GETS UNDER WAY ON A CONSEQUENTIAL WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
>>> WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE
AGAIN FROM OUR NBC NEWS
HEADQUARTERS HERE IN NEW YORK.
DAY 1,091 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, 293 DAYS AWAY
FROM THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION.
ELECTION. AND ANOTHER HISTORY-MAKING DAY
IN WASHINGTON.
IN WASHINGTON. THIS WAS, HOWEVER, A BAD NIGHT
FOR DONALD TRUMP.
AS THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE PUT
IT EARLIER TODAY, THIS IS AS
SERIOUS AS IT GETS.
THE HOUSE HAS NOW TURNED OVERT
TWO ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
AGAINST DONALD TRUMP TO THE U.S.
SENATE.
SENATE. HOUSE DEMOCRATS ALSO RELEASED
EVEN MORE MATERIAL COLLECTED
FROM AN INDICTED FIXER FOR
TRUMP’S PERSONAL LAWYER, RUDY
GIULIANI.
GIULIANI. AND TO BE FAIR, THIS EXPLOSIVE
MATERIAL FROM LEV PARNAS,
MOUNTAINS OF POTENTIAL EVIDENCE,
HAS BEEN DRIBBLED OUT WITHOUT
FANFARE OR EXPLANATION FROM THE
HOUSE DEMOCRATS ON THE INTEL
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. AND TONIGHT THE SOURCE OF THAT
NEW EVIDENCE, MR. PARNAS, SPOKE
EXCLUSIVELY WITH RACHEL MADDOW
TO TELL HIS STORY FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN WHAT WE LEARN WAS ONLY
PART ONE OF THEIR INTERVIEW.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MAIN
INACCURACY OR THE MAIN LIE
THAT’S BEING TOLD YOU THAT FEEL
LIKE YOU CAN CORRECT?
>> THAT THE PRESIDENT DIDN’T
KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
PRESIDENT TRUMP KNEW EXACTLY
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
HE WAS AWARE OF ALL OF MY
MOVEMENTS.
MOVEMENTS. I WOULDN’T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT
THE CONSENT OF RUDY GIULIANI OR
THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT. I HAVE NO INTENT, I HAVE NO
REASON TO SPEAK TO ANY OF THESE
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. I MEAN, THEY HAVE NO REASON TO
SPEAK TO ME.
WHY WOULD PRESIDENT ZELENSKY’S
INNER CIRCLE OR MINISTER IVAN
COUGH OR ALL OF THESE PEOPLE OR
PRESIDENT POROSHENKO MEET WITH
ME?
ME? THEY WERE TOLD TO MEET WITH ME.
AND THAT’S THE SECRET THAT
THEY’RE TRYING TO KEEP.
I WAS ON THE GROUND DOING THEIR
WORK.
WORK. >> IN TERMS OF THE PRESIDENT AND
WHAT HE HAS SAID ABOUT YOU, HE
SAID ABOUT YOU AND MR. FRUMAN,
IGOR FRUMAN, "I DON’T KNOW THOSE
GENTLEMEN.
GENTLEMEN. I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THEM.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DO."
YOU’RE SAYING THAT WAS NOT A
TRUE STATEMENT FROM THE
PRESIDENT?
PRESIDENT? >> HE LIED.
HE KNEW EXACTLY WHO WE WERE.
HE KNEW EXACTLY WHO I WAS
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I INTERACTED
WITH HIM AT A LOT OF EVENTS.
>> PARNAS HAS TURNED OVER A
TROVE OF DOCUMENTS AND PHONE
RECORDS AND TEXT MESSAGES AND
PHOTOTO THE HOUSE RELATED TO THE
WORK HE AND RUDY WERE DOING IN
UKRAINE, APPARENTLY IN THE NAME
OF AND AT THE DIRECTION OF THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. LAST NIGHT INVESTIGATORS
RELEASED SOME OF THAT EVIDENCE
INCLUDING A NOTE ABOUT THE
UKRAINE PRESIDENT AND
INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE BIDENS,
A LETTER FROM GIULIANI TO THE
SAME PRESIDENT REQUESTING A
MEETING AND TEXTS THAT OUR
FORMSER AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE
WAS BEING SURVEILLED, MONITORED.
HUNDREDS OF NEW PAGES OF
DOCUMENTS FROM PARNAS WERE
RELEASED JUST TONIGHT.
THEY INCLUDE DOCUMENTS THAT SEEM
TO REFER TO EFFORTS BY PARNAS
AND GIULIANI TO PRESSURE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKY.
THERE’S A JULIET 3rd TEXT IN
THERE FROM PARNAS THAT READS,
"TRYING TO GET US MR. Z ON JULY
26th GIULIANI RESPONDS, SAYING
"GOOD NEWS ON ZELENSKY."
WE NOTE THAT IS ONE DAY AFTER
THAT JULY 25th PHONE CALL WITH
TRUMP.
TRUMP. A FEW MONTHS EARLIER, FEBRUARY
OF LAST YEAR, GIULIANI TEXTS
ABOUT TALKING TO SECRETARY OF
STATE MIKE POMPEO, APPARENTLY
ABOUT THEN AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE
MARIE YOVANOVITCH.
MARIE YOVANOVITCH. CONSERVATIVE LAWYER VICTORIA
TOENSING ASKS HIM, "IS THERE
ABSOLUTE COMMITMENT FOR HER TO
BE GONE THIS WEEK?"
GIULIANI WRITES, "YES.
NOT SURE HOW ABSOLUTE.
WE’LL GET A READING IN THE
MORNING AND CALL YOU.
POMPEO, MISSPELLS, IS NOW AWARE
OF IT.
OF IT. TALK TO HIM ON FRIDAY."
TONIGHT RACHEL MADDOW ASKED
PARNAS ABOUT THE PUSH TO
INVESTIGATE BIDEN AND WHAT HE
WAS ASKED TO TELL UKRAINIAN
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. >> HIS MESSAGE WAS IT WASN’T
JUST MILITARY AID, IT WAS ALL
AID.
AID. BASICALLY, THE RELATIONSHIPS
WOULD BE SOURED, THAT WE WOULD
STOP GIVING THEM ANY KIND OF
AID.
AID. >> UNLESS --
>> UNLESS THERE WAS AN
ANNOUNCEMENT MADE -- SEVERAL
DEMANDS AT THAT POINT.
A, THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS THE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BIDEN
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. I TOLD HIM THAT IF HE DOESN’T --
THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS THE KEY AT
THAT TIME BECAUSE OF THE
INAUGURATION.
INAUGURATION. >> UNLESS HE ANNOUNCED AN
INVESTIGATION INTO JOE BIDEN, NO
YOU U.S. OFFICIALS, PARTICULARLY
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE WEDNESDAY,
WOULD NOT COME --
>> PARTICULARLY VICE PRESIDENT
MIKE PENCE.
MIKE PENCE. ZELENSKY WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE
ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT.
ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT. AND THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
AND THAT’S WHEN BOLTON,
SECRETARY BOLTON, WENT OVER
THERE.
THERE. AND I THINK HE HAS A LOT TO SAY.
I’M NOT GOING TO TALK ON HIS --
BUT I THINK HE’S A KEY WITNESS
TO HIS CONVERSATION WITH
ZELENSKY WHEN HE LEFT OR GOT
FIRED, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO LOOK
AT THAT.
AT THAT. >> YOU BELIEVE HE KNOWS WHAT THE
ADMINISTRATION WAS PRESSURING
UKRAINE TO DO?
>> 100%.
>> 100%. >> TODAY "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
REPORTS THAT THE FORMER NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER INTENDS TO
REVEAL SOME OF WHAT HE KNOWS
ABOUT TRUMP AND UKRAINE IN HIS
UPCOMING BOOK.
UPCOMING BOOK. AS ALL THIS IS SURFACING, THE
SENATE NOW HAS THE ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT AND IS ABOUT TO
BEGIN THE TRIAL OF DONALD TRUMP
FOR HIGH CRIMES AND
MISDEMEANORS.
MISDEMEANORS. SPEAKER PELOSI FORMALLY SIGNED
THE RESOLUTION TO OFFICIALLY
TRANSMIT THE DOCUMENTS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON.
AFTERNOON. THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY THE FORMAL
RITUAL OF THE IMPEACHMENT
MANAGERS WALKING THE CHARGES
AGAINST TRUMP OVER TO THE SENATE
SIDE OF THE CAPITOL.
PELOSI NAMED THOSE SEVEN
MANAGERS THIS MORNING.
THEY ARE, AGAIN, CONGRESSMAN
ADAM SCHIFF, REPRESENTATIVE
JERRY NADLER, ZOE LOFGREN,
HAKEEM JEFFRIES, JASON CROW, VAL
DEMINGS, AND SYLVIA GARCIA.
SENATORS WILL BE SWORN IN AS
JURORS TOMORROW BY THE CHIEF
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. PROCEEDINGS ARE EXPECTED TO GET
UNDER WAY IN EARNEST NEXT
TUESDAY JANUARY 21.
SAME DAY THE PRESIDENT IS
SCHEDULED TO ATTEND THE ECONOMIC
FORUM IN DAVOS, SWITZERLAND.
AND THE FIGHT OVER WHETHER THERE
WILL BE WITNESSES IS FAR FROM
OVER.
OVER. THIS MORNING REPUBLICAN
LAWMAKERS WERE ONCE AGAIN
CRITICIZING SPEAKER PELOSI’S
DECISION TO HOLD ON TO THESE
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT FOR
ALMOST FOUR WEEKS NOW.
SHE OFFERED UP THIS RESPONSE TO
THOSE WHO HAVE QUESTIONED THAT
MOVE.
MOVE. >> TIME HAS REVEALED MANY
THINGS.
THINGS. TIME HAS BEEN OUR FRIEND IN ALL
OF THIS.
OF THIS. BECAUSE AS WE’VE YIELDED