CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) is Interviewed About Impeachment Inquiry
Interview
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Joining me now is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, Democrat of Texas.
Congresswoman, thanks for joining us.
REP. VERONICA ESCOBAR (D-TX): Hi, Jake.
TAPPER: You heard Republican witness Jonathan Turley warning in yesterday's hearing, quote, if you rush this impeachment, you're going to leave half the country behind.
We heard from Congressman Francis Rooney saying his mind was still open about impeachment but he didn't like how the process was being rushed.
Why not slow it down and at least and pursue the angle in the courts to try to get the -- all of the memos, and messages and e-mails you want, to try to get the Mick Mulvaneys and Mike Pompeos and John Boltons to testify?
ESCOBAR: Jake, we discussed that yesterday during our hearing with our experts and something that is very important for the American public to keep in mind. We are one month away from 2020, the year where one of our most important elections will be decided, the election for the president of the United States among a multitude of other federal, state and national elections. The issue with Ukraine and the urgency behind it and the reason, the very reason why our framers, our constitutional framers included impeachment in the Constitution is because if you have a corrupt executive who is willing to maintain power by corrupting our election, there's an urgency there. If we were to wait -- we have already seen that the president has done everything possible to prevent us from getting access to all of the documents, all of the witnesses that we need to.
The House Judiciary Committee, the Robert Mueller report, we are still fighting to gain access to some of those materials. If we wait for the courts, if we wait for an election to settle this, then we will have waited too long in my opinion, especially after what we heard yesterday about making sure that we have a check on a corrupt executive who is willing to corrupt an election.
TAPPER: So what is the check? If the House votes to impeach as we think it likely will and then there is a trial in the Senate and Republicans control the Senate, they have 53 seats to Democrats' 47, ultimately do you think the Senate is going to vote to convict? Are you confident in that?
ESCOBAR: I don't have a whole lot of hope in the Senate because of what we've seen over the last year with Senator Mitch McConnell and the shamelessness of basically standing in the way of the will of the American people.
TAPPER: So what's the check? That's my question. I'm sorry to interrupt.
ESCOBAR: Yes.
TAPPER: But ultimately, if he's not going to be convicted in the Senate, what's the check?
ESCOBAR: Yes. So your question was if I had hope. Now, I will tell you, I do think that the American public still has the ability to influence their senators. This is about the sanctity of our elections, Jake, for me.
And if Americans want to make sure we maintain a strong democracy and that we do that through our elections, they need to pressure their senators, because -- who knows what's going to happen in the House? Who knows -- I don't want to get ahead of anything we are doing, but the American people have a say and they need to put pressure on their elected leaders about preserving and defending the Constitution and our republic. That really, truly is what's at stake here.
TAPPER: So, this probably will not come as a surprise to you, Congresswoman, but one of your Democratic colleagues, Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey. He's a Democrat. He represents a district that Trump won by I think something like five or six points.
He just came out and said he will vote against the articles of impeachment unless there is something new that he has not seen or heard before. That means impeachment would not be unanimous among Democrats, although voting against impeachment ultimately will be bipartisan.
ESCOBAR: Well, that's true. It will be bipartisan if Jeff holds true to what he said.
[16:35:01] But the bottom line is each one of us really has to search our hearts, and I'll tell you, when I was sworn in, that moment that I held up my hand and took that oath and actually from the moment that I was elected last November, I have felt a very profound sense of humility and responsibility. And that oath to that Constitution to up hold and defend that Constitution stays with me through everything that I do.
My hope is that my colleagues will do a lot of reflecting, will look at what is at stake in terms of Russia's influence over our country, our future, our elections, about the fact that we have seen lawlessness like we have never seen in our generation, and that when that moment comes that they will do the correct thing.
TAPPER: Are you worried at all, battleground state polls indicate that a majority of voters in those states oppose impeaching President Trump, a narrow majority oppose it. Nationally, it's different. Nationally, a narrow majority supports impeaching President Trump. But in the states you need to win back the White House, the states you need to maintain your House majority, the voters are not there. Are you worried that this is going to hurt Democrats?
ESCOBAR: I'm worried in general about 2020, Jake. I mean, I believe that we are on a precipice, a dangerous precipice of a country in so many ways, not just, you know, with impeachment but on everything that we've had to bear witness to, everything that we have been through as a country and what lies ahead.
But we can't let -- I can't let that fear or concern blind me -- and I can only speak for myself. I can't let that fear blind me from my obligation to my oath of office, and my obligation to try to make sure that we retain the republic that so many people fought and died for.
TAPPER: All right. Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar of Texas, thank you.
ESCOBAR: Thanks.
TAPPER: If I don't talk to you, Merry Christmas.
ESCOBAR: Merry Christmas.
TAPPER: Thanks so much.
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