>>> WE DO HAVE FRIDAY NIGHTS AROUND HERE WHERE WE GET LOTS OF
NEWS STORIES ALL AT ONCE.
HONESTLY IT FEELS LIKE FOR THE
LAST FOUR DAYS OR SO IT’S BEEN
EVERY DAY, ALL DAY LONG NEW
BREAKING NEWS ONCE AN HOUR.
TODAY WE GOT THIS BLUNTLY TITLED
STATEMENT FROM THREE HOUSE
COMMITTEE CHAIRS.
COMMITTEE CHAIRS. SAECHLKTS MIKE POMPEO SUBPOENAED
FOR UKRAINE DOCUMENTS AS HOUSE
COMMITTEES ACCELERATE
COMMITTEES ACCELERATE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. THE CHAIRS OF THE FOREIGN
AFFAIRS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE SAY
TWO WEEKS AGO THEY DEMANDED
POMPEO PRODUCE DOCUMENTS RELATED
TO THE PRESIDENT’S CALL WITH THE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT OR DOCUMENTS
RELATED TO THE DELAY OF AID TO
UKRAINE OR RELATED TO RUDY
GIULIANI OR PAUL MANAFORT, A
COMPELLING LIST OF POSSIBLE
EVIDENCE.
EVIDENCE. THEY DIDN’T GET ANY OF THAT
STUFF EVEN THOUGH THEY DHANTD IT
TWO WEEKS AGO.
NOW THEY SENT A SUBPOENA FOR
THOSE DOCUMENTS TO THE SECRETARY
OF STATE, WHICH THEY SAY IN THE
FIRST LINE OF THE LETTER
SENDING, QUOTE, PURSUANT TO THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES’
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. THEY ALSO INFORMED THE SECRETARY
OF STATE THAT THEY’RE SCHEDULING
DEPOSITIONS STARTING NEXT WEEK
WITH A BUNCH OF STATE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS NAMED OR REFERENCED IN
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER’S COMPLAINT,
PEOPLE WHO EITHER WERE INVOLVED
IN THIS SCHEME TO GET UKRAINE
INVOLVED IN THE 2020 ELECTIONS
OR MAY HAVE BEEN COLLATERAL
DAMAGE.
DAMAGE. WE DON’T YET KNOW IF THOSE
DEPOSITIONS ARE GOING TO BE JUST
TRANSCRIBED OR IF THEY’RE GOING
TO BE TAPED, BUT THEY’RE GOING
TO HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY, STARTING
ON TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY OF NEXT
WEEK AND GOING RIGHT THROUGH THE
FOLLOWING WEEK, THE 2nd, 3rd,
7th, 8th, 10th.
WE SHOULD PROBABLY ASSUME SINCE
THESE ARE DEPOSITIONS, THE
QUESTIONING WILL BE DOWN DON BY
COMMITTEE COUNSEL RATHER THAN
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
ALSO SINCE THESE COMMITTEES ARE
EXPLICITLY ACTING IN THE CONTEXT
OF AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY, THE
IMPOLICE SIT AND TODAY THEY MADE
AN EXPLICIT THREAT IF THESE
OFFICIALS RESIST OR THE STATE
DEPARTMENT TRIES TO BLOCK THESE
OFFICIALS FROM GOING ALONG WITH
THE DEPOSITIONS, THAT WOULD SAY
BE CONSTRUED BY THEOUS HOUSE AS
OBSTRUCTING.
OBSTRUCTING. WE WOULD QUICKLY FIND OUT WHAT
KIND OF ADDITIONAL WEIGHT THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY GIVES TO
CONGRESSIONAL DEMANDS, BUT THAT
WOULD OPEN UP THE PRESIDENT
HIMSELF TO ADDITIONAL
IMPEACHABLE OFFENDS AND OTHER
ARTICLES THE HOUSE WOULD VOTE
ON.
ON. AMONG THE ONES DEPOSED IS THIS
MAN, CURT VOLCKER.
HE’S THE ENVOY FOR UKRAINE.
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER CLAIMS HE WAS
BASICALLY CAUGHT UP IN RUDY
GIULIANI’S PRESSURE CAMPAIGN ON
THE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT.
GIULIANI AND TRUMP WERE BOTH
PRESSURING THE UKRAINIAN
GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE THEM
THINGS THAT WOULD BE OF HELP TO
THE IF THE PRESIDENCY’S
RE-ELECTION BID.
RE-ELECTION BID. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, THE
AMBASSADOR TURNED UP IN KIEV
FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT GIULIANI
AND TRUMP WERE DEMANDING, TRYING
TO GRIDE THE UKRAINIAN
GOVERNMENT IN TERMS OF HOW THEY
SHOULD RESPOND TO THOSE TOTALLY
INAPPROPRIATE AND POSSIBLY
ILLEGAL DEMANDS.
ILLEGAL DEMANDS. I JUST DESCRIBED HIM AS
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SPECIAL ENVOY
FOR UKRAINE.
FOR UKRAINE. AS OF A COUPLE HOURS AGO, THEY
SAY EX-SPECIAL ENVOY FOR UKRAINE
BECAUSE JUST AFTER CURT VOLCKER
WAS TOLD TO APPEAR FOR HIS
DEPOSITION NEXT WEEK, HE
RESIGNED JUST WITHIN THE PAST
COUPLE OF HOURS.
LIKE I SAID, NEWS IS MOVING
FAST.
FAST. YOU SAW THAT SUBPOENA AND THE
DEPOSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS GO OUT
FROM THREE COMMITTEE CHAIRS.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE’VE HAD
OVER THE COURSE OF THIS WEEK IS
WHETHER ONE COMMITTEE IS GOING
TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDING AGAINST
THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT. IF SO, WHICH ONE?
IF CONGRESS IS FOCUSED ON THIS
UKRAINE SCANDAL AS A MATTER OF,
YOU KNOW, FOREIGN POLICY, MAYBE
IT’S FOREIGN AFFAIRS BECAUSE IT
INVOLVES A FOREIGN COUNTRY,
WOULD IT BE THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE SINCE THEY
TRADITIONALLY TAKE LEAD ON
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS?
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS? WOULD IT BE THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE BECAUSE, AMONG OTHER
THINGS, THIS WHISTLE-BLOWER
COMPLAINT CAME FROM THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY AND
REFERENCES CLASSIFIED
REFERENCES CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND THE MISHANDLING,
OR AT LEAST STRANGE HANDLING OF
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION?
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION? TONIGHT HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY
PELOSI HAS WRITTEN TO THE
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE, THE
DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS.
DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS. THE PATH FORWARD WILL BE
CENTERED IN THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE LED BY CHAIRMAN ADAM
SCHIFF.
SCHIFF. FOR HIS PART, CHAIRMAN SCHIFF
TELLS NBC NEWS HIS COMMITTEE HAS
ALREADY BEGUN REACHING OUT TO
WITNESSES AND EXPECTS TO SEND
OUT ADDITIONAL SUBPOENAS AND
ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS OF
FURTHER DEPOSITIONS IN THE
COURSE OF THE NEXT WEEK.
SO I PLANNED A WHOLE DIFFERENT
SHOW FOR TONIGHT, BUT THIS JUST