CONGRESS AT EVERY TURN ON LEGITIMATE, CONGRESSIONAL
LEGITIMATE, CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT AND INQUIRY, THEY
DON’T HAVE A CHOICE.
>> BILL, I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
HOW THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
SPECIFICALLY REPUBLICANS ON
CAPITOL HILL WILL PROCESS THIS.
LET ME FIRST SHOW FOLKS WHAT HAS
PLAYED OUT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF
HOURS THOUGH.
HOURS THOUGH. MITT ROMNEY, TRUMP CRITIC
CERTAINLY FROM THE 2016
CAMPAIGN, NOW A SENATOR FROM
UTAH, HE WAS ASKED ABOUT IT
EARLIER TONIGHT.
EARLIER TONIGHT. HERE’S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.
>> I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY
HELPFUL TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE FACTS TO FOLLOW THE LAW TO
GET US THERE.
THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE WHISTLE
BLOWER AS WELL AS THE TRANSCRIPT
OF THE CONVERSATION.
>> AND IF THEY DON’T?
>> WELL, THAT WOULD BE UP TO THE
HOUSE TO DECIDE HOW TO PROCEED
BUT IT IS VERY MUCH I BELIEVE IN
THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO GET THIS
RESOLVED AND BE ABLE TO MOVE ON.
>> SO THERE IS MITT ROMNEY A
FORMER REPUBLICAN NOMINEE
OBVIOUSLY CALLING FOR THE
WHISTLE BLOWER COMPLAINT TO BE
MADE AVAILABLE, ALSO POTENTIALLY
THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. I SHOULD NOTE ROMNEY MADE THOSE
COMMENTS, TRUMP THROUGH HIS
TWITTER FEED THEN WENT AFTER
ROMNEY BASICALLY VIDEO OF HIM
LOSING THE ELECTION IN 2012
BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, CALLING HIM
A LOSER THROUGH HIS TWEET THERE.
BILL, ARE YOU GOING TO SEE MORE
REPUBLICANS DOING AND SAYING
WHAT MITT ROMNEY SAID TONIGHT OR
IS HE AN EXCEPTION HERE?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
BUT I THINK IT IS MORE LIKELY
THAN IT HAS BEEN AT ANY POINT SO
FAR THAT OTHERS WILL FOLLOW.
I THINK ROMNEY PLAYED AN
IMPORTANT ROLE.
IMPORTANT ROLE. HIS TWEET ON SUNDAY I THINK IT
WAS EARLIER SUNDAY WAS AN
IMPORTANT MOMENT.
IMPORTANT MOMENT. HE SAID WE NEED TO GET THE
FACTS.
FACTS. FIRST, IT IS A VERY SERIOUS
MATTER, VERY TROUBLING.
HE PUT IT IN ROMNEYESQUE TERMS,
TROUBLING IN THE EXTREME AND WE
NEED TO GET THE FACTS.
ONCE YOU SAY WE NEED TO GET THE
FACTS THEN YOU ARE SAYING THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS TO TURN OVER
THE TRANSCRIPT AND THE WHISTLE
BLOWER REPORT AND MAKE WITNESSES
AVAILABLE AND SO FORTH.
AND YOU’RE IMPLYING IF THE
ADMINISTRATION DOESN’T DO THAT,
THEN CONGRESS HAS BEEN THWARTED
AND PRESUMABLY WOULD HAVE TO
CONSIDER THAT OBSTRUCTION
PERHAPS ITSELF IMPEACHABLE.
ONE OF THE BIG THINGS, ONE
REASON THIS IS SO IMPORTANT IS
TRUMP AS PRESIDENT DOING THIS
DIRECTLY FROM THE OVAL OFFICE TO
THE PRESIDENT OF ANOTHER NATION.
PRETTY DIFFERENT FROM HIS SON
MEETING IN A SHADY MEETING IN
THE TRUMP TOWER IN THE MIDDLE OF
A CHAOTIC CAMPAIGN IN 2016.
IRONICALLY ANOTHER DIFFERENCE
NOW IS THERE IS NO MUELLER
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED A YEAR AGO
SOMEONE WOULD HAVE SAID, HOUSE
DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO AVOID
HAVING TO BITE THE BULLET, WOULD
HAVE SAID LET’S LET ROBERT
MUELLER LOOK INTO IT.
HE’S LOOKING INTO EVERYTHING
ELSE.
ELSE. THEN WE’LL LOOK AT THE REPORT
AND MAKE A DECISION.
THERE IS NO MUELLER.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT
LOOKING AT IT.
IT IS NOT GOING TO GET TO COURT
ANY TIME SOON.
IT IS IN CONGRESS’S LAP AND
CONGRESS IS FAIRLY, SQUARELY
FACED NOW WITH THE CHOICE.
ARE THEY GOING TO LET TRUMP GET
AWAY WITH NOT ONLY DOING THIS
PRETTY TERRIBLE THING HONESTLY
FOR A PRESIDENT TO DO,
APPARENTLY, IF THAT IS WHAT HE
DID, BUT ALSO TO SIMPLY
STONEWALL CONGRESS?
STONEWALL CONGRESS? REALLY THE BALL IS IN THE
HOUSE’S COURT.
HOUSE’S COURT. SO I THINK ROSA DELAURO IS VERY
SIGNIFICANT.
SIGNIFICANT. I SAW HER LAST WEEK WITH NANCY
PELOSI AT AN EVENT.
THEY ARE VERY CLOSE.
THEY DIDN’T TELL ME ANYTHING.
TOP-SECRET.
TOP-SECRET. BUT I GOT THE IMPRESSION FROM
BOTH THAT THEY SORT OF JOKED TO
ME ABOUT HOW I WAS MORE FOR
IMPEACHMENT THAN THEY WERE.
THEY WERE SORT OF OPENING THEIR
MINDS A LITTLE MORE.
BUT I THINK THIS STATEMENT BY
DELAURO IS VERY IMPORTANT.
THAT SIGNALS TO ME I THINK WHERE
NANCY PELOSI IS GOING.
I THINK ROMNEY HAS HELPED
REASSURE MAYBE SPEAKER PELOSI
THAT THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF
REPUBLICAN SUPPORT.
REPUBLICAN SUPPORT. MAYBE IN THE HOUSE.
INCIDENTALLY MAYBE IN THE
SENATE.
SENATE. IF YOU TAKE ROMNEY’S STATEMENT
SERIOUSLY HE IS NOT JUST SAYING
MAYBE THE HOUSE SHOULD IMPEACH.
HE IS SORT OF SAYING MAYBE AS A
SENATE REPUBLICAN HE WOULD VOTE
TO CONVICT.
TO CONVICT. AND SUDDENLY IF YOU HAVE A
COUPLE MORE REPUBLICANS EVEN
SOUND SOMEWHAT LIKE THAT, THE
NOTION THAT THIS IS A PURELY
PARTISAN MANEUVER, THERE WILL BE
NO REPUBLICAN IN THE SENATE WHO
WILL EVEN TAKE IT SERIOUSLY THAT
GOES AWAY.
GOES AWAY. ONE FINAL THING.
THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO SERVED
IN THE MILITARY OR IN THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, THE
SEVEN DEMOCRATS, DEMOCRATIC
FRESHMEN PUT OUT THAT OP-ED
EARLIER THIS EVENING THAT IS
VERY POWERFUL I THINK, I’VE GOT
TO THINK WILL HERD, MIKE
GALLAGHER, MIKE FITZPATRICK,
WILL HERD CIA, GALLAGHER ARMY,
FITZPATRICK FBI, FORMER IN EACH
OF THOSE CASES, THEY HAVE ALL
SHOWN STREAKS OF INDEPENDENCE
FROM TRUMP AT MOMENTS.
I HAVE TO THINK MAYBE THEY’RE
THINKING THIS IS THE MOMENT FOR
ME TO STEP UP AS WELL.
>> LET’S PICK UP ON WHAT BILL
JUST SAID THERE.
IF DEMOCRATS UNANIMOUSLY IN THE
HOUSE DECIDED THEY WANTED TO
IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT THEY WOULD
HAVE THE VOTES TO DO SO.
HOWEVER, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE THE
VOTES IN THE SENATE.
YOU NEED A TWO-THIRDS SUPER
MAJORITY.
MAJORITY. YOU NEED REPUBLICAN BUY-IN.
IF DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING A
DECISION TO GO FORWARD WITH
IMPEACHMENT GIVEN THOSE
POLITICAL REALITIES IS THERE A
CASE THERE TO NARROW THE SCOPE
OF THIS?
OF THIS? YOU’VE ALREADY GOT THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE PURSUING SOME KIND OF
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY, WE’RE NOT
QUITE SURE WHAT IS GOING ON
THERE, TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF
MATTERS IN THE MUELLER REPORT
AND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE
COME UP.
COME UP. IS THERE A CASE STRATEGICALLY
FOR DEMOCRATS TO SAY, NO.
IF WE GO FORWARD IT’S ABOUT THIS
UKRAINE BUSINESS?
UKRAINE BUSINESS? MAKE IT NARROW AND FOCUSED ON
THAT?
THAT? >> I THINK THERE IS A CASE
CERTAINLY.
CERTAINLY. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THE
DEMOCRATS HAVE TO BE SOMEWHAT
CONCERNED WITH IS IF THEY HAVE
SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FROM THE
MUELLER REPORT THAT DONALD TRUMP
IS A SITTING PRESIDENT AND TOOK
STEPS TO APPARENTLY OBSTRUCT
JUSTICE, I MEAN, LITERALLY TOOK
STEPS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
MUELLER INVESTIGATION WAS
INTERFERED WITH, AS A SITTING
PRESIDENT, WHAT MIGHT HE DO
HERE?
HERE? THEY PROBABLY HAVE TO DO SOME
WORK TO REMIND THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC THAT THEIR OVERSIGHT HAS
TO PROTECT AGAINST THAT IN THIS
CASE AS WELL.
SO I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE
THINGS HAPPENING HERE.
ONE, THEY STILL DON’T KNOW UNTIL
THEY HAVE A PROCEEDING WHETHER
OR NOT THEY’RE GOING TO WIN
REPUBLICANS AS WE’VE HEARD, MITT
ROMNEY MAKE VERY CLEAR, HE’S GOT
TO SEE MORE FAIR.
THAT IS FAIR.
THIS IS ALSO ABOUT THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC AND WHAT THEY THINK AFTER
THEY HEAR IT AND WHAT DEMOCRATS
HAVE TO DO I THINK IS MAKE SURE
THEY HAVE A COHERENT STORY THAT
PEOPLE CAN FOLLOW SIMPLY.
THE MORE YOU, YOU KNOW, CONFUSE
THINGS WITH SIX YEARS OF
INFORMATION, THE HARDER IT IS
FOR THE AVERAGE CITIZEN TO
FOLLOW.
FOLLOW. BUT YOU CAN’T JUST LIMIT IT FROM
THIS PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR THAT
MAY VERY WELL ARISE WHILE THEY