, WELL COME BACK TO OUR SPECIAL COVERAGE OF THE HISTORIC DAY IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. AS MENTIONED, DEMOCRATS VOTING
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON THE
OFFICIAL RULES IN BLUE PRINT TO
IMPEACH PRESIDENT TRUMP.
WE HAVE SEEN A VAR ITABLE
AVALANCHE OF EVIDENCE THE
INVESTIGATORS HAVE PRIVATELY
COLLECTED.
COLLECTED. HERE IS HOW FOCUSED THAT PROBE
IS, CONSIDER TODAY AT THE SAME
TIME THE HISTORIC IMPEACHMENT
VOTE OCCURRED A BRAND-NEW
WITNESS MARCHED IN TO TESTIFY
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
ARE YOU LOOKING AT TRUMP’S
FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY AID TIM
MORRISON.
MORRISON. HE WAS ON THE TRUMP CALM WITH
THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE.
HE STILL WORKED IN THE WHITE
HOUSE UNTIL AT LEAST YESTERDAY
WHEN YES NOT COINCIDENCE USUALLY
HE FORMALLY STEPPED DOWN.
HE TESTIFIED HE PROMPTLY TOLD
WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS HE WAS
CONCERNED THAT CALL WITH UKRAINE
WOULD BECOME PUBLIC.
HE WAS CONCERNED WITH MANY
ASUSPECTS OF IT AND OFFERED HIS
PERSONAL OPINION AND DOESN’T
THINK IT’S ILLEGAL.
HE CORROBORATED TESTIMONY TRUMP
WAS SEEKING A QUID PRO QUO TO GO
AFTER BIDEN.
AFTER BIDEN. MORRISSON ADDING UP A LONG LIST
OF WITNESSES, WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT IT TOGETHER ARE TALKING
ABOUT THIS BRYANT TODAY AS
MENTIONED, HAVE YOU TIM
MORRISON, HE’S CONFIRMING WHAT
AMBASSADOR BILL TAYLOR
PREVIOUSLY TESTIFIED.
PREVIOUSLY TESTIFIED. PLUS, OF COURSE, HAVE YOU
DIPLOMAT FIONA HILL AND
ALEXANDER VINDMAN WHO SO RATTLED
THE WHITE HOUSE AND THEN OF
COURSE ON TOP OF THEM ALL ON TOP
OF HIERARCHY, DONALD TRUMP’S TOP
AID.
AID. >> THERE WAS NO QUID PRO QUO.
THERE WAS NOTHING.
>> BUT HE ALSO MENTIONED TO ME
IN THE PAST THE CORRUPTION
RELATED TO THE DNC SERVER.
ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY. NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
>> THERE WAS NO QUID PRO QUO AT
ALL.
ALL. >> LET’S BE CHEER YOU DESCRIBED
AS A QUID PRO QUO.
>> WE DO THAT ALL THE TIME WITH
FOREIGN POLICY.
FOREIGN POLICY. >> THERE WAS NO QUID PRO QUO ON
WIDE ZBLN THAT’S IT, THAT’S WHY
WE HELD UP THE MONEY.
>> WE NEVER DID THAT UNLESS, OF
COURSE, WHAT YOU MEAN WE DO ALL
THE TIME.
THE TIME. SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A DEFENSE
.
. >>> BACK WITH ME TO BREAK DOWN
THIS HISTORIC DAY IN WALK.
WE HAVE THE EXPERTS ON THE
INVESTIGATION AND THE POLITICAL
PROCESS THAT HITS CONGRESS.
FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR GLEN
KIRSHNER LONG-TIME POLLSTER
KORNELL BELCHER.
KORNELL BELCHER. GOOD EVENING TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> GOOD EVENING, ARI.
>> KORNELL YOU KNOW WHY YOU ARE
HERE?
HERE? >> HA, HA, HA HA HA.
>> DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU ARE HERE?
>> TO RAP?
>> IF YOU WANT TO.
THAT’S NOT WHY WE BOOKED YOU.
WE BOOKED YOU BECAUSE YOU DEAL
WITH THE NUMBERS AND THE PUBLIC
OPINION.
OPINION. NOT WHAT FOLKS WANT TO HAPPEN OR
HOPE WILL HAPPEN OR THINK WILL
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. YOU DEAL WITH WHERE THE PEOPLE
ARE.
ARE. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE
HOUSE DID TODAY IN THE MOUNTING
EVIDENCE, FROM AN OBJECTIVE
PERSPECTIVE OF THE PEOPLE, WHAT
DO YOU SEE AS SIGNIFICANT
TONIGHT?
TONIGHT? >> OKAY.
>> OKAY. SO, I’LL KEEP MY MIXED TAPE.
SO WHAT I THINK IS SIGNIFICANT
THIS EVENING REALLY IS
REPUBLICANS ARE ON RECORD WITH
SAYING IT’S OKAY FOR OUR LEADER
TO ASK FOR FOREIGN ASSISTANCE.
WHEN UP LOOK AT ALL THE POLLING
AROUND THIS, IT’S NOT JUST
DEMOCRATS, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
A MAJORITY OF INDEPENDENTS WHO
ARE EITHER FOR IMPEACHMENT OR
FOR THE INQUIRY, REPUBLICANS ARE
FOUGHT WHERE THE MAJORITY OF
AMERICANS ARE.
AMERICANS ARE. THEY’RE NOT PARTICULARLY WHERE
THE AMERICAN OF INDEPENDENT AND
MODERATE VOTERS ARE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE
BATTLEGROUND STATES WHAT THEY
NEED TO DO YOU LOOK AT WHERE
THEY ARE STRUGGLING IN THE
SUBURBS, MANY OF THESE
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS WHERE
THE BATTLE GROUNDS WILL BE
FOUGHT AND WON IN THE SUBURBS,
THESE COLLEGE EDUCATED VOTERS
ARE NOT WHERE REPUBLICANS ARE ON
STONEWALLING AND WATCHING
SOMETHING EARLIER WHERE
REPUBLICANS ARE LITERALLY
RUNNING FROM REPORTERS WHO ARE
ASKING THEM, IS IT OKAY FOR A
PRESIDENT TO ASK FOREIGN POWERS
FOR HELP.
FOR HELP. THEY DON’T WANT TO ANSWER THAT
QUESTION.
QUESTION. THAT’S GOING TO BE TOUGH FOR
THEM TO TAKE INTO THE FALL OF
2020?
2020? THAT BRINGS US TO GLEN, HOW DO
YOU DEFINE THE ISSUES, WHAT IS
THE SCOPE?
THE SCOPE? WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS?
GLEN, WHEN YOU GO TO THE SUPREME
COURT THAT SECTION IN THE
BEGINNING OF THE BRIEF IS
CRUCIAL.
CRUCIAL. HOW DO YOU DEFINE WHAT’S AT
ISSUE TELLS YOU WHETHER YOU WIN
OR LOSE TO KORNELL’S POINT, IT’S
NOT ONLY REPUBLICANS WHO
ULTIMATELY HAVE THEIR OWN
DISTRICTS TO WORRY ABOUT.
PEOPLE WHO NEED JOBS FROM DONALD
TRUMP RIGHT NOW, LIKE THIS NEW
AMBASSADOR DIDN’T WANT TO SAY
UNDER OATH, WELL, THIS IS OKAY.
SAYING, VERY EMBARRASSINGLY TO
TRUMP, YOU KNOW, UNDER OATH, NO,
IT’S NOT OKAY.
>> THAT BRINGS ME, GLEN, TO
VINDMAN, I WANT TO BRING HERE
ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN ANXIETY,
REPUBLICANS MINDFUL OF NOT
GETTING TOO FAR AHEAD OF THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THEY CAN SAY SOMETHING ON MONDAY
MORNING AND LEARN IT’S NOT TRUE
ON MONDAY AFTERNOON.
GLEN.
GLEN. >> YEAH, YOU NOPE, ARI, THIS
REALLY IS A HEARTS AND MINDS
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. I THINK WHAT THE HOUSE IS DOING
IS TACTICALLY SHREWD, THEY ARE
HEARING FROM ALL OF THESE CAREER
PUBLIC SERVANTS.
PUBLIC SERVANTS. THEY’RE DOCK IT BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS.
DOORS. WHAT THAT GIVES THEM THE
OPPORTUNITY IS FINE TUNE THE
INFORMATION THAT THEY WILL THEN
CHOOSE TO PRESENT PUBLICLY TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IT I THINK IS GOING TO BE A
COMPELLING PRESENTATION WHEN
THEY ACTUALLY BRING TO LIGHT
THROUGH THE TESTIMONY OF THESE
PATRIOTS.
PATRIOTS. I MEAN, THIS IS A PATRIOTIC
SURGE.
SURGE. THESE WITNESSES THAT WE HAVE
SEEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF
WEEKS.
WEEKS. YOU KNOW, GONE WILL BE THE COREY
LEWANDOWSKIS AND THE HOPE HICKS
OF THE WORLD, WHO ARE GOING TO
FIGHT EVERYTHING TOOTH AND NAIL
BECAUSE THEY ARE TRUMP
LOYALISTS.
LOYALISTS. ONCE YOU KNOW THERE CAN BE.
>> WILL YOU PUT PAUSE ON THAT?
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE
TESTIMONIAL EVIDENCE.
TESTIMONIAL EVIDENCE. THE WITNESSES, THE FACT WITNESS,
AND IN THE MUELLER PROBE AS YOU
ARE MENTIONING, A LOST OF THE
FACT WITNESSES WERE THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR
DONALD TRUMP IN 2015 IN THE CASE
OF LEWANDOWSKI AND HICKS, AND
EARLY 2016, WHEN MOST
REPUBLICANS WERE TRYING TO STOP
HIM FROM GETTING THE NOMINATION.
I THINK IT’S FAIR TO SAY IT’S A
CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE, THEY
WEREN’T LONG-TIME GOVERNMENT
SERVANTS.
SERVANTS. THEY WEREN’T PUBLIC SERVANTS AND
IN THE MAIN STREAM OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. YOU WERE SAYING THAT IS ONE
THING.
THING. YOU HAVE SERVANTS WHO HAVE
CREDIBILITY AND IN MANY CASES
WHO HAVE PUBLIC SERVICE FOR
MULTIPLE PARTIES, MILITARY.
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THEIR
POWER AS WITNESSES, GLEN?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. AND THE PUBLIC HASN’T SEEN THE
TESTIMONY OF THE BILL TAYLORS
AND THE AMBASSADOR YOVANOVITCHS
AND THE FIONA HILLS AND THE LT.
COL. VINDMAN.
COL. VINDMAN. I A LUTE HIS SERVICE.
WHEN THEY BEGIN TO SEE THESE
PEOPLE TESTIFY, THEY MAY HOLD
THEM UP TO THE COREY LEWANDOWSKI
PERFORMANCES THAT WE SEE.
AND IT’S GOING TO HAVE A REAL
IMPACT.
IMPACT. I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME YOU
WILL HAVE THE PUBLIC SIT UP AND
TAKE NOTE AT JUST HOW MUCH ABUSE
HAS BEEN GOING ON INSIDE THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. >> CORNELL, DO YOU AGREE WITH
THAT?
THAT? >> I DO.
>> I DO. AND I WILL TAKE IT FURTHER WITH
THE ATTACKS ON THE MILITARY.
LOOK, TAKE A STATE LIKE SOUTH
CAROLINA WHERE YOU HAVE SENATOR
GRAHAM, SENATOR GRAHAM, A STATE
LIKE THAT FULL OF VETERANS, A
STRONG MILITARY AND PRIDE,
REPUBLICANS WILL HAVE TO ANSWER,
YOU NOPE, IS IT OKAY FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION TO BE ATTACKING
THESE PATRIOTS AND THESE
AMERICAN HEROES THIS WAY?
AND HOW COME YOU DON’T STEP OUT
AND STEP OUT AND DEFEND THEM?
AND REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN SILENT
ON THAT I THINK THAT BECOMES
PROBLEMATIC EVEN IN DEEP
SOUTHERN AND PLACES WHERE THE
MILITARY IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
>> KORNELL, I’M CURIOUS, AS WE
GO TO THE TELEVISED PUBLIC
STAGE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN
YOU SET THIS UP, I WITH A LOT OF
OUR EXPERTS WATCHING LIVE THIS
MORNING, THESE RULES DON’T SAY
HEY PUBLIC HEARINGS GO.
AS WE HAVE BEEN REPORTING, THERE
IS A LOT MORE TO IT.
A LOT THEY SET UP 90 MINUTES
ASIDE FOR NON-POLITICIAN
PROFESSIONAL EXPERTS TO LEAD THE
QUESTIONING.
QUESTIONING. WE PUT TOKE SOMETHING I WANT TO
SHOW PREVIOUSLY, WHICH COMPARES
MR. LEWANDOWSKI, CHECKED BY
GLEN, HE WAS QUESTIONED BY NOT A
POLITICIAN BUT BARRY BURKE IN
WHAT MANY THOUGHT WAS ONE OF THE
MORE EFFECTIVE PARTS OF THAT
HEARING, WHICH EFFECTS
WATERGATE.
WATERGATE. YOU WON’T SEE FRED THOMPSON, YOU
WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, WHO AT THE
TIME WAS THE LAWYER ON THE
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. TAKE A LOOK.
>> 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. >> KORNELL, IF THE JURY IS MADE
UP OF THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT
YOU HELP WIN ELECTIONS,
SENATORS, HOW MUCH DOES IT
MATTER THAT THE PUBLIC MIGHT SEE
HEARINGS THAT ARE REALLY LED BY
NON-POLITICIANS OR PROFESSIONALS
AND HOW PEOPLE ULTIMATELY JUDGE
THIS CASE AROUND THE NATION?
>> I THINK IT BECOMES REAL
PROBLEMATIC.
PROBLEMATIC. BECAUSE I DON’T SEE THE NUMBER
OF AMERICANS WHO ARE -- WHO
APPROVE OF THIS PROCESS AND
APPROVE OF THE PRESIDENT BEING
IMPEACHED, SHRINKS AS MORE OF
THE EVERYDAY IS PUT FORWARD,
PARTICULARLY PUT FORWARD NOT IN
A HARSH SORT OF PARTISAN
POLITICAL WAY BUT PUT FORWARD BY
PROFESSIONALS.
PROFESSIONALS. >> YOU SAY THAT HURTS THE WHITE
HOUSE?
HOUSE? >> I THINK THAT HURTS
REPUBLICANS WHO HAVE TO BE ON
THE BAL LOT.
LOOK, DONALD TRUMP ASIDE, IF YOU
ARE A REPUBLICAN IN A TOUGH
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, OR ARE
YOU A REPUBLICAN SAY IN
COLORADO, FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK
IT’S TOUGH FOR YOU TO STAND, TO
KEEP CARRYING THE PRESIDENT’S
WATER THE WAY LIKE THIS AS MORE
EVIDENCE COMES OUT.
>> AND GLEN, BEFORE I LET YOU
GO, YOUR VIEW ON THAT ISSUE AND
DOES THE WHITE HOUSE ULTIMATELY
SENDS DOWN LAWYERS THE WAY
CLINTON DID?
CLINTON DID? WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS
EARLIER IN THE SHOW?
DID THEY SEND WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL, JAY CONSECUTIVE E
SEKULOW, OR DO YOU SEE THEM THEY
HAVE BEEN SO DEEP IN
STONEWALLING TRYING TO NEGLECT
THE WHOLE HOUSE PROCESS?
>> YEAH, I THINK THEY WILL STICK
WITH THE WITCH HUNT REFRAIN AND
SAY WE ARE NOT GOING TO
PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCESS
BECAUSE IT WOULD JUST BREATHE
LIFE INTO WHAT WE VIEW AS AN
ILLEGITIMATE PROCEEDING.
ILLEGITIMATE PROCEEDING. BUT I THINK IT WAS BRILLIANT
THAT THE HOUSE VOTED TO OPEN IT
UP TO THE PRESIDENT.
HE CAN PARTICIPATE.
HE CAN PRESENT WITNESSES.
BECAUSE EVERY CASE I HAVE EVER
TRIED, ARI, THE PROSECUTION HAD
A LOT OF REALLY GOOD EVIDENCE OR
WE WOULDN’T BE STANDING UP IN
COURT ASKING THE INJURY TO HOLD
SOMEBODY ACCOUNTABLE FOR A
CRIME.
CRIME. BUT THE DEFENSE DOESN’T HAVE A
WHOLE LEG OF A LOT.
WHAT THEY TRY TO DO IS POKE
HOLES IN THE GOVERNMENT’S CASE.
SO I THINK THE WEAKNESS OR
ABSENCE OF A CASE BY THE
PRESIDENT IS GOING TO MAKE THE
HOUSE’S CASE LOOK ALL THE
STRONGER.
STRONGER. >> HMM.
>> HMM. GLEN AND KORNELL.
I GOT TO FIT IN A BREAK.