TODAY WAS HER FOCUS IN 2018, AND IT WILL GO FORWARD INTO 2020.
>> WELL, HERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS.
I WANT TO BRING IN BASICALLY THE
OTHER SIDE OF THIS DEBATE.
WE HEARD FROM ONE DEMOCRAT.
WE’RE GOING TO HEAR FROM ONE
DAVID SICILLINI OF RHODE ISLAND.
HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE AND HE’S ALSO A MEMBER
OF HOUSE LEADERSHIP.
SO LET ME START WITH THIS.
SPEAKER PELOSI, IS SHE CLOSER TO
LETTING YOU GUYS OPEN THIS
INQUIRY OR FARTHER AWAY?
>> WELL, I’LL LET SPEAKER PELOSI
SPEAK FOR HERSELF.
BUT I THINK, LOOK, YESTERDAY WAS
AN IMPORTANT DAY.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HEARD FROM
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL THAT THE
PRESIDENT’S CLAIM THAT HIS
INVESTIGATION WAS A WITCH HUNT.
HE SAID NO WITCH HUNT, NO HOAX,
THE PRESIDENT WAS NOT
EXONERATED.
EXONERATED. AND THEN HE WALKED THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE THROUGH THIS REPORT IN
FIVE WHICH EPISODES OF
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE WERE
PRESENTED.
PRESENTED. I THINK IT WAS AN IMPORTANT
HEARING.
HEARING. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HEAR
FROM WITNESSES.
FROM WITNESSES. OBVIOUSLY DON McGAHN, AND CORY
LEWANDOWSKI, THERE’S A LOT MORE
WORK TO DO.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE THINKING
ABOUT THIS IN A VERY SERIOUS
WAY.
WAY. THEY’RE REVIEWING EVIDENCE.
THEY’RE TALKING TO THEIR
CONSTITUENTS.
CONSTITUENTS. THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE
JUDGMENTS ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK
IS RIGHT FOR THE COUNTRY.
I THINK EACH DAY IT FEELS LIKE
THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE WHO THINK
THE TIME HAS COME TO BEGIN A
FORMAL PROCESS TO CONSIDER
WHETHER OR NOT THE PRESIDENT
SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE IN
AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
I THINK THIS SPEAKER WILL
CONTINUE TO REFLECT THE BROAD
CONSENSUS IN THE CAUCUS.
WE’RE NOT THERE YET I THINK IN
TERMS OF A MAJORITY OF OUR
MEMBERS.
MEMBERS. BUT I THINK MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
SEE BASED ON THE PRESIDENT’S
CONDUCT THAT’S PRESENTED IN THE
MUELLER REPORT AND HIS
SUBSEQUENT CONDUCT OF ATTEMPTING
TO OBSTRUCT, PREVENT WITNESSES
FROM COMING FORWARD, PREVENTING
DOCUMENTS FROM BEING PRODUCED,
HIS ONGOING EFFORT TO COVER UP.
>> LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
THERE’S SORT OF A GROWING CHORUS
OF FOLKS WHO ARE FRUSTRATED BY
WHAT THEY THINK IS A SLOW-ACTING
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY WHEN
IT COMES TO SOME OF THESE
ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES.
ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES. FOR INSTANCE, WHY DID WE WAIT
TILL JULY 24th TO HEAR FROM
ROBERT MUELLER?
ROBERT MUELLER? WHY DIDN’T WE HEAR FROM HIM BY
MAY 24th?
MAY 24th? AND A LOT OF THIS IS BECAUSE
YOU’RE GETTING SOME STONEWALL
FROM THE ADMINISTRATION.
I GET THAT.
BUT IN HINDSIGHT, DO YOU NOT
LOOK AT IT AND THINK THE
DEMOCRATS NEED TO LOOK MORE
AGGRESSIVE HERE?
AGGRESSIVE HERE? HAVE YOU LET THIS DRAG OUT TOO
LONG?
LONG? >> NO.
>> NO. I DON’T THINK ACTUALLY THAT’S
THE REASON, CHUCK.
I THINK THE THING THAT WE’RE
TRYING TO DO AS DEMOCRATS IS
WE’RE TRYING TO STAY FOCUSED ON
TWO THINGS.
TWO THINGS. MOVING FORWARD ON THE AGENDA
THAT WE DEVELOPED FOR THE PEOPLE
OF THIS COUNTRY TO DRIVE DOWN
HEALTH CARE COSTS, TO DRIVE DOWN
THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS,
TO RAISE FAMILY INCOMES, REBUILD
THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF AMERICA
AND TAKE ON THE CORRUPTION IN
WASHINGTON BYPASSING THE BIGGEST
ANTI-CORRUPTION BILL IN DECADES.
WE’VE PASSED OVER 200 PIECES OF
LEGISLATION, 50 MAJOR BILLS ALL
RESPONDING TO THE URGENT
PRIORITIES OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. WHILE WE’RE DOING ALL OF THAT,
ALL OF THIS WORK ON THESE
IMPORTANT ISSUES, WE’RE ALSO
WORKING HARD TO HOLD THIS
PRESIDENT ACCOUNTABLE.
PRESIDENT ACCOUNTABLE. THAT’S HAPPENING IN SIX
COMMITTEES.
COMMITTEES. THERE’S A LOT OF LITIGATION
ONGOING.
ONGOING. SO THERE’S A LOT OF STUFF
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO
BOTH THINGS.
BOTH THINGS. BUT I THINK ASOME OF THIS STUFF
WHEN YOU HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO
SAYS I’M GOING TO PREVENT YOU IN
EVERY WAY FROM HEARING FROM
WITNESSES AND COLLECTING
EVIDENCE, WE’RE GONE CONSIDER
HAVE TO LITIGATE A LOT OF THIS.
I THINK THAT’S PART OF THE
FRUSTRATION BUT WE NEED FOR KEEP
I THINK MOVING FORWARD TO MAKE
SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS NO ONE
IN THIS COUNTRY IS ABOVE THE LAW
INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. >> ONE FINAL QUESTION BECAUSE I
KNOW I GOT TO LET YOU GO VOTE.
THAT IS THIS.
THE MUELLER REPORT CAME IN TWO
PARTS.
PARTS. AND VERY SPECIFICALLY PART ONE
WAS ABOUT THE CRIMES AND PART
TWO WAS ABOUT THE OBSTRUCTION.
YESTERDAY YOU PRESENTED THE
REPORT BACKWARDS AS FAR AS
MUELLER WAS CONCERNED.
YOU STARTED WITH OBSTRUCTION,
AND THEN WE GOT THE CRIME IN THE
AFTERNOON.
AFTERNOON. ANY SECOND THOUGHTS THAT MAYBE
CONSIDERING ON HOW MORE ANIMATED
THAT MUELLER WAS ON RUSSIA.
>> I’LL REMIND YOU OBSTRUCTION
WAS A CRIME.
SO I THINK THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE BEGAN BECAUSE WE’RE
THE COMMITTEE THAT HAS
JURISDICTION OVER IMPEACHMENT SO
I THINK IT MADE SENSE FOR
MR. MUELLER FIRST TO COME TO THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. HE SPOKE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
CONDUCT.
CONDUCT. SO I’M NOT SURE THE ORDER
MATTERED.
MATTERED. I THINK WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO
HEAR FROM THE SPECIAL COUNSEL
AND HIM WALK THROUGH ALL THE
CONTENTS OF THE REPORT.
SO I’M NOT SURE IT MADE A
DIFFERENCE.
DIFFERENCE. >> FAIR ENOUGH.
CONGRESSMAN, DEMOCRAT FROM RHODE
ISLAND, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS