.
. >>> THE HOUSE IMPEACHMENT PROBE
IS MOVING SO FAST TONIGHT IT’S
EASY TO LOSE SIGHT OF HOW
FUNDAMENTALLY THIS UKRAINE
SCANDAL SHIFTED WHAT
CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS HAD BEEN
DOING UNTIL ALL THIS BROKE.
REMEMBER THE VERY SPEAKER
BARRELING TOWARDS TOMORROW’S KEY
VOTE ON A PROCESS TO IMPEACH
TRUMP SPENT MONTHS HOLDING BACK
AT TOP COMMITTEE CHAIRS DEFERRED
TO THAT SAME SLOW APPROACH.
>> NOT ANY ONE ISSUE IS GOING TO
TRIGGER, NOW WE’LL GO DO THIS.
MY POSITION HAS ALWAYS BEEN
WHATEVER DECISION WE MAKE IN
THAT REGARD WILL HAVE TO BE DONE
WITH OUR STRONGEST POSSIBLE HAND
AND WE STILL HAVE SOME
OUTSTANDING MATTERS IN THE
COURTS.
COURTS. >> BUT WE’RE NOT THERE YET AND I
THINK IF IT IS A CLOSE CALL,
CLOSE CALLS GO AGAINST PUTTING
THE COUNTRY THROUGH THAT.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE PRESIDENT
TRUMP WILL ULTIMATELY LEAVE
OFFICE BEING IMPEACHED BY THIS
HOUSE REGARDLESS OF THE TIME
LINE?
LINE? >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> REMEMBER THAT?
WELL, THIS CHANGED ON TWO
INFLEXION POINTS, ONE RECENT,
ONE UPCOMING.
ONE UPCOMING. IT WAS BARELY A MONTH AGO
UKRAINE CHANGED EVERYTHING,
LAUNCHING AN IMPEACHMENT PROBE.
NO ONE KNEW WHAT THAT MEANT AT
THE TIME.
THE TIME. NOW WE CAN NOW TELL YOU THE
HOUSE VOTING TOMORROW ON
RESOLUTION 660, THE FIRST FLOOR
VOTE ON A PATH TO IMPEACHING
TRUMP.
TRUMP. POLITICALLY THIS WILL SHOW AND
TEST PELOSI HAS THE HOUSE ON THE
CAUCUS.
CAUCUS. CONSTITUTIONALLY IT CREATES A
BLUE PRINT FOR IMPEACHING TRUMP,
WHICH IS WHERE WE TURN TO NOW,
THERE IS MORE THAN A PARTY LINE
FLOOR VOTE TOMORROW.
THE RESOLUTION THAT THEY’RE
VOTING ON DELINEATES A NEW
IMPEACHMENT PROCESS.
IMPEACHMENT PROCESS. IT EMPOWERS WHO WILL LEAD IT.
SO IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE
ROAD TO IMPEACHING TRUMP AND
WHAT IT WILL TEE UP IN ANY
SENATE TRIAL.
SENATE TRIAL. YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT THEY’RE
VOTING ON, WHICH MEANS NOT THE
TEXT ALSO MEAN WHAT IS ELSE IT
SETS IN MOTIONS, WHICH IS RULES
OR PROTECTIONS OR THE PERSON WHO
MAY ULTIMATELY BE PUT ON TRIAL,
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. HERE ARE THREE KEY PARTS OF THIS
NEW IMPEACHMENT BLUE PRINT,
WHICH WE’VE JUST GONE AHOLD OF.
FIRST THEY PAVE THE WAY FOR
PUBLIC HEARINGS, WHICH HIS
PUBLIC DEFENDERS SAY WOULD BE
FAIR.
FAIR. THEY EMPOWER NOT ONLY MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS BUT TOP COMMITTEE
LAWYERS TO DO THE HIGH STAKES
QUESTIONING.
QUESTIONING. >> THAT COULD INCLUDE FORMER
PROSECUTORS LIKE DANIEL GOLDMAN,
WHO JOINED ADAM SCHIFF’S
COMMITTEE IN MARCH.
YOU MAY REMEMBER HIM FROM THIS
AND OTHER NEWS PROGRAMS AND
HARRY BURKE A HARVARD EDUCATED
LAWYER WHO CLERKED FOR A JUDGE
IN THE FAMOUS FDNY SYSTEM.
THE COMMITTEE TAPPED HIM FOR
THAT TOUGH ROUND OF COREY
LEWANDOWSKI AFTER THE PANEL
SPOKE.
SPOKE. IT HARKENS BACK TO WATERGATE
WHEN STAFF LAWYERS LIKE FRED
THOMPSON LED WITNESSES TO
IMPORTANT REVELATIONS.
IMPORTANT REVELATIONS. >> DID YOU SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU
WANTED TO PROTECT THE PRESIDENT?
>> NOT TO THE BEST OF MY
RECOLLECTION.
RECOLLECTION. >> SIR, DID YOU DENY IT BECAUSE
YOU WANTED TO PROTECT YOURSELF?
>> NOT TO THE BEST OF MY
RECOLLECTION, MR. BURKE.
>> WHY DID YOU LIE ON NATIONAL
TELEVISION?
TELEVISION? >> ARE YOU AWARE OF THE
INSTALLATION OF LISTENING
DEVICES IN THE OVAL OFFICE OF
THE PRESIDENT?
THE PRESIDENT? >> I WAS AWARE OF LISTENING
DEVICES.
DEVICES. >> THOSE VOICES YOU HEAR ASKING
THE QUESTIONS ARE THE
PROFESSIONALS AND DEPLOYING THEM
IS ANOTHER SIDE THAT THE PLANNED
HEARINGS NOW WON’T BE INTENDED
TO BE CAPITOL HILL TALK-A-THONS
FOR SOUND BYTES BUT RATHER FOCUS
MORE ON GETTING EVIDENCE.
NOW SECOND IN THESE NEW RULES
THAT WE HAVE NOW GONE AHOLD OF,
PROTECTIONS FOR THE TARGET.
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. REMEMBER, CONSTITUTION DOESN’T
DETAIL HOW TO RUN AN IMPEACHMENT
IN THE HOUSE OR A SENATE TRIAL.
SO CONGRESS DECIDES EACH TIME IN
THE RARE TIMES IT’S HAPPENED
THAT AMERICA GETS TO THE POINTS
WE’RE AT.
WE’RE AT. THE POINTS WE’RE REACHING
TOMORROW WITH THIS VOTE.
THE PRESIDENT’S ONLY GIVE SOME
IDEAS.
IDEAS. WHAT WE NOW KNOW FROM THIS NEW
RESOLUTION IF IT PASSES
TOMORROW, DEMOCRATS PLAN TO GIVE
TRUMP PROTECTIONS AND OPTIONS,
WHICH IS INTERESTING.
BECAUSE HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE
BASICALLY REINVITING TRUMP TO A
PARTY HE KEEPS BLOWING OFF,
GIVEN ALL HIS PAST AVOIDANCE,
STONEWALLING AND DEFIANCE OF
THESE PROBES.
THESE PROBES. >> HOUSE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN
JERRY NADLER ISSUED SUBPOENAS
TODAY FOR A FULL UNREDACTED
VERSION OF THE REPORT, THE START
OF WHAT’S TO BE A RETRACTED
LEGAL FIGHT.
LEGAL FIGHT. >> THE SUBPOENA IS RIDICULOUS.
I SAY IT’S ENOUGH!
>> STONEWALL IS A LOADED WORD.
THERE ARE CONSTITUTIONAL
PRIVILEGES THAT EXIST.
>> THE WHITE HOUSE IS NOW OPENLY
DEFYING CONGRESS’ POWER TO
INVESTIGATE THE PRESIDENT FOR
HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS.
>> NOW, THE WHITE HOUSE HAS BEEN
FIGHTING ANYONE GOING DOWN TO
CONGRESS GOING THROUGH THOSE
METAL DETECTORS.
METAL DETECTORS. TOMORROW, I WANT TO TELL YOU
WHAT THIS RESOLUTION MEANS, THE
HOUSE IS SAYING THROUGH ITS
POWER, BASICALLY, MR. PRESIDENT,
THIS IS REAL.
YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE TO SEND
YOUR FOLKS DOWN, WHOEVER YOU
CHOOSE, IT COULD BE YOUR LAWYERS
TO MAKE YOUR CASE.
THAT’S BASICALLY WHAT THEY ARE
TELLING HIM.
TELLING HIM. REMEMBER, THAT IS WHAT PRESIDENT
CLINTON DID.
CLINTON DID. HE SENT HIS PERSONAL LAWYER
DAVID KENDALL TO FACE THE HOUSE
IMPEACHMENT PROBABLY.
IMPEACHMENT PROBABLY. CHAIRMAN NADLER IS NOW
EMPHASIZING THAT VERY OPTION IN
A NEW STATEMENT SAYING HIS
COMMITTEE WILL COMPLY SERIOUS
PROCEDURES THAT CONFER RIGHTS
FOR THE PRESIDENT EQUAL TO THOSE
PROVIDED DURING THE NIXON AND
CLINTON INQUIRIES.
CLINTON INQUIRIES. AND THEY MEAN IT.
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IS
ACTUALLY EVEN DISTRIBUTING THIS
HANDY NEW CHART THAT SHOWS EVERY
PROTECTION THAT CLINTON AND
NIXON GOT WITH CHECK MARKS THAT
THE DEMOCRATS WILL GIVE CHURCH
-- TRUMP THOSE AND EVEN MORE.
NOW TO BE CLEAR, I WANT TO SAY
SOME ARE GETTING A COPY OF
DEMOCRATS DO IN COMMITTEE.
ANYONE WITH AN INTERNET
CONNECTION CAN GET THAT.
HOW THE PUBLIC AND SENATE VIEW
THIS, WHETHER TRUMP IS ENABLED
TO SEND LAWYERS TO TALK BUT TO
SHAPE THESE HEARINGS, TO
QUESTION WITNESSES, TO OBJECT TO
WHETHER CERTAIN WITNESSES OR
EVERYDAY CAN BE USED AGAINST THE
MR. PRESIDENT.
MR. PRESIDENT. I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS,
THOSE ARE NEW POWERS THE HOUSE
IS GIVING TO DONALD TRUMP IN THE
SPIRIT OF THEY SAY FAIRNESS THAT
AREN’T AUTOMATIC, BECAUSE THE
CONSTITUTION DOESN’T REQUIRE IT.
BUT HERE’S THE THING.
TO EXERCISE THOSE RIGHTS IF THIS
RESOLUTION PASSES TOMORROW,
TRUMP WILL HAVE TO REVERSE
HIMSELF AND THE STONEWALLING
KANGAROO COURT STRATEGY THAT
INSISTS NONE OF THIS IS
LEGITIMATE.
LEGITIMATE. WILL HE?
WILL HE? AFTER WEEKS OF FIGHTING WITH THE
HOUSE OR SETTLING ON A NEW
STRATEGY, THERE ARE SOME REPORTS
THAT TRUMP AIDS WANT TO CHANGE
CONGRESS BEFORE ITS PERHAPS TOO
LATE.
LATE. THEN THERE IS PERHAPS THE MOST
PIVOTAL THING WE ARE LEARNING
HOW THIS WILL GO DOWN, IT’S A
CLUE YOU HAVE TO DIG OUT OF THIS
RESOLUTION.
RESOLUTION. WE KNOW THE INTEL COMMITTEE
GATHERS FACTS AND WILL LATER
RELEASE REPORTS ON UKRAINE.
DEMOCRATS SAY THAT IN THE IS
BASICALLY PLAYING THE ROLE THAT
IN THE PAST PRIMARY
INVESTIGATORS HAVE PLAYED, LIKE
THOSE PROSECUTORS WHO DID THE
FACT FINDING WORK IN THE NIXON
AND CLINTON CASES, THEY PRODUCED
FACTS AND REPORTS WHICH CONGRESS
THEN TOOK AND REVIEWED.
THIS IS DIFFERENT WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. ON UKRAINE, CONGRESS IS DOING
THE FACT FINDING, ITSELF, THERE
IS NO SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR
UKRAINE COLLUSION.
UKRAINE COLLUSION. IN FACT, JUST TODAY, THE
DEMOCRAT IN CHARGE OF THE RULES
COMMITTEE MADE THAT POINT WHILE
SPEAKING TO THE STAKES.
>> UNLIKE DURING THE IMPEACHMENT
OF PRESIDENT NIXON AND CLINTON,
NO SPECIAL PROSECUTOR HAS BEEN
NAMED TO INVESTIGATE PRESIDENT
TRUMP ON THIS THAT’S WHY THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE HAS BEEN
GATHERING EVIDENCE AND HEARING
TESTIMONY.
TESTIMONY. FIVE OR TEN YEARS FROM NOW,
PEOPLE WILL ASK EACH OF US WHAT
WE DID IN THIS MOMENT.
WE WILL STAND UP FOR THE
CONSTITUTION AND DEFEND THE RULE
OF LAW.
OF LAW. >> SO CONGRESS FINDS THE FACTS
AND STANDS UP FOR THE
CONSTITUTION AND GETS A FLOOR
VOTE IMPEACHING TRUMP.
IT DOES RAISE THE BIG QUESTION
OF WHERE WE ARE HEADED.
WHAT ARE THEY IMPEACHING TRUMP
FOR?
FOR? ONE THING, TWO, THREE, A WHOLE
INTERCONNECTED PLOT OF THINGS?
EVEN IF YOU SAYOC FOR UKRAINE,
ALL RIGHT, IS IT ONE THING THE
BRIBERY PLOT?
BRIBERY PLOT? WHAT ABOUT THE SECOND THING, THE
ALLEGED COVERUP?
ALLEGED COVERUP? WHAT ABOUT OBSTRUCTION?
AND THEN THINK ABOUT THIS I
DISCUSSED THIS EARLIER TONIGHT
TWO A MEMBER OF CONGRESS.
IF YOU GO AFTER DONALD TRUMP FOR
A FEW WEEKS OF ALLEGED UKRAINE
OBSTRUCTION, WHY WOULD CONGRESS
GIVE AM PASS ON YEARS OF THE
OBSTRUCTIONALED IN THE MUELLER
REPORT, WHICH AGAIN IS MORE
INDEPENDENT THAN A DEMOCRAT-LED
COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION.
COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION. MUELLER FINDING QUOTE
SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE OF
OBSTRUCTION IN FIVE DIFFERENT
INCIDENTS.
INCIDENTS. IN FACT, YOU ARE PROBABLY OLD
ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN TOP
DEMOCRATS SAID THAT WAS
OBSTRUCTION, IT WAS JUST A FEW
MONTHS AGO.
MONTHS AGO. >> THERE WAS A SUFFICIENT
FACTUAL AND LEGAL BASIS TO
FURTHER INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE ISSUES
INVOLVING THE PRESIDENT.
IS THAT CORRECT?
>> YES.
>> YES. >> THAT COB ANOTHER BASIS TO
ALLEGE THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS
OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE.
OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE. CORRECT?
CORRECT? >> THAT IS GENERALLY CORRECT.
YES.
YES. >> THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL
DO EVERYTHING IN ITS POWER TO
OBSTRUCT THE WORK OF THE
CONGRESS?
CONGRESS? >> THOSE AREN’T JUST STATEMENTS
FROM SOME POLITICIANS.
WE JUST SHOWED YOU MEMBERS OF
THE VERY COMMITTEE THAT WILL
HANDLE IMPEACHMENT, JUDICIARY
UNDER THESE NEW RULES.
THEY WERE TALKING TO MUELLER
ABOUT HOW HAY THINK TRUMP
ALREADY COMMITTED OBSTRUCTION
THAT BRINGS US TO A KEY PART OF
THIS RESOLUTION CONGRESS IS
VOTING ON TOMORROW.
THEY STATE WHEN THIS IS ALL DONE
AND THE INTELLIGENCE PROBE IS
OVER, THE WHOLE THING GOES BACK
TO THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO
DECIDE WHETHER A REPORT TO THE
HOUSE, QUOTE, SUCH ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT IT DEEMS PROPER.
NOW, LOOK AT THAT WORD.
ARTICLES.
ARTICLES. PLEURAL.
PLEURAL. NOT ONE ARTICLE AND CONGRESS
HANDS THE KEYS TO DECIDE ON ANY
ARTICLE OR ARTICLES TO THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE S. IS THAT
ONE ARTICLE ON UKRAINE OR TWO?
IS IT UKRAINE AND THE COVERUP?
THAT AND OBSTRUCTION?
IS IT OBSTRUCTION OF MUELLER?
WHICH IS OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS
AS WELL, AND YOU KNOW FOR ALL
THE TALK LATELY ABOUT WHAT
REPUBLICANS WILL DO IN THE
SENATE, LET’S BE CLEAR.
THE FACTS ARE THERE ARE STILL
DEBATES WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY AND CONGRESSIONAL
DEMOCRATS OVER WHETHER TO FOCUS
SOLELY ON UKRAINE OR WRITE A
BROADER INDICTMENT OF TRUMP ON
MULTIPLE ISSUES.
MULTIPLE ISSUES. BROADER COULD BE COVERING UP THE
UKRAINE ISSUES, BROADER THAN
THAT, COULD BE THE OBSTRUCTION.
THEN THERE ARE OTHER DEMOCRATS
WHO LONG HAVE BEEN ON THE RECORD
ARGUING TRUMP HAS COMMITTED
OTHER OFFENSES, THIS IS A POINT
CONGRESSMAN GREEN IS BACK
REITERATING AGAIN.
REITERATING AGAIN. >> I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAS
ALSO INFUSED BIGOTRY INTO POLICY
THAT’S HARMFUL TO SOCIETY AND I
THINK WE SHOULD HAVE AN ARTICLE
THAT DEALS WITH HIS BIGOTRY.
>> WE KNOW FROM HISTORY THAT A
PARTY WHICH IS UNITED AGAINST
THE PRESIDENT ON IMPEACHMENT IS
NOT ALWAYS UNITED ON WHICH
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO TOOK ON
CLINTON OPENLY SQUABBLED OVER
FOUR DIFFERENT ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT ON THE FLOOR.
THEY ULTIMATELY PASSED TWO,
PRESIDENT JOHNSON’S DETRACTORS
THREW 11 DIFFERENT ARTICLES
RATHER THAN NARROWING THEIR
TARGETS.
TARGETS. AS DEMOCRATS PUSH TOWARDS
TOMORROW’S VOTE, THE KEY IS WHAT
THEY ARE VOTING ON.
IT’S NOT AUTOMATIC.
THESE NEW AUTOMATIC RULES
BASICALLY MAKE THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE THE VERSIONS AND
BASICALLY MAKE THE JUDICIARY
LIKE THE PROSECUTORS, DECIDING
WHETHER AND WHAT TO CHARGE ON
WITH, OF COURSE, SPEAKER PELOSI
OVERSEEING IT ALL AND THE OTHER
INTERESTING THING HERE, I DON’T
KNOW IF THIS HAS GOTTEN ENOUGH
ATTENTION YET, THESE RULES IF
THEY PASS TOMORROW, THEY CALL
DONALD TRUMP’S BLUFF.
AND THEY SAY IN THIS PROCESS,