>>> REPUBLICAN SENATORS HAVE ARRIVED AT A TALKING POINT TO
GIVE THEM SHELTER MIDST THE
BREWING IMPEACHMENT STORM.
THE SENATE WILL LIKELY HOLD A
TRIAL ON THE REMOVAL OF THE
PRESIDENT THEY ARE LIKE JURORS
AND CANNOT PART IT.
SENATOR LAMAR ALEXANDER OF
TENNESSEE, SAME THING.
I’D BE A JUROR SO I HAVE NO
COMMENTS, AND SENATOR TIM SCOTT
OF SOUTH CAROLINA SAYS HE DOES
NOT NEED A STRATEGY FOR
IMPEACHMENT BECAUSE, QUOTE, I
MAY BE A JUROR SOMEDAY.
THIS LINE ALLOWED SENATE
REPUBLICANS NOT TO HAVE TO
UNDERTAKE THE EVER BASING RITUAL
OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO ENFORCE
THE PRESIDENT’S CONDUCT OR LIE
ABOUT THE PROCESS.
THE JUROR LINE ONLY BY SENATORS
TIME NOT AN OUT.
HERE TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS
SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY, DEMOCRAT
FROM CONNECTICUT, LONG BEEN ONE
OF THE MOST INVESTED IN THE
U.S.-UKRAINE RELATIONSHIP.
U.S.-UKRAINE RELATIONSHIP. SENATOR, LET BE START ON THAT.
ONE OF THE STRIKE THINGS ABOUT
LIEUTENANT COLONEL VINDMAN’S
TESTIMONY ACCORDING TO REPORTS
IS HIS CONCERN IS THAT SHOULD
UKRAINE ACCEDE TO THE COERCION
FROM THE PRESIDENT, IT WOULD
CREATE A KIND OF BACKLASH IN
DOMESTIC POLITICS THAT WOULD
VISHIATE LONG-STANDING POLITICS
IN UKRAINE.
IN UKRAINE. >> THIS IS WHAT’S MISSED ABOUT
THE DETAILS OF THE CORRUPTION
SCANDAL IS THIS WAS A MOMENT
WHEN UKRAINE NEEDED AMERICAN
SUPPORT THE MOST.
YOU HAD A NEW PRESIDENT,
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY WHO HAD RUN
ON TRYING TO RECONCILE IN SOME
WAY, SHAPE OR FORM WITH RUSSIA.
HE NEEDED TO REACH OUT TO RUSSIA
TO TRY TO DO A DEAL AND HE
NEEDED THE UNITED STATES TO PLAY
BAD COP AT THAT MOMENT.
HE NEEDED US TO BE TOUGH.
AND INSTEAD HE SIGNALED
WEAKNESS.
WEAKNESS. WE HAD A PRESIDENT TELLING
ZELENSKY TO GO WORK IT OUT WITH
RUSSIA AND SUGGESTING OUR
RELATIONSHIP WAS ALL ABOUT
DOMESTIC AMERICAN POLITICS.
HE LIKELY GOT AN AGREEMENT WITH
RUSSIA THAT WAS MUCH WEAKER THAN
THE ONE HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN IF
AMERICA HAD BEEN WITH HIM
UNCONDITIONALLY, AND WE’VE
SIGNALED TO EVERYBODY AROUND THE
WORLD NOW IF YOU GET IN BED WITH
EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES
YOU MIGHT BE A PAWN TO DOMESTIC
POLITICS.
POLITICS. >> ESSENTIALLY CONDEMNING THE
HOUSE PROCEDURE FOR
INVESTIGATING THE PRESIDENT, IT
SEEMS LIKE THAT’S FALLEN APART,
DIDN’T GET THE ENTIRE REPUBLICAN
CAUCUS.
CAUCUS. DO YOU THINK THAT’S NOW PUT TO
BED?
BED? WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT EFFORT?
>> I FRANKLY THINK IT WAS A
SIGNAL HOW WEAK SUPPORT IS, THAT
ALL HE COULD GET THEM TO RALLY
AROUND WAS AN OBJECTION TO THE
PROCESS.
PROCESS. IN FACT, MANY OF THEM ARE VERY
DISTURBED BY THE FACTS OF THIS
CASE.
CASE. THEY ARE ALWAYS UNDER PRESSURE
TO DO RIGHT BY THE PRESIDENT.
BUT THE BEST THEY COULD MANAGE
WAS SOME COMPLAINTS ABOUT WHO
WAS IN THE ROOM AND WHO WAS OUT
OF THE ROOM BECAUSE THESE
REPUBLICAN SENATORS REALLY DON’T
WANT TO HAVE TO ACTUALLY ADDRESS
THE FACT THERE WAS NO CLEARLY A
QUID PRO QUO, AN OFFER OF U.S.
SUPPORT IN EXCHANGE FOR
POLITICAL INTERFERENCE.
POLITICAL INTERFERENCE. NOW THAT NANCY PELOSI HAS TAKEN
OFF THE TABLE MOST OF THESE
COMPLAINTS ABOUT PROCESS, IT’LL
BE VERY INTERESTING WHETHER
REPUBLICANS ARE WILLING TO OFFER
QUARTER TO THE PRESIDENT ON THE
FACTS.
FACTS. >> DO YOU THINK REPUBLICANS HAVE
SAID I’M A JUROR ON THIS
PROCEEDING, I WILL BE A SITTING
IN JUDGMENT BEFORE THE TRIAL, DO
YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE ALL YOUR
COLLEAGUES ARE GENERALLY ABLE TO
KEEP AN OPEN MIND AND ASSESS
THINGS IN THAT ROLE SHOULD AND
WHEN THEY COME TO YOU?
>> I THINK IT’S PROBABLY HALF
AND HALF.
AND HALF. I REALLY WANTED TO GET THAT
ANSWER FOR MYSELF.
THERE’S A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE WHO
REALLY ARE DEEP STATE CONSPIRACY
THEORISTS, REALLY DO BELIEVE
THAT DONALD TRUMP IS FIGHTING A
RIGHTEOUS BATTLE AGAINST THOSE
TRYING TO UNDERMINE HIM FROM
WITHIN AND THERE ARE PROBABLY
ANOTHER 25 REPUBLICAN SENATORS
WHO ARE DEEPLY DISTURBED AT
WHAT’S HAPPENED HERE AND MAYBE
IN THE END THEY DON’T PULL THE
TRIGGER ON AN IMPEACHMENT VOTE
BUT DON’T WANT TO SIGNAL RIGHT
NOW THEY CONDONE OR ENFORCE THIS
KIND OF BEHAVIOR.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT A FEW
TOPICS.
TOPICS. ONE IS THE HOUSE JUST PASSED A
RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING THE AR
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TAKEN BY THE
TURKS AGAINST THE ARMENIAN
POPULATION THERE.
POPULATION THERE. IT’S BEEN THE SUBJECT OF
TREMENDOUS CONTROVERSY AND
CONSTERNATION BECAUSE THE
ACADEMIC CONSENSUS ON THIS IS
CRYSTAL CLEAR.
CRYSTAL CLEAR. TURKEY ABSOLUTELY HATES THIS,
VIEWS IT AS A RED LINE.
IT’S BEEN SQUELCHED YEAR AFTER
YEAR.
YEAR. THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE THE U.S.
CONGRESS IS MAD AT THE TURKISH
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING
SIMILAR IN THE SENATE?
>> I THINK YOU’RE RIGHT, THIS IS
HISTORIC FACT.
HISTORIC FACT. THERE’S ALSO BEEN SUFFICIENT
SUPPORT NAMING THIS AS A
GENOCIDE, WHICH IT IS.
BUT THE REASON WE HAVEN’T MOVED
FORWARD IS BECAUSE THERE WERE
EQUITIES THAT ADMINISTRATIONS
TOLD US THEY WERE TRYING TO
BALANCE WITH THE TURKS.
AND IF WE PASS THIS THEN THE
TURKS ULTIMATELY WOULDN’T DO
WHAT WE ASKED ON OTHER FRONTS.
YOU REALLY CAN’T MAKE THAT
ARGUMENT ANY LONGER.
THEY AREN’T LISTENING TO U.S.
NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS SO
THERE REALLY ISN’T ANY REASON
ANY LONGER TO DENY REALITY, DENY
HISTORY AND DENY SOME CLOSURE TO
THE ARMENIANS WHO KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT SPACE YEARS
AND YEARS AGO.
>> FINAL QUESTION AFTER THE
DEATH OF AL BAGHDADI IN THAT
RAID IN IDLIB BY AMERICAN
SPECIAL FORCES WITH THE AID OF
THE SYRIAN SDF AND KURDS AND
IRAQIS AS WELL, WHAT DO YOU SEE
RIGHT NOW AS THE KIND OF HUGE
POINT FOR WHERE THE REGION GOES
IN THE WAKE OF THAT PARTICULARLY
SINCE THE TURKISH MILITIAS HAVE
COME IN AND RUSSIA AND TURKEY
HAVE KIND OF CUT A DEAL, THE
U.S. IS GOING TO GUARD THE OIL
FIELDS?
FIELDS? WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
>> I THINK THE RISK IS ALWAYS
THAT WE COME UNDER THIS BELIEF
THAT WE CAN DEFEAT TERRORISM
WITH SPECIAL OPERATORS AND BOMBS
AND DRONES, RIGHT?
IN FACT, WE KILL ONE AND TWO
MORE APPEAR.
MORE APPEAR. THIS IS POLITICAL MOVEMENT FIRST
AND FOREMOST.
AND FOREMOST. AND WHAT I WORRY ABOUT IS THAT
THE FURTHER DESTABILIZATION, THE
SHORT RUN OF SYRIA AND WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN IRAQ TODAY AS THE
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IS COMING
UNDER SYRIA’S PROTEST AS ISIS IS
REGROUPING MAY IN THE LONG RUN
BE A BOOM TO ISIS.
AND SO I THINK WE ARE ALWAYS AT
RISK OF THINKING THERE’S A
MILITARY SOLUTION TO A TERRORIST
GROUP OF ISIS AND IF YOU DON’T
REVEAL LONG-TERM STABILITY IN
BAGHDAD, A PLACE WE’VE EMPTIED
OUT OF AMERICAN DIPLOMATS UNDER
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, THEN
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE JUST A VERY
SHORT WON VICTORY HERE.
WE’VE GOT TO REINVEST IN