Fox News "The Story with Martha MacCallum" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Scott Perry
Interview
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So my next guest just came out of that closed-door hearing with Kurt Volker, the State Department's former special Ukraine envoy, Republican Congressman Scott Perry, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. So good to have you here this evening, sir.
REP. SCOTT PERRY, R-PENN.: Thank you, Martha.
MACCALLUM: What was -- what was your reaction to what Mr. Volker had to say in there? What did you learn?
PERRY: Well, first of all, I would just say you really couldn't have been more professional and more credible witness and more knowledgeable about Ukraine. And so a couple of things, I would call Mr. Ambassador Volker, the star witness named in the so-called whistleblower report. And everything he said, unsubstantiated this claim of a quid pro quo. I mean, there was just absolutely nothing there.
And as a matter of fact, I found it particularly interesting when we went through the text messages where he was asked to read a text message that there's a conversation between him and some other folks regarding Ukraine. And this is how it went, Martha.
It said, as the President has made it crystal clear, there will be no quid pro quo whatsoever. And that really told the story, but 9-1/2 hours of essentially just tearing down the narrative of Speaker Pelosi and the impeachment narrative regarding the President of Ukraine.
MACCALLUM: So, you know, I'm sure this doesn't come as a shock that people on the other side of the aisle from you are interpreting what happened in there differently. The New York Times came out with a story just moments ago that says Trump envoys pushed Ukraine to commit to investigations.
It says that there was a statement that marks new evidence of how Mr. Trump's fixation with Ukraine began driving senior diplomats to Ben foreign policy to the President's political agenda in the weeks after the July 25 call between the two leaders. What's your reaction to that?
PERRY: Well, from the testimony I heard today which was directly from first party, you know, the ambassador to Ukraine and dealing with the principles in Ukraine, they never expressed that to him in any way at any time. They never expressed it. So if you're hearing that report, I'm not sure where it's coming from but --
MACCALLUM: Well, let me ask -- you mentioned texts, and maybe you can help clarify this other text. It says that Mr. Volker disclosed a set of text messages in September. So this is a couple of months after the transcribed phone call that we've all see now. He disclosed a set of texts in September in which Bill Taylor, a top American diplomat in Ukraine alluded to Mr. Trump's decision earlier in the summer to freeze a military aid package to the country.
He told Mr. Sondland and Mr. Volker, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance to help with a political campaign, and then after speaking with Mr. Trump, Mr. Sondland texted back and said, I suggest that we stop the back and forth via text. Can you explain that?
REP. SCOTT PERRY, R-PENN.: Yes. There is a greater context to that --
MACCALLUM: OK.
PERRY: -- and I don't want to get into too much of it because it was in the SCIF. But that was one person's viewpoint of the situation at hand --
MACCALLUM: OK.
PERRY: -- but there was much more to it than that. That is just a very small part of pages and pages of texts and discussion right around that period.
MACCALLUM: All right. But your big take away is that you felt that his testimony showed that there was no quid -- no attachment to the funding and the military deal with regard to investigating Joe Biden or his son? Is that your take away?
PERRY: That's what I got from nine and a half hours today. Yes.
MACCALLUM: All right, sir, thank you very much, Representative Perry.
PERRY: Thank you, Martha.
MACCALLUM: Good to see you tonight. Thank you for coming (Inaudible) for us.
(CROSSTALK)
PERRY: Good to see you.
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