CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Ted Lieu"

Interview

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BLITZER: It is so important, John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut who's been charged with looking into what happened in 2016. Thanks very much Evan for that.

Let's get to more on all the breaking news. Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu of California is joining us. He's a member of both the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Let's get right to the news. You heard what Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said today. He admitted that part of the reason they froze funding to Ukraine was President Trump's desire to see Ukraine investigate on his behalf what was going on with the Democrats in 2016 he said. What does that admission mean for your impeachment inquiry?

REP. TED LIEU, (D-CA): Yes. Thank you, Wolf, for your question. Let me first acknowledge the passing of Representative Elijah Cummings, a giant of Congress. My prayers are with Maya Cummings and their family.

BLITZER: Yes.

LIEU: Regarding your question. What Mick Mulvaney said today was stunning and it shows that the Trump defense is crumbling before our very eyes. It is illegal for the American President to solicit a foreign power to target an American political party. It's way worse to now tie that taxpayer fund and military aid that Donald Trump halted.

This quid pro quo was something that Trump repeatedly said didn't happen and now Mick Mulvaney admits and in fact it did happen.

BLITZER: The Acting Chief of staff Mulvaney also admitted that President Trump got Rudy Giuliani involved, his personal lawyer, someone we don't believe has any security clearances right now involved of all -- involved in all of this Ukraine policy, but he argued that the President has every right to do so. How do you respond to that?

LIEU: It's OK if the President wants to use a random person, but the difference here is Rudy Giuliani was very publicly advocating to investigate the Bidens and to investigate the Democratic National Committee and to ask a foreign power, in this case, Ukraine to do it.

And Ambassador Sondland's opening statement, which is now in the public domain, is very damning for Donald Trump because he specifically says Donald Trump told Sondland that he had to talk to Rudy Giuliani. He directed him to talk to Giuliani and that he understood that Giuliani was the key to Ukraine policy.

BLITZER: You also hard from Ambassador Sondland who testified -- who's still testifying for hours, that he felt he had no choice but to work with Giuliani. Was Sondland manipulated by the President's whims or did he knowingly engage in this pressure campaign on Ukraine to get supposedly to get dirt on the Bidens?

LIEU: Right. So, that's a good question. I don't think it actually matters for purposed of the impeachment whether Ambassador Sondland was a knowing participant or an unwitting pawn in this whole scheme, but he was clearly executing the policies directed by Rudy Giuliani and Rudy Giuliani has said that he was working on behalf of Donald Trump and these policies were to investigate the Bidens and to investigate this crazy DNC conspiracy theory and to have Ukraine do that. That is highly illegal.

BLITZER: So you were listening to him. How credible did he sound to you today?

[17:15:00]

LIEU: Right. There were a lot of I don't recalls and I don't remember. But the opening statement that Ambassador Sondland is now in public domain is very, very bad for the President because he links Ukraine policy to Rudy Giuliani and Rudy Giuliani, if you read his tweets and public statements at the time, was really publicly advocating for investigations of the Democratic National Committee and of the Bidens.

And we know Rudy Giuliani has said very recently he was working on behalf of Donald Trump. And now from Mick Mulvaney, we know that there was a quid pro quo with a halting military aid. All this blows away Donald Trump's legal defenses.

BLITZER: Well, you're a member the House Foreign Affairs Committee, let me get your reaction to what the President and the Secretary of State, the Vice President are calling a ceasefire in Syria, does this deal do anything to change the big winners, the losers in the aftermath of the President's decision to effectively pave the way for this Turkish military offensive against the Kurds?

LIEU: I don't object to the goal of withdrawing troops in Syria, but I object on how Donald Trump did it because of his impulsive decision, the lack of coordination and planning. The Turks slaughter a lot of Kurds who are our allies. Isis prisoners were set free. They were previously in these prisons. And then you have Russians taking over U.S. military facilities.

This ceasefire is actually not a ceasefire. It is a 120-hour pause and it's basically as giant concession to Turkey and to have the Kurds be literally be forced out of the areas in which they were in. And I think not only should we have sanctions against Turkey, I think it's also time that we formally recognize our Armenian genocide.

BLITZER: Before I let you go, Congressman, as you know the White House today announced that President Trump will host next year's G7 summit in June at his own resort in Doral, Florida. What's your reaction?

LIEU: Yes. So right now, there is an impeachment inquiry open because we're investigating the private corruption of Donald Trump. This is just public corruption right out in the open. You've got taxpayer funded moneys going to go to Doral as well as moneys from foreign powers going to Doral. That's how benefiting Donald Trump and his family because he did not divest from any of these businesses. This money is going to go to his family. It's going to benefit him and that's illegal and unconstitutional under the U.S. constitution.

BLITZER: Congressman Ted Lieu, thanks so much for joining us.

LIEU: Thank you, Wolf.

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