CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview With Rep. Madeleine Dean

Interview

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BLITZER: Another very, very important and historic day in the impeachment inquiry involving the President of the United States. Let's get some perspective from another key member of the House of Representatives, joining us right now, Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania. She's a member of the Judiciary Committee, which eventually will have to consider the recommendations of the Intelligence Committee.

Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us.

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): Good evening.

BLITZER: And, first of all, what was your reaction to Dr. Fiona Hill, the top Russia expert, the National Security Council for the past two and a half years, shattering the conspiracy theories during the course of her testimony?

DEAN: I had the opportunity to sit in the hearing room, when she made her opening statement and read along a written copy. What I found in her was an extraordinary patriot. Somebody standing at the ready to sound the alarm, not somebody who wanted to, but somebody who was a public servant who was ready to sound the alarm about the wrongdoing of this administration and directly about the wrongdoing of this President. So I saw somebody of extraordinary courage, somebody who spoke clearly, concisely, without embellishment of the facts and with precision.

BLITZER: What were your impressions of David Holmes, the political counselor at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine?

DEAN: Much the same. In him you saw -- and it was shared also by Dr. Hill, a love of and belief in our foreign policy and building on our relationship with Ukraine, recognizing the vulnerability of that democracy to Vladimir Putin, to the actual invasion by Russia, and then they saw the competing interests of this President who actually, as Fiona Hill, said so movingly and so clearly that Sondland was sent on a political errand, a private political errand while she was trying to work on diplomacy and peace and national security and global security. And those two agendas came into conflict.

BLITZER: Toward the end of today's hours and hours of testimony we heard from Republican Congressman Will Hurd of Texas, he's not seeking re-election. He's a former CIA clandestine officer, listen to what he said, his bottom line conclusion.

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REP. WILL HURD (R-TX): An impeachable offense should be compelling, overwhelmingly clear, and unambiguous and it's not something to be rushed or taken lightly. I've not heard evidence proving the President committed bribery or extortion. I also reject the notion that holding this view means supporting all the foreign policy choices we have been hearing about over the last few weeks.

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BLITZER: All right, have you heard such evidence?

DEAN: I certainly have. And it came firsthand, it came from those diplomats who did not have a political fight, they actually just wanted to do good for our country. So those comments by the retiring congressman are terribly disappointing. I don't understand it.

If not this, if this is not wrongdoing by a President, trying to change the outcome of an upcoming election, trying to withhold and in fact withholding aid to a foreign country that Congress had appropriated, to their peril, Ukraine was at peril as a result of holding that up. If he doesn't see that, if the representative doesn't see that as a high crime or misdemeanor or extraordinary wrongdoing, I don't know what he would call a high crime or misdemeanor. This is a President who has abused his power. And now we have confirmation from decades long public servants.

You know what else we don't have, Wolf? We don't have any exculpatory information from the Republican Party or the administration himself, the administration itself. The President had every opportunity to put forward witnesses who would say no, none of that ever happened, but, of course, no one can say that. Sondland confirmed it. Everybody was in the loop according to Sondland.

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And so there was a shadow foreign policy, it was actually then being handled by the ambassador to the E.U. in a very puzzling manner as he said he thought he was in the middle lane. And you had a State Department who thought this was inappropriate or at least some members of the State Department thought it was inappropriate. This is an abuse of power. This is a President who wanted to seek only his own political personal gain.

What was interesting was you heard in the summary remarks by Adam Schiff, the notion of big things. What's a big thing to the Republican Party? What's a big thing in terms of global peace and national security? A big thing is not can you find me dirt on my political opponent? A big thing is how can we protect and help protect a democracy in peril?

BLITZER: Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, thanks so much for joining us.

DEAN: Thank you, Wolf.

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