ABUSES OF POWER BY PRESIDENT TRUMP, HIS ASSOCIATES AND
MEMBERS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION.
JOINING ME NOW, ONE OF THE
CONGRESS PEOPLE LEADING THIS
IMPEACHMENT, JEREMY RASKIN.
MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO US WHAT
THIS VOTE IS AND WHAT THESE
PROCEDURES MEAN?
PROCEDURES MEAN? >> WE’RE VOTING ON PROCEDURES
THAT FORMALIZE THE IMPEACHMENT
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. IT GIVES THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
COMMITTEE THE POWER TO DENOTE A
PARTICULAR HEARING AS PART OF
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AND IT ALSO
GIVES HIM THE POWER TO SAY THE
PARTICULAR SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING
IS PART OF THE GENERAL
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. OTHER THAN THAT THE BIG PART
THAT I TOOK AWAY FROM IT IS THAT
AFTER ALL OF THE MEMBERS CONDUCT
THEIR TRADITIONAL FIVE-MINUTE
QUESTIONING, BOTH THE DEMOCRATS
AND THE REPUBLICANS WOULD HAVE A
HALF HOUR MORE OF QUESTIONING BY
STAFF AVAILABLE.
STAFF AVAILABLE. SO IT FORMALIZEs WHAT WE’RE
DOING AS WE ENTER INTO A NEW
SEASON HERE.
SEASON HERE. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY. SO THAT MEANS THERE’S GOING TO
BE A FULL HOUSE VOTE ON THAT, IS
THIS RIGHT?
THIS RIGHT? >> NO.
>> NO. THIS IS JUST IN THE JUDICIARY.
>> JUST IN THE COMMITTEE.
IT’S GOING TO VOTE, FORMALIZE
THE PROCEDURES.
THE PROCEDURES. IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING AT THE
CONCLUSION OF THAT VOTE THAT
WE’RE FORMALLY IN A
CONSTITUTIONAL SENSE BE AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY UNDERWAY?
>> LOOK, THE CONSTITUTION
DOESN’T DEFINE WHEN IT’S
UNDERWAY.
UNDERWAY. >> NO, I’M ASKING YOU.
>> LOOK, I THINK WE’RE IN IT
NOW.
NOW. I THINK IT’S GREAT THAT THE
COMMITTEE WILL FORMALIZE IT WITH
THIS PROCEDURE.
THIS PROCEDURE. LOOK, WE’RE BEING HIT ON A DAILY
BASIS INUNDATED WITH NEW HIGH
CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS.
THE STUFF THAT WE FOUND OUT
ABOUT THE VICE PRESIDENT’S TRIP
TO IRELAND, ABOUT THE
REDIRECTION OF THE AIR FORCE
CREWS TO GO TO THE TRUMP HOTEL
IN SCOTLAND.
IN SCOTLAND. THAT’S AMAZING STUFF.
THE PRESIDENT HAS CONVERTED THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES
INTO AN INSTRUMENT OF
SELF-ENRICHMENT.
SELF-ENRICHMENT. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL SIN OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. IT WAS THE MAIN THING THAT THE
FRAMERS WERE TRYING TO PREVENT.
THEY DID NOT WANT THE GOVERNMENT
BEING USED AS A FOR PROFIT
ENTERPRISE BY THE PRESIDENT.
>> WHAT IS THE TIME LINE HERE?
I WANT TO PLAY FOR YOU A LITTLE
BIT OF YOUR COLLEAGUE, JERRY
NADLER WHO’S THE CHAIR OF THIS
COMMITTEE, TALKING ABOUT HIS
UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION’S VIEW OF THE
TIME LINE ON THIS AND THEN GET
YOUR RESPONSE TO IT.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> WELL, THE PRESIDENT CLEARLY
IS TRYING TO RUN OUT THE CLOCK.
THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID HE WOULD
DENY -- OPPOSE ALL SUBPOENAS.
THAT WAS ARTICLE 3 OF THE NIXON
IMPEACHMENT, THAT THE PRESIDENT
IMPOSED SUBPOENAS.
IMPOSED SUBPOENAS. NIXON WASN’T FOOL ENOUGH TO SAY
IN ADVANCE HE WAS GOING TO
OPPOSE ALL SUBPOENAS.
THAT IS A HIGH CRIME AND MISS
DEMEANOR UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.
OBSTRUCTING THE WORK OF CONGRESS
IN INVESTIGATING.
IN INVESTIGATING. >> HOW DO YOU GET AROUND THAT?
AND WHAT IS THE TIME LINE HERE?
>> WELL, IN AN ORDINARY
PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION 16
MONTHS LEFT TO GO WOULD BE
SOMETHING LIKE VERY NEAR THE END
OF THE, YOU KNOW, FOURTH
QUARTER, BUT IN TRUMP TIME,
THAT’S AN ETERNITY.
CAN YOU IMAGINE THE DAMAGE THAT
HE CAN INFLICT ON THE COUNTRY IN
THE NEXT 16 MONTHS?
AND I THINK THAT MORE AND MORE
OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAVE COME
AROUND TO THE VIEW THAT WE NEED
TO BE ON CONSTITUTIONAL HIGH
ALERT.
ALERT. WE NEED EVERY TOOL IN THE
CONSTITUTIONAL TOOL KIT ON THE
TABLE.
TABLE. AND SO WE’RE GOING TO -- YOU
KNOW, THE PROBLEM WITH TRUMP, OF
COURSE, IS THAT THERE ARE TOO
MANY IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES.
WITH BILL CLINTON THEY BASICALLY
HAD ONE THING ON THE GUY.
HE LIED ABOUT SEX.
WITH DONALD TRUMP WE’RE
OVERWHELMED WITH THE DOMESTIC
EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE, FEDERAL
ELECTION CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND SO
ON.
ON. >> BYRON IN NEW YORK IS A
CONSERVATIVE PUNDANT AND
REPORTER.
REPORTER. WAS TRYING TO MAKE THE CASE THAT
BECAUSE THERE’S A SCOPE THAT’S
WIDE, INCLUDES A LOOK INTO THE
PRESIDENT’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE
ILLEGAL CONSPIRACY TO HIDE THOSE
HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS AS WELL AS
OTHER THINGS, THAT THIS IS A
TACIT ACKNOWLEDGMENT, THE
MUELLER REPORT ITSELF, IS NOT
SUFFICIENT FOR THE BEGINNING OF
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> I THINK THAT’S TOTALLY WRONG.
THERE WERE DOZENS OF CRIMINAL
INDICTMENTS THAT CAME OUT OF THE
MUELLER INVESTIGATION.
MUELLER INVESTIGATION. THERE WERE SEVEN GUILTY PLEAS
AND CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS AND WE
LEARNED OF NINE OR TEN DIFFERENT
EPISODES OF PRESIDENTIAL
OBSTRUCTION.
OBSTRUCTION. IT’S JUST THAT THAT’S A VERY
NARROW SNAPSHOT OF ALL OF THE
LAWLESSNESS TAKING PLACE IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND IT
HAPPENS TO BE ONE THAT IS NOT
THE MOST INTUITIVE TO THE
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC. I THINK THAT THE PUBLIC
UNDERSTANDS THAT THE PRESIDENT
IS ESSENTIALLY A BUSINESSMAN,
ALBEIT A FAILED AND CORRUPT
BUSINESSMAN, BUT THAT’S WHAT HE
IS.
IS. AND HE HAS TURNED THE GOVERNMENT
INTO A FOR PROFIT ENTER PRICE
AND HE’S ELUDING THE ASSETS.
EVERY TIME HE GOES DOWN TO
MAR-A-LAGO IT’S COSTING PEOPLE
75 TO $100,000 FOR THE FBI,
SECRET SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE GOING RIGHT INTO THE
COIFFEURS INTO THE TRUMP
INDUSTRY.
INDUSTRY. THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT THE
FOUNDERS WARNED US AGAINST.
THAT’S WHY THEY SAID IN THAT
CASE CONGRESS CAN’T EVEN APPROVE
OF IT.
OF IT. IN THE CASE OF FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS,
GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS, THEORETICALLY WE COULD APPROVE
OF IT.
OF IT. I HOPE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WE