CNN "State Of The Union With Jake Tapper" - Transcript "Interview with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries"

Interview

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TAPPER: The House of Representatives is already moving forward quickly on the impeachment inquiry.

Subpoenas were issued on Friday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, demanding documents and witnesses related to the Ukraine scandal, while the House Intelligence Committee chairman, Adam Schiff, tells CNN that hearings and more subpoenas could come as soon as this week.

Joining me now, a key member of Speaker Pelosi's leadership team, House Democratic Caucus Chair Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Congressman, thanks for joining us.

You said this week -- quote -- "It's clear as day that Donald Trump betrayed his oath of office."

Does that mean you have already seen enough, even before hearings, even before evidence, to support articles of impeachment?

JEFFRIES: No, but I have seen enough to support an impeachment inquiry that has been launched by Speaker Pelosi with tremendous support within the House Democratic Caucus.

There are three areas of real concern. President Donald Trump has been caught red-handed with his hand in the taxpayer cookie jar by withholding, without justification, $391 million in aid that had been approved on a bipartisan basis to the Ukraine.

The president has also been caught red-handed trying to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election by pressuring a foreign leader to target Joe Biden, an American citizen, for political gain.

Finally, the president has been caught red-handed trying to cover up all of this wrongdoing by moving the rough transcript of the July 25 phone call to a top-secret server that is used for covert operations, such as the attack or effort to try to get Osama bin Laden.

This is serious evidence of wrongdoing. The president has betrayed his oath of office. The president has abused his power in a manner that undermines our national security and the integrity of our elections.

TAPPER: President Trump is defending himself by pointing out that

Ukrainian President Zelensky said earlier this week that he did not feel pushed to investigate the Bidens.

Take a listen to Mr. Zelensky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Sure that we had, I think, good phone call. It was normal. We spoke about many things.

And I -- so, I think -- and you read it -- that nobody pushed, pushed me, yes.

TRUMP: In other words, no pressure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Does that hurt your argument?

JEFFRIES: Not at all.

The evidence of wrongdoing is clearly hiding in plain sight in the form of the July 25 rough transcript.

[09:05:01]

Let's take a step back and look at what happened. The United States of America is the strongest country on Earth. We are perhaps the only thing standing between Vladimir Putin and Russia totally overrunning Ukraine.

The United States is strong. Ukraine is vulnerable. And yet the president, without explanation, without justification, withheld $391 million in aid that would undermine the safety and the security and the ability of Ukraine to defend itself.

So, when the president of the United States says in a phone call that he wants to see an investigation into a political opponent in the context of aid having been withheld, that is what you call a high- pressure tactic.

It was an offer that the Ukrainian president could not refuse.

TAPPER: You said in March that the most important condition for moving forward with an impeachment process would be that -- quote -- "public sentiment around impeachment is bipartisan" -- unquote.

A new poll out this week shows that only 6 percent of Republicans support the impeachment inquiry. You are moving forward with virtually no support from Republican voters and I don't think many -- much support among Republican members of Congress.

This doesn't seem very bipartisan as of now.

JEFFRIES: Well, we're in the midst of an inquiry. We will see where we get with respect to articles of impeachment at the end of the process.

We're going to follow the facts. We're going to apply the law. We're going to be guided by the Constitution. We're going to present the facts to the American people.

What we do have, we know, is bipartisan support within the United States House of Representatives. At least one Republican is on record. There are others who I believe will support us moving forward who haven't come public yet with their perspective.

But it's bipartisan within the House of Representatives. Even more importantly, there are more than 300 national security professionals who worked for both Republican administrations and Democratic administrations who have publicly said, we support the impeachment inquiry. These are troubling allegations. There is evidence of wrongdoing.

The president solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election.

TAPPER: You know, sir, that a dozen Democrats in your caucus still do not support an impeachment inquiry. The vast majority do, but a dozen don't. And they're in districts that President Trump -- Trump won in 2016.

I want you to take a listen to one of them, Democratic Congressman Jeff Van Drew from New Jersey, yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JEFF VAN DREW (D-NJ): The odds are very high that it's not going to bear any fruit. The odds are very high that this president will continue to be the president.

The people of the United States of America are going to have an election now in a year. They can go ahead in the ballot box and impeach, if they desire to do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That's a Democratic congressman, sir. How do you respond to Congressman Van Drew?

JEFFRIES: Well, the House is a separate and co-equal branch of government. We don't work for this president or any president. We work for the American people.

And we have a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. So we're going to do our duty. And these issues are serious.

The security and the national safety best interests of the American people have been subordinated by a president, who then elevated his own personal political interests.

We need to investigate that, get to the bottom of it, and present the information to the American people. TAPPER: Let me ask you, sir. In May, the Ukrainian prosecutor

general told Bloomberg News -- quote -- "We do not have any grounds to think that there was any wrongdoing" -- unquote -- by Joe or Hunter Biden.

So these charges that the president keeps pushing aren't -- have no basis in evidence.

But Senator Harris, Kamala Harris, yesterday said that she probably not -- would not be comfortable with the child of her vice president sitting on the board of a foreign company such as Hunter Biden was on. Do you agree with her?

JEFFRIES: No.

At least three different Ukrainian prosecutors have uncovered no wrongdoing with respect to the Joe Biden situation.

It's my understanding that authorities in Great Britain looked into this situation, found no evidence of wrongdoing. No evidence of wrongdoing has emerged here in the United States of America.

And so I will leave it at that.

TAPPER: All right, thank you so much, Hakeem Jeffries, congressman and chairman of the Democratic Caucus. Appreciate your time this morning.

JEFFRIES: Thank you, Jake.

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