CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Ro Khanna

Interview

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: This morning, the next steps in the House impeachment inquiry are up in the air as lawmakers head home for Thanksgiving break, Democrats now facing their constituents for the first time after two weeks of explosive testimony. But the hearings did not sway, as far as we know, a single Republican.

With me now, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. He serves on the Oversight and Budget Committees. Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Good to be on.

SCIUTTO: So you heard the chairman of the Intel Committee, Adam Schiff, say over the weekend that he still wants to discuss this with his constituents and colleagues. He's not made a decision on whether to impeach. Have you seen enough evidence to vote to impeach the president?

KHANNA: I have. I think the evidence is overwhelming. The president pressured Zelensky to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and withheld aid. And to me, that's an impeachable offense.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, though. As you know, your Republican colleagues noted -- and to be fair, this is largely because the White House did not allow the witnesses to testify, but still -- a direct line has not been drawn to the president, with the president telling someone in the administration, "Do X," right? Withhold this aid.

I just wonder, since you have court cases that may compel witnesses to testify -- including one today regarding Don McGahn, the former White House counsel -- why not wait until you have the opportunity at least to expend all legal recourse to get those witnesses to testify?

KHANNA: Well, first of all, I think Ambassador Sondland's testimony establishes a direct line to the president. But the reason that Chairman Schiff has left open the possibility of more witnesses is there is the Don McGahn decision today. And if we can expeditiously get a Mick Mulvaney or a Don McGahn or a John Bolton to testify, we will do so. But we're not going to wait months and months and let the White House drag out the process.

SCIUTTO: But how long are you willing to wait then? Because of course, that opens you, does it not, to questions about whether you're following a political timeline as opposed to the most substantive timeline to complete the impeachment inquiry?

KHANNA: I think the evidence is already overwhelming. And you have Republicans like Representative Amodei saying let's just follow the facts, and then you have the White House asking him to walk that back.

So there's nothing that we are going to present that's going to convince some of these Republicans in the House. But if we can get even more evidence, we will do that. But many of my colleagues believe that the evidence already is overwhelming and enough to vote for impeachment.

SCIUTTO: I want to quote a Democratic fundraiser from a story in "The Hill" who said the following: "After three years, the country was sick of hearing about Russia. And now the average American doesn't understand or doesn't care about the case we're making on Ukraine." Again, a Democratic fundraiser whereof (ph) -- listen, waning patience, if you want to call it that, with another investigation, whether justified or not. How concerned are you that Democrats are going to pay a price, particularly in swing districts in 2020?

KHANNA: I'm not concerned. I think what people are wary and sick of is scandal after scandal. And we saw this with Richard Nixon. The country said, we want something new, and you had Jimmy Carter's election. We saw this, frankly, with Bill Clinton when the country elected George W. Bush.

And I think after all of these scandals, after Russia, after Ukraine, people are going to say, let's just start anew and we're going to have a new president in 2021.

SCIUTTO: But the difference between -- as you know as well as me -- between Nixon and Clinton and this is that both those cases, you had party members cross party lines. It was Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who moved against Nixon, that forced the resignation. You had Democrats voting against the president in the Clinton impeachment. This looks like a purely party line vote. Doesn't that weaken your case?

KHANNA: I think we actually may have some Republicans in the Senate look at the evidence and vote against this president. Susan Collins is a possibility, Lisa Murkowski is a possibility, even Mitt Romney is a possibility. So I think we have to see how the case is presented to the Senate.

[10:35:00]

And we are living in more partisan times, but I think most people are saying, why are we not getting anything done on prescription drugs when the House is willing to pass a bill, H.R. 3? Why haven't we gotten anything done on infrastructure? And they blame the culture in the White House of scandal after scandal, and they're going to want someone who's going to get work done for the American people.

SCUITTO: Congressman Ro Khanna, thanks for taking the time this morning and let me wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving.

KHANNA: Thank you, Jim. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well.\

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