WE’RE GOING TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE EVENTS UNFOLDING AT THE
CAPITOL AND WATCHING EVERYTHING
ELSE HAPPENING AT THE CAPITOL
INCLUDING THIS MORNING THE "NEW
YORK TIMES" EDITORIAL BOARD
ASKING THIS QUESTION.
WHY DID REPUBLICANS STORM IT?
HERE’S ONE POSSIBLE ANSWER FROM
OUR NBC NEWS FIRST READ TEAM
BECAUSE THE GOP IS RUNNING ON
EMPTY.
EMPTY. OUR POLITICAL UNIT WRITING, IF
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY HOUSE
REPUBLICANS DECIDED WEDNESDAY TO
DISRUPT THE DEPOSITION INTO THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY, IT’S
PROBABLY BECAUSE PRESIDENT TRUMP
AND THE GOP ARE RUNNING OUT OF
DEFENSES.
DEFENSES. HERE’S CONGRESSWOMAN JACKIE
SPEIER.
SPEIER. >> WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY WAS A
HIGH SCHOOL PRANK BY A BUNCH OF
50-YEAR-OLD WHITE MEN.
THE REPUBLICANS ARE WHINING
BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT IS WHINING
AND FRANKLY I THINK THEY DID
WHAT THEY DID YESTERDAY BECAUSE
THE PRESIDENT WAS WHINING THAT
THEY WEREN’T FIGHTING FOR HIM
HARD ENOUGH.
HARD ENOUGH. >> THE PRESIDENT LIKED THE WHOLE
THING.
THING. WATCH THIS.
WATCH THIS. >> I THINK THEY SHOWED FULL
SUPPORT FOR THE PRESIDENT.
HE WAS HAPPY TO SEE IT HAPPEN.
HE WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF IT, AS
HE SHOULD BE.
>> REPUBLICAN WHO LED THAT
CHARGE IS JOINING ME FLORIDA
CONGRESSMAN MATT GAETZ SITS ON
THE JUDICIARY AND ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE AND JOINING US FROM
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK ON THE
SHOW, THANK YOU.
>> THANKS, HALLIE.
MY IFB WASN’T CLEAR.
DID JACKIE SPEIER IDENTIFY MY
RACE AND GENDER IN THE CONTEXT
OF MY ACTIVITIES AS A MEMBER OF
CONGRESS YESTERDAY?
CONGRESS YESTERDAY? >> I THINK YOU HEARD HER SOUND
BITE.
BITE. WAY TONIGHT GIVE YOU THE CHANCE
TO RESPOND.
TO RESPOND. GO AHEAD.
GO AHEAD. >> NO.
>> NO. DID SHE SAY WE WERE A BUNCH OF
WHITE MEN?
WHITE MEN? WHAT DOES THE FACT THAT WE ARE
WHITE MEN HAVE TO DO WITH OUR
DESIRE TO REPRESENT THE MILLIONS
OF CONSTITUENTS WE SERVE.
I WAS DEEPLY OFFENDED.
WHEN JACKIE SPEIER WALKS IN I
DON’T SAY A WHITE WOMAN COMES
IN.
IN. THIS IS THE TYPE OF IDENTITY
POLITICS FROM THE LEFT THAT
SEEMS TO PERMEATE ANY
SUBSTANTIVE OR PROCEDURAL
ARGUMENTS THEY MAKE AND IT’S
SICKENING TO ME THAT’S HOW WE
WOULD BE THOUGHT OF.
PEOPLE WE SERVE ARE DIVERSE AND
IT’S JUST REALLY KIND OF
SICKENING.
SICKENING. >> LET ME TALK ABOUT THE
SUBSTANTIVE PIECE OF IT THEN.
THERE ARE TWO PIECES OF THIS.
BY THE WAY, CONGRESSMAN, I WANT
TO TALK ABOUT TURKEY AND SYRIA
SO I WILL ASK YOU TO LEAVE ME
TIME FOR THAT IN THIS
DISCUSSION --
DISCUSSION -- >> START WITH THAT.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TURKEY
AND SYRIA.
AND SYRIA. >> WE TEASE YOU, WE STARTED ON
THIS CONVERSATION ON THE IDEA
THAT REPUBLICANS WALKED INTO
THIS SECURE AREA OF THE CAPITOL
YESTERDAY, INCLUDING SOME
REPUBLICANS WHO COULD HAVE JUST
GONE IN AND PARTICIPATED AS
MEMBERS OF THOSE COMMITTEES AS
THE RULES ALLOWED.
WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS?
WAS THIS REALLY ANYTHING MORE
THAN A STUNT?
>> THE POINT 2000TO HIGHLIGHT TH
TRUE DUE PROCESS AND INEQUITIES
DAMAGING THE CONGRESS AND THE
INSTITUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY.
I DON’T THINK DEMOCRATS HAVE
ANSWERED THE QUESTION YET, WHY
IS DONALD TRUMP GETTING LESS DUE
PROCESS THAN PRESIDENT CLINTON
GOT OR THAT RICHARD NIXON GOT.
THAT WAS OUR OBJECTIVE.
I’M ON THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
WHERE CHAIRMAN NADLER --
>> BUT WE’RE SHOWING A PICTURE,
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE A
RETURN, SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS WALKING IN, YOUR
REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES, WHO COULD
BE IN THE ROOM ANYWAY, 47 ARE ON
THE COMMITTEES ABLE TO GO IN AND
PARTICIPATE ON DEPOSITIONS AND
MANY HAVE PARTICIPATED IN NIECE
DEPOSITIONS.
DEPOSITIONS. >> I’M SPEAKING FOR MYSELF.
I TRIED TO GO IN LAST WEEK AS A
MEMBER OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE AND THAT’S A
REASONABLE THING TO DO, ON
SEPTEMBER 12th, JERRY NADLER,
CHAIRMAN OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE, SAID I AM HEREBY
LAUNCHING THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY, THE IMPEACHMENT
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. SO I THINK THE BIZARRE ELEMENT
HERE IS THAT YOU WOULD EXCLUDE
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE THAT
LAUNCHED THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
FROM THE FACTUAL DEVELOPMENT
THAT ADAM SCHIFF IS TRYING TO DO
IN SECRET, AIDED BY SELECTIVE
LEAKS AND THEN
MISREPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE
WHISTLEBLOWER, HIS CONTACT WITH
THE WHISTLEBLOWER, AND THE
TRANSCRIPT FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP
AND PRESIDENT ZELENSKY.
I THINK THAT’S WHY WE WERE
TRYING TO GET IN THERE, BUT LIKE
I OPEN SPEAK FOR MYSELF.
I SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN THAT ROOM
AS A MEMBER OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE, ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE AND THEY WOULDN’T LET
US IN.
US IN. IT BEGS THE QUESTION WHAT ARE
THEY HIDING.
THEY HIDING. >> YOU’RE SPEAKING FOR YOURSELF.
YOU ARE A MEMBER OF JUDICIARY
AND ARMED SERVICES.
NONE OF THOSE COMMITTEES ARE
CONDUCTING THESE DEPOSITIONS.
IT’S INTEL --
>> I DON’T KNOW THAT.
I DON’T KNOW THAT.
NO.
NO. >> IT IS A FACT.
>> IT’S NOT A FACT.
GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE 12th
HEARING OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. YOU CANNOT MISSTATE THAT AS A
FACT.
FACT. HOW CAN YOU TELL ME IT’S A FACT
THAT MY COMMITTEE IS NOT
INVOLVED WHEN IT WAS THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE WHO LAUNCHED
THE INVESTIGATION.
THE INVESTIGATION. >> YOU HAVE NOT SUBPOENAED THESE
INDIVIDUALS FOR A DEPOSITION.
THAT IS A FACT.
>> NO.
>> NO. YOU’RE SHIFTING GROUND NOW.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. FIRST YOU SAY WE’RE NOT INVOLVED
AND THEN YOU SAY WE DIDN’T ISSUE
THE SUBPOENAS.
THE SUBPOENAS. THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE ARE INVOLVED BECAUSE OUR
CHAIRMAN LAUNCHED THE INQUIRY.
THAT IS A FACT.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. I WANT TO LET YOU HAVE YOUR SAY
HERE BUT I WANT TO FIND OUT WHY
YOU THINK THE RULES DO NOT APPLY
TO YOU AS THEY’RE LAID OUT, TO
YOU, CONGRESSMAN GAETZ.
>> THE RULES -- OH, I DO THINK
THE RULES APPLY TO ALL OF US BUT
THE RULES WOULD TYPICALLY
REQUIRE THE SPEAKER OF THE
HOUSE -- I SHOULDN’T SAY THE
RULES, THE PRECEDENT THAT WAS
APPLIED TO PRESIDENT CLINTON AND
PRESIDENT NIXON, WOULD
NECESSITATE SOME ARTICULATION OF
THE RULES SO WE HAVE AN
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE DUE
PROCESS REQUIREMENTS WILL BE.
WE SEE DEMOCRATS NOW SACRIFICING
DUE PROCESS ON THE ALTAR OF
THEIR HATRED FOR DONALD TRUMP.
>> I’M NOT ASKING ABOUT --
>> THAT SHOULD -- ALL AMERICANS.
>> I’M NOT ASKING ABOUT
PRECEDENT.
PRECEDENT. I’M ASKING ABOUT THE RULES.
>> THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT.
>> WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’RE ABOVE
THAT?
THAT? THIS IS THE POINT OF WHY YOU
WENT IN THE SCIF.
>> I’M NOT ABOVE THE RULES BUT
WHEN THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN LAUNCHES THE INQUIRY,
WHEN THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
WON’T ADOPT RULES, THEN IT
CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE
DEMOCRATS JUST SORT OF MAKE IT
UP AS THEY GO ALONG.
LET’S KICK SOME COMMITTEES OUT,
LET SOME COMMITTEES IN.
IT’S ALL BECAUSE THEY WANT TO
RESHUFFLE THE LEGISLATIVE DECK
BECAUSE THEY’RE HUMILIATED THAT
THEY LOST THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION UNEQUIVOCALLY WITH
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, ADAM SCHIFF
LIED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHEN
HE SAID HE HAD MORE THAN
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS ENGAGED IN A
CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY WITH RUSSIA
AND THIS IS A WAY TO TAKE SOME
FOLKS ON THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
LIKE MYSELF, LIKE ANDY BIGGS,
OUT OF THE NEXT HAND BECAUSE WE
WERE EFFECTIVE IN MAKING THE
CASE THAT DEMOCRATS WERE
OVERSTATING THE FACTS.
>> YOU ARE VERY CLEAR,
CONGRESSMAN, YOU ARE UNHAPPY
WITH THE PROCESS AND IT SHOULD
BE NOTED THAT THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE HAS NOT ACTUALLY
SUBPOENAED THESE WITNESSES TO BE
DEPOSED.
DEPOSED. >> WE LAUNCHED THE INQUIRY.
>> BUT ABOUT THE SUBSTANCE OF
THIS, CONGRESSMAN, BECAUSE I
HAVEN’T HEARD YOU SAY ANYTHING
SINCE BILL TAYLOR TESTIFIED YES
OR NO, IS IT OKAY FOR ANY
POLITICIAN TO TRADE MILITARY AID
FOR POLITICAL FAVORS?
>> LOOK, I’M NOT GOING TO GET
INTO THE SPECIFICS OF THE TAYLOR
DEPOSITION BECAUSE I WASN’T
PRESENT FOR IT.
>> I’M ASKING WHAT IS --
>> YOU ARE.
THE LEAD INTO YOUR QUESTION I
WANT TO TALK ABOUT BILL TAYLOR’S
DEPOSITION.
DEPOSITION. >> SURE.
>> SURE. >> WHEN WE DON’T HAVE THE
BENEFIT --
BENEFIT -- >> THE QUESTION DO YOU THINK
IT’S APPROPRIATE IT.
>> OF THE QUESTIONS ASKED.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WOULD BE
APPROPRIATE FOR ANY POLITICIAN
TO LINK MILITARY AID TO A
ASSISTANCE IN A FUTURE ELECTION.
NO.
NO. I DON’T THINK THAT’S WHAT THE
PRESIDENT DID.
PRESIDENT DID. >> WHY NOT.
>> I THINK THE PRESIDENT WAS
RIGHT TO FOLLOW UP ON THE WORK
OF BILL BARR TO TRY TO IDENTIFY
THE CORRUPT ORIGINS OF THE
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION.
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION. IT WAS A UKRAINE COURT THAT
RULED THAT THE UKRAINE IMPER
MISERABLY INTERFERED IN THE U.S.
ELECTION AND THAT IS A
SUFFICIENT BASIS FOR THE
PRESIDENT TO ASK FOR COOPERATION
WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ON
THAT MATTER.
THAT MATTER. >> SO A COUPLE THINGS ON THAT.
I’M GOING TO ASK MY CONTROL ROOM
TO GIVE ME MORE TIME, I WANT TO
MAKE SURE WE GET TO FOREIGN
POLICY PUT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING
IS SIGNIFICANT NOT ABOUT THE
PIECE OR UKRAINE IN 2016,
BECAUSE THAT IS NOT A PROVEN
THEORY --
THEORY -- >> WAIT IN THE CRANE.
YOU JUST KEEP BLOWING THROUGH
THESE THINGS LIKE THEY’RE FACTS
BUT THEY’RE NOT.
JUST STOP MISCHARACTERIZING
STUFF.
STUFF. I HAVE TO FACT CHECK YOU IN REAL
TIME.
TIME. >> I WANT TO BE CLEAR YOU SAID
IT WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR
ANYBODY TO TRADE MILITARY AID
FOR HELP IN A FUTURE POLITICAL
ELECTION.
ELECTION. >> YES.
>> YES. >> IT APPEARS FROM THE TESTIMONY
THAT WE HAVE SEEN REPORTED
PUBLICLY FROM THE WITNESSES
HERE --
HERE -- >> FROM THE SELECTIVE WITNESSES
PROVIDED BY ADAM SCHIFF THAT
AREN’T SUBJECT TO
CROSS-EXAMINATION.
CROSS-EXAMINATION. LIKE YOU’RE PLAYING THE GAME
HERE.
HERE. YOU’RE PLAYING THE GAME WHERE
THEY SELECTIVELY LEAK STUFF THAT
IS NOT SUBJECT TO
CROSS-EXAMINATION.
CROSS-EXAMINATION. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> RIGOROUS REVIEW.
CHECK AGAINST DOCUMENTS AND
TIMELINES.
TIMELINES. BY THE WAY, WHEN THEY HAD TO DO
THIS IN THE OPEN IN THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION, WITH MUELLER,
WITH LEWANDOWSKI, DEMOCRATS
LOOKED TERRIBLE.
LOOKED TERRIBLE. NOW THEY’RE TRYING TO DO THINGS
IN SECRET SO WE CAN HAVE
INTERVIEWS SO YOU CAN CHERRY
PICK ELEMENTS OF LEAKED
TESTIMONY AND ASK ME ABOUT THEM
WHEN I WASN’T IN THERE, YOU
DIDN’T SEE THE TESTIMONY, AND
MORE IMPORTANTLY WE’RE UNABLE TO
SEE HOW THOSE STATEMENTS HOLD UP
AGAINST CROSS-EXAMINATION SO THE
SUBSTANCE ANALYSIS IS VERY
DIFFICULT IF WE’RE NOT ABLE TO
HAVE SOME STANDARDIZED DUE
PROCESS THAT IS PREDIBLGTSBLE
AND PROVIDES CLARITY.
>> DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE
BILL TAYLOR’S OPENING STATEMENT
THAT WAS RELEASED?
DO YOU THINK HE MADE THAT UP?
>> I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE
CHANCE TO CROSS EXAMINE TAYLOR
ON THOSE CLAIMS OR EVEN TO
OBSERVE MY COLLEAGUES CROSS
COMING TAYLOR.
COMING TAYLOR. BUT THIS IS THE NEW ADAM SCHIFF
STRATEGY.
STRATEGY. >> YOUR COLLEAGUES CAN CROSS
EXAMINE HIM.
EXAMINE HIM. YOUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES HAVE
BEEN IN THE ROOM.
>> I DON’T HAVE THE QUESTIONS
AND SNEENS YOU DON’T TRUST YOUR
REPUBLICANS ON THESE COMMITTEES?
>> I WANT TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCE
OF THEIR WORK RIGHT.
IT’S NOT -- THEY PUTUT THEIR
OPENING STATEMENT WE ENGAGE IN
CROSS-EXAMINATION, YOU WANT TO
ASK ME ABOUT THE OPENING, BUT I
DON’T HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THE
CROSS-EXAMINATION TO BE ABLE TO
TEST THE ALLEGATIONS MADE IN THE
OPENING STATEMENT.
OPENING STATEMENT. AND THAT IS ALL BY DESIGN.
IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT THAT YOU
AND I ARE HAVING THIS INTERVIEW
ON TERMS THAT ARE VERY FAVORABLE
TO THE ADAM SCHIFF THEORY OF THE
CASE BECAUSE WHEN JOHN RATCLIFFE
ASKED QUESTIONS THAT I THINK