>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK TO SUNDAY SQUARE OFF.
SQUARE OFF. REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATOR'S HAVE
BEEN ASKED IN RECENT DAYS
WHETHER THEY THINK IT IS OKAY
FOR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP TO
CALL ON UKRAINE AND CHINA TO
INVESTIGATE HIS POLITICAL RIVAL
JOE BIDEN.
JOE BIDEN. WE HAVE ALL HEARD THE PRESIDENT
SAY IT.
SAY IT.
SAY IT. A
SAY IT. A WHISTLEBLOWER PROVIDED
CREDIBLE ALLEGATIONS ABOUT THE
UKRAINE REQUEST. TWO SWING
STATE SENATORS, MARTHA McSALLY,
AND CORY GARDNER, ANSWER THE
QUESTION IN ALMOST THE EXACT
SAME WAY THIS PAST WEEK.
>> IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE
SENATE UNANIMOUSLY VOTED FOR
THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE TO CONDUCT AN
INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE.
>> WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS A VERY
POLITICAL PROCESS TAKEOVER.
>> LIKE WHAT WE ARE SEEING ON
THE HOUSE SIDE, BEFORE THEY
EVEN HAD ANY FACTS MOVING
FORWARD, THE SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE IS SHOWN
TO BE PRETTY BIPARTISAN.
>> IF YOU LOOK AT AL GREEN, WE
NEED TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP NOW BECAUSE WE
MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO BEAT HIM
IN NOVEMBER.
IN NOVEMBER. THAT IS ABOUT POLITICS.
>> THEY CLEARLY HAVE POLITICAL
MOTIVES THAT WE HAVE SEEN FOR
THE LAST 2.5 YEARS. THIS IS A
VERY SERIOUS ISSUE.
>> THEY NEVER ANSWERED THE
QUESTION ABOUT WHAT THE
PRESIDENT DID.
PRESIDENT DID. WHAT ARE THE ANSWERS TELLING US?
DEMOCRATS FEAR THE REPUBLICAN
RALLIES WE SAW AT THE TOP OF
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW. JOINING US THIS MORNING,
MARILYN RODRIGUEZ, DEMOCRATIC
CONSULTANT AND NATHAN STROHL,
REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT AT
LINCOLN STRATEGY GROUP.
WELCOME BACK TO SQUARE OFF.
NATHAN, WHAT ARE THOSE ANSWERS
TELLING US?
TELLING US? >> THEY ARE TELLING US THAT
THEY ARE RIGHT.
IT HAS BECOME A POLITICAL
PROCESS AND IT HAS BECOME A
DANGEROUS PROCESS TOO.
WHEN NIXON WAS IMPEACHED, OVER
400 HOUSE MEMBERS VOTED TO
BEGIN THE IMPEACHMENT
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. SO FAR, HOUSE DEMOCRATS HAVE
NOT GONE ON RECORD ABOUT THIS
YET. THEY ARE CREATING A
PROCESS THAT IS SO OVERTLY
POLITICAL AS TO UNDERMINED WHAT
THEY ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
>> DO YOU HEAR THE SAME THING
IN THOSE ANSWERS?
>> I HONESTLY DON'T.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED
ESPECIALLY -- I THINK IT IS A
FOREGONE CONCLUSION.
FOREGONE CONCLUSION. THERE IS GOING TO BE AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AT THE
HOUSE AND THAT WILL LIKELY BE
THE RECOMMENDATION THAT THE
HOUSE MAKES TO THE SENATE. YOU
HAVE ZEROED IN ON THE FACT THAT
THE SENATE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY.
WE AS THE VOTERS SHOULD BE ABLE
TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE
WHAT OUR SENATORS AND OUR
ELECTED OFFICIALS WILL DO IN
THE MOMENT.
THE MOMENT. DODGING THE QUESTION HAS BECOME
THE MO OF FOLKS LIKE MARTHA
McSALLY WHO WANT TO DISTANCE
THEMSELVES FROM THE PRESIDENT
AND HAVING TO DO ANYTHING TO
CHECK HIS GRAB ON POWER.
>> I WAS THERE ASKING THOSE
QUESTIONS OF MARTHA McSALLY.
NOW SHE IS SAYING THAT WE IN
THE SENATE NEED TO BE THE
JUDGES WHICH IS WHAT DEMOCRAT
KYRSTEN SINEMA SAID A FEW WEEKS
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. McSALLY SAID WE NEED TO BE THE
JUDGES AND YET HERE SHE IS
STOMPING ALL OVER THE HOUSE.
CAN THOSE TWO THINGS BE TRUE?
>> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. SHE IS RECOGNIZING THE WAY THE
HOUSE IS GOING ABOUT THE
PROCESS WILL CONTAMINATED WHEN
IT GETS TO THE SENATE.
THE HOUSE NEEDS TO SLOW DOWN
THE PROCESS.
THE PROCESS. NEEDS TO BE A SERIOUS
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. MANY OF THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS
HAVE JUMPED TO THE CONCLUSION
THAT THEY ARE VOTING FOR
IMPEACHMENT AND THEY HAVE NOT
EVEN HEARD A WITNESS YET.
THIS HAS BECOME A VERY
POLITICAL PROCESS AND IT
THREATENS TO DIVIDE OUR COUNTRY
EVEN MORE IF THEY DON'T SLOW
THE PROCESS DOWN.
>> WAS THERE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
FOR WATERGATE?
FOR WATERGATE? >> THERE WAS.
>> INITIALLY?
>> INITIALLY? >> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. >> WHEN THE HOUSE VOTED TO
BEGIN THE IMPEACHMENT
INVESTIGATION, 410 HOUSE
MEMBERS VOTED TO BEGIN THE
INFORMAL PROCESS.
INFORMAL PROCESS. THAT IS BECAUSE THEY LET IT
BOIL FOR A YEAR.
HE LOOKED AT THE FACTS. ONCE
THEY CAME TO A CONSENSUS THAT
THERE WAS TRUE WRONGDOING ON
THE PART OF PRESIDENT NIXON,
THAT IS WHEN THEY BEGAN THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. THE DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE IT THE
OPPOSITE WAY.
OPPOSITE WAY. THEY ARE BEGINNING THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AND HOPING
TO FIND CRIMINAL WRONGDOING.
>> ONE THING REPUBLICANS ARE
SAYING IS WE WANT TO HAVE A YES
OR NO VOTE, UP OR DOWN VOTE ON
WHETHER TO AUTHORIZE THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. IS THAT SOMETHING REPUBLICANS
SHOULD FEAR CASTING A YES OR NO
VOTE OR DEMOCRATS SHOULD FEAR
OR BOTH?
OR BOTH?
OR BOTH? HAVING TO JUST SAY IT AND GO ON
RECORD?
RECORD?
RECORD? >> THERE APPEARS TO BE A LOT OF
FEAR.
FEAR.
FEAR. >>
FEAR. >> ON BOTH SIDES?
>> I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK ON
BOTH SIDES.
BOTH SIDES. YOU ARE NOT HEARING THESE
CANNED QUOTES FROM ACROSS THE
COUNTRY THAT ARE COMING FROM
FOLKS LIKE MARTHA McSALLY AND
SENATOR GARDNER.
SENATOR GARDNER. THEY ARE DOING THE BEST THAT
THEY CAN TO NOT ANSWER A
QUESTION THAT THEY ARE
ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED OF.
>> SHOULD REPUBLICANS WANT TO
GO ON RECORD OPPOSING AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY?
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY? >> EACH MEMBER HAS TO MAKE THAT
DECISION FOR THEMSELVES BUT THE
POLITICS OF IT IS THERE ARE 31
HOUSE MEMBERS ON THE DEMOCRATS
SIDE WHO ARE FROM DISTRICTS
THAT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WON
BY MORE THAN FOUR POINTS.
THE REASON WHY THERE IS NOT A
FORMAL VOTE TO BEGIN THE
IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION IS
BECAUSE PELOSI IS PROTECTING
MOST 31 NUMBERS.
FOR THE REPUBLICANS, THE DANGER
IS ON THE SENATE.
THAT IS WHERE THE REPUBLICAN
JEOPARDY IS.
JEOPARDY IS. >> CORY GARDNER, THAT SOUNDBITE
YOU SAW, ALSO SAID HOW CAN
THESE QUESTIONS ARE ONLY BEING
ASKED OF SWING STATE SENATORS?
I WANT TO GET TO THE RALLIES
THAT WE SAW WITH KELLY WARD AND
OTHER REPUBLICANS TARGETING THE
FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
BOTH ARE SWINGING DISTRICT'S. I
WANT TO THROW SOME NUMBERS OUT.
IN O'HALLORAN'S FIRST DISTRICT,
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WAS +1
OVER HILLARY CLINTON IN 2016.
O'HALLORAN WON HIS DISTRICT IN
2018 BY ALMOST 8 POINTS.
HILLARY CLINTON PETE TRUMP BY
FIVE POINTS IN 2016 AND THE
SECOND DISTRICT.
SECOND DISTRICT. ARE THEY VULNERABLE?
>> REPUBLICANS?
>> REPUBLICANS? >> KIRKPATRICK AND O'HALLORAN.
>> I DON'T THINK SO. ARIZONA IS
A SWING STATE.
EVERYTHING THAT EVERY SINGLE
ONE OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS DO
AND THE CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE
DO IS GOING TO BE HYPER FOCUSED
ON NOT ONLY LOCALLY BUT BY
NATIONAL INTERESTS.
NATIONAL INTERESTS. KIRKPATRICK, O'HALLORAN, AND
OTHERS WILL DO WHAT THEY HAVE
DONE TO SHOW THE VOTERS THAT
THEY CARE ABOUT THE ISSUES.
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO LET
POLITICS GET IN THE WAY.
WE HAVE SEEN COMPLETE
CONSISTENCY.
CONSISTENCY. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SCARED ARE
THE REPUBLICANS WHO ARE LOSING
THEIR GROUND.
THEIR GROUND. >> SAME QUESTION FOR YOU,
NATHAN.
NATHAN.
NATHAN. I
NATHAN. I WILL PREFACE IT BY NOTING THE
FOX POLL LAST WEEK THAT SHOT A
LOT OF PEOPLE THAT AMERICANS
FAVOR IMPEACHMENT.
FAVOR IMPEACHMENT. >> BY A NARROW MAJORITY.
THAT IS ACCURATE.
>> BY A MARGIN OF ERROR.
>> MY POINT ABOUT IMPEACHMENT
IS A NEEDS TO BE A BIPARTISAN
PROCESS.
PROCESS.
PROCESS. OTHERWISE THE COUNTRY WILL BE
DIVIDED IN A MUCH WORSE WAY.
TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT
O'HALLORAN AND KIRKPATRICK, I
DON'T THINK EITHER ONE OF THEM
ARE VULNERABLE BUT THE
DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING A HIGH
RISK GAMBLE HERE. WE ARE LESS
THAN A YEAR AWAY FROM AN
ELECTION.
ELECTION.
ELECTION. THEY ARE GOING TO BE TAKING THE
GAMBLE THAT VOTING TO REMOVE A