Fox News "The Story with Martha MacCallum" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Doug Collins

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

REP. DOUG COLLINS, R-GA: I think the last three minutes summed it all up. They really don't know what they're doing. And I think this is the problem that we're having. You made it very clear, the Speaker came out yesterday and said that she's starting an impeachment inquiry.

Senator Graham talked about that back with the Clinton and also the Nixon times. The inquiry actually requires a vote. What they're trying to avoid here is actually going on the record. Investigation, how many more investigations do we need to do? They not looked at the Judiciary Committee for the last nine months?

This is all we're doing. They're trying to avoid a vote on inquiry. But there's also another reason, Martha. If they actually went to an inquiry, then all of a sudden there's due process rights. There's actually process for the president in this, there's actually equal subpoena powers that have been in the previous to investigate in inquiries for both the Democrats and the Republicans. It becomes a fair hearing.

They don't want a fair hearing. They want the hearings for show. They want to put there -- only you know, ex parte, one-sided hearings. That's why they don't want to go through the inquiry and they also don't want to put themselves on record is actually doing that.

MACCALLUM: So you know, what is your sense you know, sort of after the fact, right? So they called for this official impeachment inquiry, very dramatic moment. Nancy Pelosi it comes out, stares into the camera, says this is it, it's beginning. And as you point out, and as we've discussed, there's no vote that appears to be forthcoming.

Is there any sense that having seen it now that it -- that they have jumped the gun in any of your colleagues on the other side? What feedback are you getting?

COLLINS: I think it's been muted. And I think what you just saw in the old interview is there's this round about. Well, let's discuss it. Let's have investigation. Well, the press has provided at all. I mean, we're doing this. We're seeing the transcript.

What Nancy Pelosi did yesterday was a disservice to the House. What she did yesterday hurt the institution not only of the House but also of our nation when she went ahead with an attack of an impeachment knowing that what she was asking for was simply already being done.

This is the concern. I think there's Democrats that are concerned that there are ahead of their skis a little bit on this. I think they're looking at it from a perspective of saying you know, what are we actually doing here because none of these especially the two that were previously on actually came to Congress on different agendas,

Tulsi Gabbard has it right. When you look at this transcript, when you talk about what's actually being done, this is something that the -- I think the appeasement of her base, the Speaker's base is all we're seeing here. There are other members driving this conversation. But let's be very specific. This is not about that, it's about their own agenda.

MACCALLUM: There's no doubt that that would be a very difficult vote for 20-something members of the House on a Democrat side who were elected in districts that elected President Trump to take that impeachment vote. They I'm sure are reluctant to take that vote. They know that it would be difficult for them.

So it becomes sort of just this exercise that keeps this going and going if they're not going to put their money where their mouth is and actually stand up for what they say is an egregious violation of you know, the president meddling with a foreign -- with a foreign country. I mean, either they think that or they don't think that.

COLLINS: Exactly. This was egregious. They'd have it on the floor. If they was -- it goes back to -- Miss Pelosi probably when she was a member back in the 90s when she talked about this, you know, she accused the Republicans of going forth on a motion.

There cannot be anything more pure than a motion driven for someone who goes back to 2016 on the night of the election and the tears overflowed because Hillary Clinton was not president. And now all we have seen is just a debasing of the House through rules being not followed, nothing going right because all they want to do is investigate.

And then you've had two members on just prior to this who are good members, I think honest and what they want to do, but could not answer the question that you asked them because they don't -- they try to skip the words of impeachment and inquiry and investigations. We've been doing that. it showed clearly --

MACCALLUM: Well, you know, the letter -- the transcript is out, the words are here, you know, either they think that it is a violation or it's not a violation that's impeachable and they're going to have to figure that out as they go forward. Congressman Collins, thank you very much. Good to see you tonight.

COLLINS: Good to be with you, Martha. Take care.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source