CNN "Anderson Cooper 360" - Transcript: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) Is Interviewed About Public Testimony Of Witnesses

Interview

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Joining me now is Congressman Ro Khanna, who sits on the Oversight Committee. How important do you think Holmes's testimony is? Because one of the arguments Republicans have been making is, look, this is hearsay, second and third-hand information.

This is somebody who is sitting at the table and says there were two others who also heard -- who actually heard the president's voice and could say some of the things the president said, and what Sondland said and characterized about the president.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): That's a bomb shell, it's explosive, and it isn't hearsay. It's corroborated by Ambassador Taylor, who has said that he was told his, and he is basically testifying that the president is admitting he's asking one day after the phone call with Zelensky whether the investigation is going to happen, and that Zelensky is going to do this investigation to curry favor with the president.

I mean, I don't know what more we need. I mean, this is about as clear cut a case as you have.

COOPER: The timing of it is particularly important because Republicans can easily make the argument and the president can make the argument, well, I meant, you know, anticorruption investigation in general, given the fact that it came right after -- the day after that phone call in which the only investigation he is asking for is a favor, is Biden and, you know, this conspiracy theory about the 2016 election.

KHANNA: I mean there is no credibility to this idea that they're asking for anticorruption. Why are they talking about Biden then? Why does it just happen that the person who is beating you in the polls is the subject of the investigations? And this person, Holmes, who is a career foreign officer, who has no political agenda is outraged enough that the president of the United States is seeking this on a political rival.

COOPER: We have been discussing whether or not, from a legal standpoint, whether or not Ambassador Sondland should testify, whether he will testify. If he does, I mean, is he a credible witness at all at this point?

I mean, he has given sworn testimony, then others testified, and he, you know, could compare his story to theirs and realize he's being contradicted and so then he reverses his testimony, his memory is restored, but he still doesn't mention this other phone call.

KHANNA: Right. Here's what I would say to Ambassador Sondland. The presidents of the United States don't end up in jail. People around them often do. And if I were someone working for the president and concerned about perjury, I would testify. And look, he has credibility issues. But I think the best thing he can do for his own career is to come clean and tell the truth.

COOPER: Roger Stone -- what happened today -- Roger Stone is certainly a warning to Sondland.

KHANNA: Absolutely. And Sondland has already revised his testimony. We know he withheld the truth. What's boggling to me, Speaker Pelosi long ago said, I don't understand why anyone would work for President Trump because he will throw you under the bus, and he has been doing this over and over again. I don't understand what Sondland has to gain holding this president's back.

COOPER: It just seemed like Sondland right now is -- I mean, he's in the HOV lane, just getting ready to be run over. I mean, he is the next one on the list, if you are the president and you need to start shedding people.

KHANNA: Absolutely. There's a phone call where he's asking Sondland to investigate Biden.

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KHANNA: I guess the next thing if I was trump is probably going to be, oh, I didn't know what Sondland was doing, Sondland was doing this on his own. Here is though the problem. They keep saying we can't get to the president directly. The two people who have direct knowledge, Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton, we've asked over and over to testify.

If Trump has nothing to hide, why doesn't he have Mulvaney and Bolton testify? An executive privilege is not a defense. I mean, everyone -- first year law students know that you can't have executive privilege if there's illegal conduct.

COOPER: Marie Yovanovitch, her testimony today, one of the arguments Republicans were making or trying to make was she's really kind of irrelevant to -- she never talked to president. She wasn't in on discussions. She is not germane to the issue.

The fact that the president chose to tweet, you know, against her with ludicrous, you know, claims like, well, you know, wherever she goes, things fall apart. Look at Somalia. Look what happened -- you know, she went there and then look what happened, which is just, you know, ridiculous. Did he elevate her? I mean, did he sort of give her even more importance?

KHANNA: I think he elevated her credibility but it's just sad. It's sad for democracy. I mean, Marie Yovanovitch is a career foreign officer who served our country, who was ambassador to Ukraine. We already have the hollowing out of the State Department. Career officers don't want to serve.

And at some point, whether you are a Republican or you are a Democrat, you have to wonder what message are we sending to people who want to go and serve in government? I mean why people would want to go serving government when they think it's as political as it is?

When I was growing up, people said, you know, these ambassadors are just bought. You have to go, contribute a lot to the president to get appointed ambassador. And you have people still like Ambassador Yovanovitch who is willing to go through the real route of being an expert to do this. And now you have the president of the United States attacking her.

COOPER: Congressman Khanna, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

KHANNA: Thank you.

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