MSNBC "The Beat with Ari Melber" - Transcript: Russian Investigations

Interview

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MELBER: Right. Exactly.

I want you both to hang on. I want to turn, because a congresswoman just  got in place, California congressman Maxine Waters joins me.

Congresswoman, I wonder your view of this push by your colleagues in the  Senate and why now?

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, I`m so very pleased that my  colleagues in the Senate, led by Blumenthal, I`m told, organized and they  are showing support for Mueller. And they are saying the justice  department has a responsibility to protect him and allow this investigation  to go on.

We are all worried. We are all worried and we are on break. You know, I`m  here in California. And some of my colleagues thought that he might try  this while we are all break. And so he has in many ways, you know, alluded  to his dislike of Mueller. Keeps saying there was no collusion. This  investigation needs to stop. And so many of us wonder if he is not guilty,  why is he doing what he has been doing, firing and undermining and  basically causing this chaos if he is innocent?

And so I`m very pleased. You know, I organized 100 and I believe it was 80  members of the Democratic caucus to basically sign a letter in support of  Mueller. And I did that in September, because again, we are very concerned  that this President is capable of doing anything and that he may try it.

MELBER: Congresswoman, as you know, one of the things that Steve Bannon  does is make up probabilities. He will just say there`s a 22 percent  chance that something is happening like it means something. It sort of his  rhetorical techniques. So I want to read to you one of his probabilities  here.

This was published in "Fire and Fury." He was telling people there was a  33 percent chance Mueller`s investigation would lead to impeachment, a 33  percent chance Trump would resign, and a 33 percent chance that he would  limp to the end of his term.

I don`t know if you and Steve talk a lot and you speak in the same  probabilities that he does. But do you think? Is there still, in your  view, based on the public facts, a 33 percent chance of impeachment or  higher?

WATERS: I don`t know what percentage chance to give it except to say this.  That I believe that Mueller will connect the dots. And I do believe that  he is impeachable. And I do know that if he crosses certain lines, like  the firing Mueller, that puts him in a position where even Republicans may  ride to the occasion and accept their responsibility. And there may be  other things that we don`t know about.

I have started, you know, this conversation early on right after he was  sworn into office. And I learned a lot about his allies and their  connection to Russia and the oligarchs, et cetera. And so I have continued  to talk about this President being unworthy and should be impeached. And I  know that you have to have the facts. The dots must be connected. But I  believe it is certainly can be done. And if anybody can do it, Mueller can  do it.

MELBER: And congresswoman, I want to play for the benefit of your  response, there are critics, some Democrats including yourself, who argue that whatever one`s disagreements with Donald Trump that that may bias the higher legal standard and the constitutional standard, as you know for the potential removal of a President in office. And so, I want to play for you and then get your response. This was you making that type of claim against the Republicans pursuing bill Clinton in that impeachment, take a look.

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MELBER: Your argument is that it was despicable because it was partisan  and not a proper exercise of the constitutional impeachment power. What do  you say to people who argue that the Democrats in the House may go down  that road? May go down that road depending on what happens in November  because of a distaste for Donald Trump?

WATERS: Well, I want to tell you that the Democrats have been very, very  responsible. And even saying to me that I should not be calling for  impeachment. Let the investigation go on. Let Mueller connect these dots.  And they have not taken a position as a Democratic caucus on this  impeachment.

And they have said to me, that let`s just talk about our issues. Let`s not  talk about him, just this -- this just emboldens the Republicans who say  that the only reason that you would want impeachment is because you don`t  like him and that you lost the election. And so, Democrats have been  terribly responsible. And again, I`m one of just a few who have insisted  that he is unworthy, that he is deplorable, that he is despicable and he  should be impeached.

MELBER: Congresswoman, stay with me, if you will. I`m juggling and I want  to include the panel that has been sitting by with us.

Mike Lupica, take a listen to the White House answering. I think the  question that may sound embarrassing to them but was just a real question,  which is with all the lawyers heading out the door, who is lead counsel for  the President in this open criminal probe. Take a listen.

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MELBER: Right. And the question is, is whether Michael Cohen has been  aggressive enough? And that brings me to a final question I want to ask  you, congresswoman Waters, on a related matter, which is we are seeing more  women come forward and not only speak out against these financial threats  from the President of the United States, which as we reported has never  happened before, never has a sitting President tried to find, of course, to  fined women millions of dollars for speaking,

But number two, we are seeing these new suits of them saying that the  President`s people, Michael Cohen as a longtime aide, are defaming them by  calling them liars for speaking about their alleged history with Donald  Trump. What do you think is the import of that and that as a legal  strategy?

WATERS: Well, you know, I`m very pleased that, you know, the women are  showing up. First of all, I don`t hear any real discussion about the  $130,000 payment. Why was that payment made if that in fact nothing  happened? If he had no contact with them, if he does not know them, he was  going to sue them. And finally this suit has come out that is ridiculous  and nobody really believes that it pays any attention to him in his attempt  to sue Stormy.

But the fact of the matter that he has lied, he has said he had no contact,  it was not an affair, yet, why was $130,000 paid? Did his attorney just  somehow, you know, discover that maybe something happened and maybe I  better go and find some money and maybe I better go pay off this woman to  keep her quiet? It`s ridiculous.

And they know, these women know, that he is guilty of the kind of  accusations that we have been hearing about so much in me too and what`s  happening in Hollywood. Why should he escape? Everybody else that`s been  pointed to and been accused have had to account for it or they are having  to account for it.

MELBER: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, thank you as always for sharing your time and perspective with us. And my thanks to Mike Lupica and Natasha Bertrand.

WATERS: Thank you.

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