VOTE AGAIN IF WE COME
TO AN IMPASSE BECAUSE THEY WANT
TO PLAY POLITICAL GAMES AND NOT
LOOKING AT WHAT’S RELEVANT TO
THE CASE, BUT WILLIE, I THINK
SOMEONE HAS TO ASK THE QUESTION.
IS THIS A CONSTITUTIONAL TRIAL
OR A POLITICAL TRIAL?
>> IS HUNTER BIDEN A RELEVANT
WITNESS, SENATOR?
WITNESS, SENATOR? >> YOU KNOW, I THINK SO.
I REALLY DO.
I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM THERE,
BECAUSE THIS IS WHY WE ARE WHERE
WE ARE.
WE ARE. NOW, I THINK THAT HE COULD CLEAR
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. OF WHAT I KNOW AND WHAT I’VE
HEARD, BUT BEING AFRAID TO PUT
ANYBODY THAT MIGHT HAVE
PERTINENT INFORMATION IS WRONG
NO MATTER IF YOU’RE A DEMOCRAT
OR REPUBLICAN, AND NOT GO HOME
AND SAY WELL, I PROTECTED ONE.
NO.
NO. IF IT’S RELEVANT, IT SHOULD BE
THERE.
THERE. >> KASIE HUNT HAS A QUESTION FOR
YOU.
YOU. >> YEAH, I KNOW.
KASIE.
KASIE. >> I TRIED TO CATCH YOU
YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY. >> THIS IS MAMA KASIE.
>> IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU, SIR.
>> YOU TOO.
>> I FOLLOWED UP ON WILLIE’S
QUESTION.
QUESTION. IF, IN FACT, WE GET TO THE POINT
WHERE WITNESSES ARE BEING
ALLOWED, WOULD YOU VOTE TO CALL
HUNTER BIDEN AS A WITNESS IN.
>> IF THE JUDGE OR WHOEVER RULES
THAT IT’S PERTINENT, ABSOLUTELY.
I WANT WITNESSES.
I WANT PEOPLE TO TELL ME WHAT
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. YOU’RE ASKING ME TO MAKE THE
MOST IMPORTANT DECISION I’VE
EVER MADE IN A CRITICAL ARENA
I’M IN OR AS AN INDIVIDUAL, AND
I WANT TO HEAR EVERYTHING I CAN.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
DECISION --
DECISION -- >> HAS YOUR PHONE RANG JETYET?
>> CHUCK AND I HAVE --
>> THAT’S NOT THE LINE,
NECESSARILY.
NECESSARILY. >> I’M SURE.
YOU KNOW ME.
I’M WEST VIRGINIA.
I’M JOE FROM WEST VIRGINIA.
AND CHUCK’S MY FRIEND.
I GET ALONG WITH EVERYBODY.
ALL THE REPUBLICANS.
I DON’T HAVE ANYBODY I DON’T
LIKE.
LIKE. I TRY TO WORK WITH ALL OF THEM,
BUT I’VE GOT TO GO HOME AND LOOK
WEST VIRGINIA IN THE EYE AND SAY
THIS IS WHY I DID IT.
IF I DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER AND I
CAN’T EXPLAIN IT, I CAN’T VOTE
FOR IT.
FOR IT. AND I HAVE NO PROBLEM AT ALL.
>> SENATOR, QUICKLY, ARE YOU
THINKING ABOUT SPLITTING THESE
IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES AND
POTENTIALLY VOTING TO ACQUIT THE
PRESIDENT ON THE OBSTRUCTION OF
CONGRESS CHARGE?
CONGRESS CHARGE? >> I HAVE NOT MADE A DECISION.
I TAKE MY OATH SERIOUSLY.
I HAVE NOT MADE A DECISION YET.
I THINK THE QUESTIONS -- THESE
TWO DAYS, I HAVE A QUESTION.
I WANT TO ASK SOMEBODY HAVE YOU
EVER BEEN IN A TRIAL WHEN YOU
WEREN’T ABLE TO CALL WITNESSES?
THAT’S ONE SIMPLE QUESTION I
WANT TO ASK.
THERE’S PERTINENT EVIDENCE, AND
SO UNTIL I SEE THESE TWO DAYS,
EIGHT HOURS TODAY AND TOMORROW,
I’LL BE CLOSER TO A DECISION
THEN.
THEN. >> ALL RIGHT.
SENATOR JOE MANCHIN FROM WEST
VIRGINIA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING WITH US.
SAY HI TO YOUR BROTHER FOR US.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. I’LL DO IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.