CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Steve Cohen"
Interview
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COOPER: Yes. Kaitlan Collins, thanks very much.
Adding to the pressure on the White House, upcoming testimony in the whistleblower portion of the story. The acting director of national intelligence is due in front of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, that's going to be behind closed doors. And as Kaitlan reported, a growing appetite among House Democrats for impeachment.
Just before air time, I spoke with the Tennessee Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen.
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COOPER: Congressman, how much does the situation with President Trump and Ukraine change the calculus in the House? I mean, you've been pushing for impeachment since 2017. Has this latest controversy taken things to a new level among your fellow Democrats?
REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): I think it has. Of course, it depends on the facts as they are developed. And if they are very close to what we've read in the reports from "The Washington Post," of him basically leveraging military aid to the Ukraine that they need to defend themselves from Russian invasion, on their investigating allegations about Joe Biden's son Hunter, then if they're close, I think it'll bring us to a new place where we'll have another article of impeachment, maybe an article we can all get on and agree is something the Republicans should join us on and if they don't, hopefully so be it.
COOPER: It doesn't matter to you if there is not any, you know, no way it would pass in the Senate because of the lack of the Republican support. You think the House should still go ahead and do this?
COHEN: I most certainly do because I think we have a duty. We take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution.
[20:10:02]
We are given the power to sanction or countervail a president through impeachment who we feel the facts show has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. And some of that is just the inability to operate as chief executive of the nation. And when somebody uses the powers of the government, the powers of the nation for their own political benefit, and does it in a way that appears to be a bribe to a foreign official, we have a duty our oath to take action.
And even more than that, I think as a history student, I think it's important that history record President Trump in the same category as Andrew Johnson, a president who was impeached, not convicted, but impeached for good cause. And history should note that he is in that same class.
COOPER: There is an argument that of course among some Democrats that this will ignite or rev up the president's base and obviously there are concerns about the 2020 election. Should that be taken into account?
COHEN: I can't -- I don't see it. Number one, we have a duty. Number two, the president is going to lie no matter what we do about things we've done and about things we haven't done and about things he imagines and things that are underneath rocks that don't even exist.
So, you can't base any of your actions on what the president might do because the president will do anything that he possibly can to be re- elected. He learned at the foot of Roy Cohn who was one of the most despicable human beings ever to disgrace the earth.
COOPER: Speaker Pelosi still hasn't publicly endorsed impeachment proceedings. She says the situation with the whistleblower in Ukraine could precipitate what she called a whole new stage of investigation. Do you need her onboard in order to move forward with impeachment or is there willingness to do this with or without her blessing?
COHEN: We need her onboard to get the 218 votes to have the House officially impeach him, which would put the Senate on the spot and cause several senators to have to show the American people are they with the Constitution and the rule of law or are they with Donald Trump?
And for Republican senators that are in difficult seats to defend, and I would suspect that's Arizona, that's Maine, that's Colorado, could even be Texas, it'll be important to see whether they uphold their oath to the Constitution or whether they go down as Trumpers.
COOPER: Congressman, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
COHEN: Anderson, good to be with you.
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