CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) is Interviewed About the Impeachment Probe
Interview
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Joining me now, Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wassermann Schultz of Florida.
Good to have with us today.
You just heard the president --
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): Good to be with you.
HILL: Thanks again.
You sort of heard the president there say he didn't direct his attorney Rudy Giuliani to push Ukraine for an investigation. Are you concerned the president could be making Rudy Giuliani the fall guy here?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: You know, watching Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump contradict themselves, contradict one another with all of the evidence that is very clear that they did coordinate and that the president did direct Giuliani is like watching a snake eat itself. I mean, I listen to hours upon hours of depositions where we had witnesses tell us that they were aware that there was direction by the president to Rudy Giuliani to engage in pushing the Ukrainians to launch investigations in exchange for the release of the foreign aid.
I mean, it happened with witnesses saying it happened. It happened with the president in the transcript.
[16:20:02]
I mean, the president didn't shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, Erica, but the abuse of power is laying there in the street for everyone to see. It's just preposterous.
HILL: Chairman Schiff told Jake Tapper on Sunday that the Ukraine case against the president is ironclad which seems to be what you're referring to as well. But he would not say with certainty whether the president would be impeached.
If all of the facts are there, why the hesitation?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, I -- I don't see this as hesitation. What it is is being responsible. Because unlike the president, unlike the Republicans who have been cowering in the corner in fear of losing their power rather than upholding their oath, Democrats have gone through a responsible and careful impeachment inquiry to make sure that we can lay out all of the evidence, get to the bottom of this abuse of power.
I mean, the president jeopardized our national security. I'm a member of the appropriation committee. He violated the appropriations law that we passed providing almost $400 million to Ukraine and he withheld it in order to try to wrestle the president of Ukraine into launching investigations against his opponents. That is abuse of power. It is impeachable.
And we've begun going through a process to lay that out clearly and then we'll debate it and take a vote.
HILL: The president held a packed rally in your district last night as you know.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Yes.
HILL: Are you losing the impeachment argument in your own backyard?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Oh, God, no. I wish I could have brought the president to watch because this was really the beginning of his retirement party. He is not going to win Broward County. He got 31 percent of the vote here in 2016, Erica. This is the most Democratic county in the state and one of the most Democratic counties in the country.
You know, they trucked in people from all over Florida and even the country. This is not Trump territory by any means. Republicans don't win here.
And it's because they don't stand up for the issues that matter, which include making sure that everyone has access to health care, making sure we don't have oil rigs off our coastline, our people get it and Donald Trump is going to be sent packing by Floridians next November.
HILL: I also want to get your take on something that happened yesterday, an exchange with Secretary of State Pompeo. So, he was asked whether he believes the U.S. and Ukraine should investigate the debunked theory that it was Ukraine and not Russia that hacked the DNC in 2016. Take a listen to his answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Any time there is information that indicates that any country has messed with American elections, we not only have a right but a duty to make sure we chase that down.
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HILL: The intelligence community was clear, it was Russia. It was not Ukraine. But when you have the former CIA director who refuses to tamp down that debunked theory, how do you counter that?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Look, Mike Pompeo is -- his main job now is to hold the president's skirts. I can tell you that I heard Mike Pompeo on more than one occasion when he was CIA director definitely say that he agreed with the intelligence community, all 18 of our intelligence agencies that said they had high confidence -- which is the terminology they use -- that Russia was responsible for the hack of the DNC, the DCCC, and for interfering with our presidential election in 2016.
There's no doubt about that. There's no uncertainty. And there is no evidence at all and he knows it that Ukraine had anything to do with this.
HILL: Congresswoman Debbie Wassermann Schultz, appreciate you joining us today.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: He is a Trump lackey. That's the -- that's the bottom line, a Trump lackey.
HILL: We will have to leave it there, thanks again.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thank you.
HILL: And Happy Thanksgiving.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thanks, Erica. You, too.
HILL: Thank you.
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