WE ARE BACK WITH ONE OF THE LATEST DEMOCRATS TO CALL FOR
IMPEACHMENT, ONE OF MORE THAN
HALF A DOZEN COMING FORWARD IN
THE WAKE OF BOB MUELLER’S
TESTIMONY.
TESTIMONY. CONGRESSWOMAN LISA BLUNT RO
CLUSTER SAYING "FUTURE
GENERATIONS WILL LOOK TO US AND
ASK WHERE WE WERE, WHAT WE DID,
AND IF WE FELL SILENT."
SHE JOINS ME NOW, LISA BLUNT
ROCHESTER.
ROCHESTER. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
YOU SAID TODAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOU SAID TODAY THIS HAD
EXCHANGE OF MUELLER’S TESTIMONY
WAS A KEY MOMENT FOR YOU.
LET’S TAKE A LISTEN TO THAT.
>> DID YOU SAY DIRECTOR MUELLER,
THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS CREDIBLE?
>> I CAN’T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
>> DIRECTOR MUELLER, ISN’T IT
FAIR TO SAY THAT THE PRESIDENT’S
WRITTEN ANSWERS WERE NOT ONLY
INADEQUATE AND INCOMPLETE, HIS
ANSWERS SHOWED THAT HE WASN’T
ALWAYS BEING TRUTHFUL?
>> I WOULD SAY GENERALLY.
>> WHY DID THAT PARTICULAR
ANSWER EXCHANGE HELP CHANGE YOUR
MIND?
MIND? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YASMINE,
THANK YOU FOR WHY HAVING ME ON
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW. THE DECISION TO EVEN YOU KNOW
COME OUT IN FAVOR OF AT
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY WAS ONE THAT
I DIDN’T TAKE LIGHTLY AND THAT
WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE.
THAT EXCHANGING IN ADDITION TO
DIRECTOR MUELLER TALKING ABOUT
THE FEAR OF THIS BEING THE NEW
NORMAL ACTUALLY WAS A TIPPING
POINT FOR ME.
YOU KNOW, WE HAS ALREADY
RECEIVED THERE 44-PAGE DOCUMENT
THAT SHOWED US TEN INSTANCES OF
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
BUT FOR ME, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT
BACK TO THE PART ONE OF THAT
DOCUMENT WHERE WE TALK ABOUT THE
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN OUR
ELECTIONS.
ELECTIONS. I THOUGHT ABOUT MYSELF AS A -- I
GREW UP IN THE 1960s, AND WE
USED TO HAVE TO DO THESE AIR
RAID DRILLS WHERE YOU WOULD GET
UNDER YOUR DESK OR GET IN THE
HALL AND PUT YOUR HANDS OVER
YOUR NECK BECAUSE WE WERE
CONCERNED ABOUT TORNADOES AND
ABOUT THE SOVIET UNION.
THEM ATTACKING US.
AND WE’VE ACTUALLY BEEN
ATTACKED.
ATTACKED. OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN ATTACKED.
AND TO HAVE A CAMPAIGN, A
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ACTUALLY
WELCOME IT FOR THEIR OWN GAIN
AND THEN TO LEARN FROM THIS
TESTIMONY THAT OUR PRESIDENT HAS
NOT BEEN TOTALLY TRUTHFUL TO ME
CALLED FOR US TO TAKE BOLD
ACTION.
ACTION. AND TO SAY THAT IN ORDER FOR US
TO GET THE INFORMATION WE NEED,
IN ORDER FOR US TO GET THE
COOPERATION WE NEED, WE NEED TO
MOVE FORWARD WITH AN INQUIRY
INTO IMPEACHMENT.
INTO IMPEACHMENT. >> SO IN FACT, YOU SAY IN YOUR
STATEMENT I BELIEVE OPENING AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY GIVES US
FIRMER LEGAL GROUND ON WHICH TO
STAND.
STAND. WHY?
WHY? >> WELL, FOR ONE THING, WE ALL
KNOW THAT OVERSIGHT IS ONE OF
THE ROLES OF CONGRESS.
AND WE ARE DOING INVESTIGATIONS.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE SIX
INVESTIGATIONS GOING ON FROM
DIFFERENT SUB, COMMITTEES THAT
ARE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK.
BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY EMBARK ON
AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY,
IMPEACHMENT IS ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT IS ENUMERATED IN THE
CONSTITUTION.
CONSTITUTION. AND SO THEREFORE, THE COURTS
WOULD BE MORE, WE WOULD BE
WORKING FASTER IN TERMS OF
GETTING THAT COOPERATION AND IN
TERMS OF GETTING THOSE DOCUMENTS
I BELIEVE AND SO FOR ME IT, ADDS
AN EXTRAS LEVEL OF OVERSIGHT.
IT ACTUALLY ADDS MORE WEIGHT AND
CREDIBILITY TO WHAT IT IS THAT
WE’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH, AND
THE BOTTOM LINE IS, NOBODY IS
ABOVE THE LAW.
AND SO WHETHER IT’S THE
PRESIDENT OR ANYONE ELSE AND YOU
KNOW, THIS INQUIRY WOULD HELP US
GET THE ANSWERS AND GET THEM IN
A MORE EXPEDITIONUS WAY.
>> SENIOR ADVISER TO THE
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE ANTOINE SEA
WRIGHT.
WRIGHT. GOOD TO TALK TO YOU.
THANKS FOR JOINING US ON THIS.
MUELLER’S TESTIMONY MAY HAVE
HELPED CHANGE THE MIND OF THE
CONGRESSWOMAN BUT HAS IT IS
SHIFTED IN YOUR BELIEF PUBLIC
OPINION?
OPINION? >> I DON’T THINK SO.
I THINK THE SPEAK SER TAKING THE
RIGHT APPROACH AND LEADERSHIP IS
TAKING THE RIGHT APPROACH, THAT
IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT WITH
IN.
IN. WE HAVE TO CONTINUE INVESTIGATE
AGEN WILL EDGE LATING.
IF YOU LOOK AT ONE SIMPLE THING
THIS IDEA WE CANNOT GOVERN IF WE
DO NOT WIN, WE WON UP AND DOWN
THE BALLOT IN THE 201 BECAUSE WE
WON IN PLACES THAT DONALD TRUMP
WON IN 2016.
IF YOU TALK TO THOSE INDIVIDUAL
MEMBERS AND YOU ASK THEM WHAT
THEIR CONSTITUENTS ARE SAYING,
THEY’RE SAYING I WANT YOU TO
COMMIT TO DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU
WERE GOING TO DO, THE REASON WE
PUT YOU HERE.
AND IMPEACHMENT IS NOT ON THE
TOP OF THEIR MINDS.
NOW, DOES THAT MEAN THAT POSTURE
AND POSITION WILL FOREVER BE
THIS WAY?
THIS WAY? NO, BUT I THINK THAT THE
CONGRESS AND LEADERSHIP IS
TAKING THE RIGHT APPROACH AND I
THINK THAT THE CONGRESSWOMAN
DEFINITELY IS DOING THE RIGHT
THING BY REPRESENTING THE
INTERESTS OF HER CONSTITUENTS
BUT THESE MEMBERS WHO IS HELP US
MAKE UP THE MAJORITY HAVE TO
RESPECT THE WISHES OF THEIR
CONSTITUENTS.
CONSTITUENTS. >> DOESN’T IT DEPEND THOUGH ON
WHO EXACTLY YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT
OR TO?
OR TO? IF YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
DEMOCRATIC BASE, YES, IN FACT,
IT IS LIKELY THEY WOULD SUPPORT
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS, THE
LAUNCHING OF AN A ININQUIRYAINQU
IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT A SWING
VOTER, HOPING FOR SOMEONE WHO
VOTED FOR TRUMP RELUCTANT LIT IN
THE 2016 AND NOW LOOKING FOR A
NEW PRESIDENT AND NOT SURE WHERE
TO PUT THEIR VOTE, HOWEVER THEY
WILL VOTE FOR TRUMP IF THERE’S
NOBODY BETTER, IS THERE A RISK
DEMOCRATS COULD LOSE THOSE SWING
VOTERS THEY’RE HOPING TO GET
THIS TIME AROUND.
>> IT’S A RISK EITHER WAY.
THESE MEMBERS HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY TO ACT ACCORDING
TO THE PEOPLE WHO SENT THEM
THERE.
THERE. WE’RE A DIVERSE CAUCUS.
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WE SEE
THAT PLAYING OUT PUBLICLY WHEN
YOU HAVE MEMBERS WHO WANT DO GO
DOWN THE IMPEACHMENT HIGHWAY AND
THOSE SAYING LET’S NOT DO AT
ALL.
ALL. I THINK TIME WILL TELL HOW THAT
PLAYS OUT.
PLAYS OUT. I THINK WE’RE TAKING THE RIGHT
APPROACH BY BUILDING THE CASE
AND INSURING THAT EVERY VOICE IS
HEARD.
HEARD. I THINK THE SPEAKER AND
COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND LEADERSHIP
IS DOING A GOOD JOB BEING
INCLUDESIVE IN THAT
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. >> CONGRESSWOMAN, YOU WANT TO
JUMP IN.
JUMP IN. >> I MOST CERTAINLY DO.
I WANT TO SAY THE SPEAK SER
DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB.
SHE HAS LED US.
SHE HAS SERIOUS CONCERNS BRN ANY
DIVISIONS THIS COULD CAUSE IF WE
DON’T HAVE A STRONG CASE.
I SUPPORT THAT.
THE REALITY IS YOU’RE CORRECT.
THIS IS NOT THE CONVERSATION
THAT YOU MIGHT HEAR FROM A LOT
OF PEOPLE EVEN THOUGH WITHIN THE
PAST 48 HOURS AND 24 HOURS I’VE
HAD MORE CALLS INTO MY OFFICE IN
SUPPORT OF IT THAN EVER.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU WE CAN GO
DOWN TWO TRACKS AT THE SAME
TIME.
TIME. I’M ON THE ENERGY & COMMERCE
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. PART OF WHAT WE’VE DONE THAT
HASN’T BEEN REPORTED IS JUST
LAST WEEK, WE PASSED OUT OF
COMMITTEE 25 BILLS THAT INCLUDED
HEALTH CARE BILLS, THAT INCLUDED
STOPPING ROBOCALLS, THAT
INCLUDED PROTECTING OUR
CONSUMERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
25 BIPARTISAN BILLS.
SO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DO NEED
TO NOTE WHAT WE’RE DOING FOR
THEM BUT WE HAVE A JOB.
MUELLER DID HIS JOB.