CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) Discuss About Trump Firing Key Impeachment Witnesses

Interview

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The question is tonight and right now, are there going to be more witnesses who will be fired.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan. As I know, we're all trying to get more information on that. I want to go straight now to Mike Quigley, a Democrat from Illinois. He was on the House Intelligence Committee which has, of course, heard from all of these witnesses when this was broadcast to the country, when you heard Vindman, when you heard Sondland, when you heard Yovanovitch and everyone else, Taylor, Morrison, Holmes, Williams. They all appeared before you, sir.

So let me get your reaction. We just found out moments ago, Ambassador Sondland, fired. The President obviously waited for his vindication in the Senate. Do you think things would have gone any differently had he gone ahead and fired these people for the vote? Will this have done anything for the senators who seem so willing to support him?

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Look, it's a rough day after a bad week for our country. I feel like someone should apologize to Colonel Vindman. He testified twice before a committee. What was striking to me is what he said when he said, "I knew I could come forward because I knew in the United States, the truth matters." Well, I guess the President is showing him.

And as far as Ambassador Sondland goes, it took him a while, but it's never too late to do the right thing. He did do the right thing. He told the truth. Lincoln had his team of rivals, apparently this president wants a team of sycophants.

BURNETT: So let's talk about Sondland. He testified that Zelensky was willing to do whatever Trump wanted, including investigations. He said there was a quid pro quo. We all remember the President, of course, this was a guy who donated a million dollars to him right after the testimony Trump was imbuing him. He was saying, oh, the guy said everything I wanted to hear. Well, of course, he didn't and now he's gone.

Vindman also said the same thing. There was a quid pro quo. The President wanted investigations and that his actions were inappropriate. His twin brother was also fired, his twin brother. Is there anything that can be done about this or is this just some people might be outraged, some people might not care and we move on?

QUIGLEY: I hope that the senators who said that this was a minor matter or that the President has learned his lesson, no, he hasn't. What I would tell the Republican senators who covered up this case is you have emboldened a president who borders on an autocratic presidency. You have given him this opportunity to feel like he can do absolutely anything and that ought to be very scary, because the President has very tough decisions to make in the best of times, now more critical than ever.

But it's clear that there's nobody out there who can say no to him. What's clear is what the Senate has said is, if you're a president in the future and you have the Senate in the majority, if your party is in the majority in the Senate, then you are above the law. All this does right now is the President is reinforcing the case against him. He's going after the witnesses that helped convict him in reality in the House and would have had it been a fair trial in the Senate.

BURNETT: Now, of course, what his defenders perhaps said earlier about Colonel Vindman and I'm sure some will say about Sondland that this is his right. This people work for him. They work at the discretion of the President and if they don't say things he likes, then this is within his rights. What do you say to them?

QUIGLEY: Sure. Do you really want a President of the United States that just wants people who tell him whatever he wants, that forces ambassadors like Yovanovitch who's doing a good job out of the way so he can do his dirty work, move forward with the scheme to go after his political rivals, cheat on the next election?

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Just because he has the legal right to do something, doesn't make it morally right. And I hope this is an education for the entire American people, just what took place this week, this is the aftermath. This is Shakespeare at its worse.

BURNETT: Thank you very much, Congressman Quigley. I appreciate your time, sir.

QUIGLEY: Thank you.

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