>>> WELCOME BACK. WE’RE BACK ON THE GROWING LEGAL
HEAT FACING DONALD TRUMP AND WHY
IT’S FINALLY RATTLING SOME OF
ITS CLOSEST ALLIES.
NEW REPORTING, THE PRESSURE IS
UNNERVING REPUBLICANS WHO WORRY
TRUMP’S INCREASINGLY VULNERABLE.
THE IDEA THAT HE DIRECTED
MICHAEL COHEN TO COMMIT A FELONY
COULD MARK A TURNING POINT FOR
THE GOP, PARTICULARLY IF MUELLER
FLESHES OUT THE ALLEGATIONS.
AX YES REPORTING HEEN HARDCORE
TRUMP ALLIES WERE RATTLED BY THE
LEVEL OF DETAIL IN THE COHEN
GUILTY PLEA.
GUILTY PLEA. TODAY 44 FORMER SENATORS,
INCLUDING 10 REPUBLICANS,
WARNING OUR DEMOCRACY IS
ENTERING A QUOTE DANGEROUS
PERIOD WITH SERIOUS CHALLENGES
TO THE RULE OF LAW.
BUT PUBLICLY, REPUBLICANS ARE
STILL BACKING TRUMP.
WHEN A REPORTER ASKED UTAH
SENATOR ORRIN HATCH ABOUT
TRUMP’S LINKS TO COHEN’S CRIMES,
HE SAID THIS.
I DON’T CARE.
HOUSE GOP LEADER KEVIN McCARTHY
DOWNPLAYED THE CRIMES.
>> TO GO FORWARD AND SAY THERE’S
AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE BECAUSE
OF A CAMPAIGN FINANCE PROBLEM?
THERE’S A LOT OF MEMBERS IN
CONGRESS WHO WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE
FOR THAT SAME PLACE.
>> ANOTHER REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN DISAGREED WITH THE
FACTS OF THE CASE AS WELL.
>> THE PRESIDENT’S BEEN
IMPLICATED IN TWO CRIMES.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE VIOLATIONS.
THIS WAS IN THAT RECENT FILING
BY THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW
YORK.
YORK. DOES THIS CONCERN YOU?
>> YOU KNOW, I DON’T AGREE WITH
THE ASSUMPTION THAT HE’S BEEN
ACCUSED OF A CRIME.
I DON’T SEE THAT HERE.
I SEE THAT --
>> HE’S BEEN IMPLICATED.
>> I DISAGREE WITH THAT.
>> NO, YOU CAN’T, THAT’S JUST
THE TRUTH.
THE TRUTH. I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU DISAGREE
WITH A FACT.
IT’S BEEN IMPLICATING AS
DIRECTED THE HUSH MONEY
PAYMENTS --
PAYMENTS -- >> NO, NO, NO.
>> TEXAS CONGRESSMAN SHEILA
JACKSON LEE, WHO SERVES ON THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS
EVENING.
EVENING. >> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
>> IS THIS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
STRATEGY, DENY THE FACTS OF THE
CASE AND REALLY STAND BY TRUMP
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS HERE?
>> FIT IS, THE NATION IS REALLY
IN TROUBLE.
IN TROUBLE. WHERE IS THE BREATH OF FRESH AIR
THAT OCCURRED DURING THE
WATERGATE HEARINGS, WHERE ONE BY
ONE REPUBLICANS REALIZED THE
NIXON PRESIDENCY WAS NOT GOING
TO STAND?
TO STAND? WHERE’S THE ANSWER TO THE LETTER
FROM 44 OF THEIR FORMER
COLLEAGUES, REPUBLICANS AND
DEMOCRATS, THAT HAVE PLEADED
WITH THEM TO STAND FOR THE RULE
OF LAW AND DEMOCRACY OVER PARTY?
THAT IS NOT HAPPENING NOW.
I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
DESERVE BETTER.
DESERVE BETTER. FRANKLY, THERE IS NO CALL FOR
THEM TO MAKE A STATEMENT ABOUT
ANY ACTIONS OF HIGH CRIMES AND
EXPERIENCE,
EXPERIENCE, MISDEMEANORS, BUT CERTAINLY IT
BEGS THE QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT
THEY CAN ACKNOWLEDGE THESE ARE
SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MR.
COHEN, SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS
AGAINST MR. MANAFORT.
THEY WERE INTIMATELY INVOLVED
WITH THE CAMPAIGN.
ONE WAS THE LAWYER FOR THE
PRESIDENT HIMSELF, A PERSONAL
LAWYER.
LAWYER. MR. MANAFORT, YOU CANNOT DENY,
WAS INTIMATELY ENGAGED IN
ORCHESTRATEING MR. TRUMP’S
JOURNEY TO THE CONVENTION, THE
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, AND WAS A
VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. >> CONGRESSWOMAN, WE’RE HEARING
OBVIOUSLY REPUBLICANS ARE
PRIVATELY WORRIED AS TO WHAT’S
GOING ON WITH THE MUELLER PROBE
AND THE FILINGS THAT KEEP COMING
OUT DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY.
THE BIG QUESTION HERE IS WHAT
WOULD MAKE THEM PUBLICLY COME
OUT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT?
IF THEY’RE PRIVATELY WORRIED
ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON BUT
PUBLICLY STAND BY THE PRESIDENT
WHAT WOULD BE THE STRAW THAT
BREAKS THE CAMEL’S BACK FOR
THEM?
THEM? >> I THINK THEY ALREADY HAVE
THAT EVIDENCE.
THAT EVIDENCE. FIRST OF ALL, WITH THE
RECOMMENDATION THAT DIRECTOR
FLYNN GET NO JAIL TIME, THAT
MEANS THAT IN THE COURSE OF HIS
MEETINGS WITH PROSECUTORS IN THE
MUELLER INVESTIGATION, HE WAS
VERY, VERY DETAILED.
IN ADDITION, IF YOU JUST LOOK AT
THE LANDSCAPE OF OPERATIVES IN
THE CAMPAIGN, HOW CAN THEY
IGNORE THAT THERE WERE 12
INDIVIDUALS INDICTED, RUSSIANS,
WHO WERE PART OF A COMPANY OR
THREE COMPANIES, INDICTED AS
WELL, THAT HAD A DESIGN TO
INTERFERE WITH THE 2016
ELECTION?
ELECTION? THEY ALL WERE ENGAGED OR AROUND
OPERATIVES OF THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. THERE WERE 12 OR SO INTELLIGENCE
OPERATIVES FROM RUSSIA
SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON
RELEASING DEMOCRATIC E-MAILS.
THE EVIDENCE OR THE STORY IS
ALREADY THERE.
ALREADY THERE. WHAT ADMINISTRATION OVER THE
LAST 40 YEARS HAS HAD THIS KIND
OF CLOSE CONNECTION TO OUR
ADVERSARIES, OUR DEFINITIVE
ADVERSARIES LIKE RUSSIA,
DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN
UNDERMINING THE RULE OF LAW AND
DEMOCRACY?
DEMOCRACY? I GUESS MY ANSWER WOULD BE, IT
IS ALL IN THE INTERNAL
ASSESSMENT THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE
TO MAKE WHETHER THEY WILL PUT
COUNTRY FIRST.
COUNTRY FIRST. I GUESS WHAT THEY WOULD ARGUE IS
THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO SEE THE
FINGERPRINTS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
ON ANY OF THESE ACTIONS.
BUT I THINK HIS FINGERPRINTS MAY
BE NEARBY.
BE NEARBY. BECAUSE IF YOU ARE LISTED IN AN
INDICTMENT OF MR. COHEN AS
INDIVIDUAL ONE, HAVING DIRECTED
THE INDIVIDUAL TO DO WHAT HE
DID, AND TO DO IT TO ENSURE THAT
THESE VIMDEVELOPMENTS OR
DISCOVERIES WOULD NOT COME OUT
BEFORE THE 2016 ELECTION DATE IN
2016 THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE
WORTHY OF ASSESSMENT.
MAYBE NOT COMING TO A FINAL
CONCLUSION, BUT WE DON’T EVEN
HAVE COMMENTS FROM REPUBLICANS
SAYING THAT THIS IS TROUBLING TO
THEM, LET’S GET MORE FACTS,
LET’S SUPPORT THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION BEING COMPLETED.
LAST POINT IS, WHY CAN’T WE GET
THE SENATE TO PUT THE BIPARTISAN
BILL ON THE FLOOR THAT PROTECTS
MR. MUELLER AS HE CONTINUES HIS
INVESTIGATION?
INVESTIGATION? THAT WOULD TRULY GIVE A SIGN OF
PUTTING COUNTRY OVER PARTY.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN, ARE DEMOCRATS
PUTTING COUNTRY FIRST BY NOT
PURSUING IMPEACHMENT?
PURSUING IMPEACHMENT? >> HERE’S THE ISSUE ON
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND -- THEY’VE HEARD THE
WORD SO MUCH.
THEY KNOW IT IS A CONSTITUTIONAL
FUNCTION OF HIGH CRIMES AND
MISDEMEANORS.
MISDEMEANORS. THEY KNOW ANYONE, ANY PARTY, ANY
MAJORITY THAT GAINS IN THAT, IF
WE ARE IN THE MAJORITY, IN THIS
INSTANCE IT WOULD BE DEMOCRATS,
THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE
BIPARTISAN.
BIPARTISAN. IT WAS BIPARTISAN IN WATERGATE
WHEN REPUBLICANS RECOGNIZED THAT
THE NATION COULD NOT CONTINUE TO
FUNCTION.
FUNCTION. DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO WAIT FOR
THE MUELLER REPORT, AND WE’RE
GOING TO INVESTIGATE AS OUR DUTY
REQUIRES US TO DO.
THAT’S WHAT THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE IS GOING TO DO.
BY THOSE HEARINGS THAT WE MAY
HAVE, THEN FACTS OF MORE
EVIDENCE WILL BE PRESENTED.
FOR EXAMPLE, TO BE ABLE TO FIND
OUT WHO LIED AND HAVE THEM UNDER
OATH AND HAVE THEM BEFORE OUR
COMMITTEE, INCLUDING SOME OF THE
VERY PRINCIPALS THAT THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION IS LOOKING AT, FOR
TRANSCRIPTS TO BE RELEASED TO
HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE.
ALL OF THAT WILL PLAY INTO DOING
OUR TASK, OUR JOB, ON BEHALF OF
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, WHICH IS TO
ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE
PRESIDENCY, THE WHITE HOUSE, AND
THIS GOVERNMENT.
THIS GOVERNMENT. JUST AS WE ARE TRYING TO ENSURE
THE INTEGRITY OF BEING AGAINST
ANY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
>> I’M SURE THERE’S A LOT OF
PEOPLE THINKING RIGHT NOW,
BIPARTISANSHIP IS NOT GOING TO
BE AN EASY TASK, CONSIDERING
WHAT WENT DOWN IN THE OVAL