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House Approves Sending Impeachment Articles To Senate; More Evidence From Giuliani Associate May Be Released According To Adam Schiff; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) Reacts On Donald Trump's Impeachment Trial To Begin Tuesday. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired January 15, 2020 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Earlier, they joined Speaker Pelosi to defend the delay in transmitting the Articles and also took aim straight at Senate Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): What is at stake here is the Constitution of the United States. This is what an impeachment is about.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Mitch McConnell made it clear that he didn't want to trial in the Senate, that he didn't want to hear from witnesses, that he didn't want documents. And this time has given us the ability to show the American people the necessity of a fair trial.

REP. JERROLD NADLER (D-NY): The Senate is on trial as well as the President. Does the Senate conduct the trial according to the Constitution to vindicate the republic? Or does the Senate participate in the President's crimes by covering them up?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now the top Republican in the House said all of it amounts to nothing more than a political stunt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Instead of sending the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial, Speaker Pelosi held them hostage in a failed play to gain leverage that she did not, and would never have.

These delay tactics were self-serving, hypocritical and discrediting. But they made an important admission, some might even call it a concession. You proved a very big point. Democrats do not even believe their case was robust enough to win in the trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And while the President once again dismissed it all as -- these are his words -- another con job by the do-nothing Democrats, Speaker Pelosi took time to remind everyone of one unalterable fact. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: The President is not above the law. He will be held accountable. He has been held accountable. He has been impeached. He has been impeached forever. They can never erase that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN Congressional Reporter, Lauren Fox is on the Hill for us and so, Lauren, what are you hearing from House members right now?

LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, I just talked with Intelligence Committee Chairman, Adam Schiff, and he talked a little bit about what a momentous day this is, after months of investigations, Brooke, what it has all led to is the appointment of those House Managers, and, of course, the transmittal of the House Impeachment Articles.

And what he said is, you know, work is still going to continue for those seven House Managers, including the Chairman himself. He said that he expects that the preparations will begin immediately.

There's a lot of work to do when you have to go over to the Senate and make the case not only to all 100 senators, but specifically some of those moderates who you might be able to convince, if not to actually vote to remove the President, at least to vote for more witnesses, more information. There's a sense, you know, for Adam Schiff that some of the power of the Senate may be able to get people like John Bolton to actually come and testify or at least be deposed behind closed doors in a way that perhaps his committee didn't have an opportunity to do because of the time constraint that they were under.

So that is going to be one of the top arguments you're going to be hearing. And that's going to be what some of the preparation behind closed doors will look like, because there's really going to be a targeting of those more moderate Republican senators. Those are the individuals who can really change the dynamics of the trial, Brooke, and those are the individuals who you have to convince if you were one of the House Managers.

BALDWIN: Lauren, thank you, and as we mentioned in a couple of hours, you know, even in the age of e-mail, these physical Articles of Impeachment will make their way over to the Senate just as new evidence is emerging in the impeachment showdown.

This is all courtesy of a document dump from an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, Lev Parnas. And among the information turned over to House Democrats are these text messages, and these text messages suggests that the former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch was under surveillance by another American.

Yovanovitch, you know who she is. She is the same Ambassador who was later fired by President Trump before his infamous July phone call with the President of Ukraine. And Yovanovitch's lawyer is now demanding an investigation.

And those texts make these comments from the former Ambassador's impeachment testimony -- all of them are relevant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL GOLDMAN, ATTORNEY FOR DEMOCRATS ON HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: What did you think when President Trump told President Zelensky and you read that you were going to go through some things?

MARIE YOVANOVITCH, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: I didn't know what to think. But I was very concerned.

GOLDMAN: What were you concerned about?

YOVANOVITCH: She is going to go through some things. It didn't sound good. It sounded like a threat.

GOLDMAN: Did you feel threatened?

YOVANOVITCH: I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: With me now, CNN Political Correspondent, Sara Murray.

And Sara, tell me what was in these texts and these documents?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, I think the most alarming stuff in these message exchanges between Lev Parnas and a man named Robert Hyde who is vying for the Republican nomination to run for a congressional seat in Connecticut.

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MURRAY: And these are text messages from March 25, 2019 and he seems to be -- Robert Hyde -- suggesting that he has the Ambassador under surveillance. He says they are moving her tomorrow. The guys over there asked me what I would like to do and what is in it for them. Wake up, Yankees man. She's talked to three people. Her phone is off. Computer is off. She is next to the embassy. Not in the embassy private security. Been there since Thursday.

This continues between Robert Hyde and Lev Parnas. Hyde says, they will let me know when she's on the move and Parnas says, perfect.

And it gets even darker from there, Brooke. In this next exchange, Hyde says, they are willing to help if we/you would like a price. Now, obviously we don't know exactly what they're talking about here. It doesn't sound very good. Hyde continues to say, guess you can do anything in Ukraine with money, what I was told.

Now Parnas's attorney is insisting that his client had nothing to do with any surveillance that may have been going on Ambassador Yovanovitch, but you know, you see, they're going back and forth on this. Parnas isn't really discouraging it. He is saying things like perfect.

The other thing that was interesting in this pile of documents that Parnas and his attorney handed over to impeachment investigators that has now come out was actually a note that Parnas wrote on stationery from the Ritz Carlton in Vienna and one of the points he writes on this is, get Zelensky to announce the Biden case will be investigated.

Now, this is a good reminder for everyone out there who has said no, we were just talking about investigating Burisma, this company. We were not investigating the Biden's.

One of these early notes written in Lev Parnas's handwriting says get the Biden case to be announced that investigation -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So he spells it out there on that hotel stationery for everyone to see. Sara Murray, thank you.

And as Sara just mentioned, those documents introduced a new name into this whole Ukraine scandal, Robert Hyde. Robert Hyde is a Republican candidate for Congress in Connecticut and Emilie Munson is the Washington correspondent for "Hearst Connecticut Media." She was the first journalist to report on the connection between Hyde and Parnas.

And so Emilie, thank you so much for coming on. And in your November reporting, Hyde actually texted you photos of himself and Lev Parnas, and we'll show the photos in just a second. Do we know how these two men connected and why they were tracking Marie Yovanovitch like this?

EMILIE MUNSON, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "HEARST CONNECTICUT MEDIA": So, Robert Hyde would not answer questions about how he knew Lev Parnas or Igor Frurman, who has also been photographed with, or Rudy Giuliani, the President's personal lawyer. So we don't have many details.

We know that Robert Hyde has been someone who's been entering the President's political circle over the past few years, or at least trying to. He has been photographed with him on at least four occasions and he has been also photographed with other Republican Members of Congress and people in the administration.

So we don't know the exact extent of the relationship here, but perhaps there's information that may come out in the future that will show us more.

BALDWIN: Here's what you do know. This is this is a quote, you wrote that, "Hyde's 'passion' for Trump has transformed his life." Can you explain that a little bit more?

MUNSON: Yes, that's true. So Robert Hyde told me that he was never really into politics until Trump and we can see that in his record of political giving, and his presence here in Washington.

So Robert Hyde first tweeted back in 2012, that he really wished Trump were running for President. And then in 2016, he started giving to his campaign extensively, particularly in the months leading right up to November.

And then in 2018, Hyde started a government relations firm here in Washington, although, he didn't have any prior experience in government, he had run a construction company in Connecticut and we saw him start to attend numerous political events, some of them at Trump properties.

He attended Trump's inauguration. He attended the inauguration of Florida Governor, Ron deSantis. And so we see that he, over time, really increased his political presence. But it's unclear if he has strong relationships with the people in these photographs, or if these are just selfies.

BALDWIN: As his life was "transformed" by President Trump, again, this is a man, Robert Hyde who referred to this now, former Ambassador as a B-I-T-C-H two times and then actually made headlines earlier this year for targeting former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

So for a guy running for Congress, he hasn't exactly strayed from disgusting language, if I may, and controversy.

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MUNSON: Yes, his candidacy certainly has attracted a lot of attention since it started, particularly his language toward Kamala Harris.

After he made that tweet, numerous members of the Republican Party in Connecticut asked for him to resign. He has not done so. And in fact, he told me that he will not be ending his campaign until he wins, which he hopes is in November.

BALDWIN: Well, we'll watch it. You're watching it. Emilie Munson with the scoop. Emilie, thank you. Nice job.

MUNSON: Thank you.

BALDWIN: With me now, Guy Smith. He is a former Special Adviser for President Clinton during his impeachment proceedings. And so, welcome to you.

GUY SMITH, FORMER SPECIAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON DURING HIS IMPEACHMENT: Thank you.

BALDWIN: How does all this new evidence, the documents, the text, the language -- how does all of this new evidence change things potentially for senators in this impeachment trial?

SMITH: It changes things in a particularly significant way. I was talking to a very senior senator just the other day, and he said, the Republican senators are terrified of what else Trump has done. Now that was before these things came out last night, which you've just been reporting on.

And you've been seeing since the House voted the Articles, and lately, there's been a lot of noise in the media -- oh, Pelosi got beat by McConnell. Pelosi didn't get beat by McConnell, she rope-a-doped McConnell, because through the entire Holiday period, the entire focus was on witnesses, and why there needs to be witnesses. And now there's a poll that shows 71 percent of the people want

witnesses and so now, we're up to six Republican senators who are entertaining publicly that they are a agreeing to witnesses and it only takes 51 votes to do this.

So where all the witnesses and all the testimony in the Clinton trial was done over a year by Ken Starr, in case it's still going on, and we're seeing these new things almost -- I mean, first it was a whistleblower, then there was the transcript. Then Mulvaney says oh, sure, there's a quid pro quo. Then Sondland and then Bolton, and here we are today with Parnas.

BALDWIN: I'm with you, and I hear you on the rope-a-dope and Republicans would see it otherwise, but you know, play it forward. Let's say these more moderate Republicans do push four witnesses.

But then on the flip side, you have other Republicans who would say, all right, you want this person in this person? Well, we want Joe Biden.

SMITH: So what?

BALDWIN: So what?

SMITH: They're not relevant, and it doesn't change what Trump has done, which is extort a foreign government to help in a domestic election.

So -- and then, they also said they want the whistleblower. Fine. Bring the whistleblower because everything that whistleblower has seen has been corroborated.

BALDWIN: Corroborated. What do you think of these seven Impeachment Managers?

SMITH: They are litigators. They know how to do a trial. They know how to construct a story. And remember, this is a political, not a legal setting. So the senators will be sitting there listening, obviously, but they are also going to be listening to their constituents and they're going to be listening to -- is it really okay to extort a foreign government? Can I go home and say that and get reelected? Can I go home and say that and really make people believe I believe in the Constitution?

This is the dilemma, and we're not going to see the histrionics in the Senate that we saw in the House. It's a very solemn occasion. Mitch McConnell is not in charge. His senators are in charge and they have to sit in their chairs and not talk for six days a week, and they can only ask questions through the Chief Justice.

They can't stand up in grandstand. And senators also, they look down on the House. It shouldn't, but they do -- always have. But they also take themselves and the Senate very seriously, and it will be a somber occasion and the seriousness, the solemnity and the Constitution is hanging over their head and we will see that change tonight and tomorrow as the Managers deliver the Articles. BALDWIN: The Articles. Last question, you know, the Trump White House

really would like to have this whole thing wrapped up by February 4th, State of the Union, so he can stand up there in front of the entire body and say exonerated.

Most folks who've been through this before are saying, there's no way this is going to be finished by February 4th. You all had it hanging over your head with President Clinton back in 1999. You're advising the President. Like how did you all figure out what he needed to say up there and how will this President --

SMITH: My strategy through the entire thing was there was an impeachment team that ran impeachment and the President and the rest of the White House staff and the government ran the government.

This morning President Trump was running the government, but you just showed his tweet about this and what he needs to do is run the government.

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SMITH: And if he has to get up and do the State of the Union, and he is being impeached, to get up and talk about what he's accomplished for the American people, he won't do that. He will call it a hoax, he even did this morning with the Chinese standing there.

BALDWIN: But he shouldn't is what you're saying.

SMITH: He shouldn't -- no.

BALDWIN: Just run the government, stay in that lane.

SMITH: Because he is the one that is supposed to be good at messaging, but he steps on his own message all the time.

BALDWIN: Yes.

SMITH: His message should be all these things that are good. Instead, he talks about -- and he focuses attention on all the bad stuff that he's done.

BALDWIN: Well, maybe there's some smart people around them, who will tell him essentially what you're saying. The question is, will he listen? Guy Smith, thank you very, very much for all of your know-how on all of this impeachment business.

You know, so much more to discuss on this impeachment trial, including the battle to include these new witnesses. We'll talk about that with Democratic Senator, Jeanne Shaheen.

And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi keeps making this point to say it over and over again that the President is impeached and he will be impeached forever. You think she said that just to get under the President's skin? We'll talk about that.

And was there a clear winner at last night's Democratic debate. One Democratic analyst says no one looked like they could beat President Trump. We will discuss that.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will be right back.

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BALDWIN: Now back to our breaking news. The House has named its seven Impeachment Managers and on the verge of sending the two Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, all of this paving the way for President Trump's impeachment trial to begin next Tuesday.

And it comes in the wake of the release of new damning documents from Lev Parnas. He was one of the indicted associates of the President's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. And Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire sits on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator Shaheen, a pleasure to have you on welcome.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Nice to be with you.

BALDWIN: I want to ask you about that new evidence here in just a moment, but let's just go back to this morning and looking at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, you know, not just once but twice said that Trump's impeachment will to quote her, "live forever." It was the same phrase she used on TV on Sunday, and I'm just curious, Senator, why do you think she's doing that?

SHAHEEN: Well, I think she's very aware of the historical impact of this occasion. This is only the second time in modern history and the third time in the history of this country that we have actually impeached a President.

And so I think she's very aware of that and she wants to ensure that all of us as Members of Congress understand the importance of this event, and the need to take it seriously and to pay attention to the information and the evidence that we're receiving.

BALDWIN: And perhaps remind the President of it as well?

SHAHEEN: Well, I'm sure, you know. And part of the reason I think our Founding Fathers included an impeachment proceeding is because having just left the rule of the King of England, they were very concerned about the chief executive, the President in this country having power that could be absolute, that had no oversight, and that's why they set up the checks and balances with the different branches of government and why they put in place and impeachment proceeding to ensure that if there are concerns, that there is a way to hold the chief executive accountable.

BALDWIN: Sure. Let me ask you now, Senator Shaheen, just about those House Managers selected. One of seven is the House Intelligence Chair, Adam Schiff. He has, we all know, has been a frequent target of President Trump's. He is a polarizing figure within the Senate.

Are you concerned about his presence during the trial that it might cause tensions or perhaps even unite Republicans even further?

SHAHEEN: Well, I'm not. Obviously, he had oversight in the House process. You know, I sat on the committee that was appointed back in, I believe 2010 that decided to impeach a Federal District Judge from Louisiana and Adam Schiff was involved in prosecuting that case and did a very effective job in the Senate. So I think, he has got experience and it will be important for us to hear from him.

BALDWIN: What about this new evidence, Senator? You know, when you saw those text messages in this plot to remove Marie Yovanovitch, what did you think they were trying to get out of it?

SHAHEEN: I mean, this case just gets more bizarre. But I think it speaks to the need for us to be able to hear directly from witnesses for us to be able to get documents and to continue to accept any new evidence.

We've seen several things that have come out since the House actually voted on the Articles of Impeachment, and this is a perfect example of the need to see this information and see what it means in terms of the context of this proceeding.

BALDWIN: But I mean, you've been following this fight for and against witnesses. I mean, will your Republican colleagues take this new evidence up in the trial?

SHAHEEN: Well, I hope so, you know, we've heard a number of them say that they would like to hear from witnesses. If the President did nothing wrong, as he says, then why does -- why is he so concerned about us hearing from people who are part of the White House staff who were in the room when decisions were made who can shed light on what happened? Why does he not want us to have documents that can tell us more about what happened with Ukraine?

You know, the fact is when we saw the Clinton impeachment -- that Clinton White House cooperated with Congress, provided documents that were requested, made available witnesses who were requested.

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SHAHEEN: And so I think my constituents and people in America want to hear from those people who have direct knowledge of what happened.

BALDWIN: But do you think this new evidence just made it even harder for the Senate to acquit Trump? I mean, will this push Republicans over the edge?

SHAHEEN: I don't think we know the answer to that yet. But what I know is that as someone who will be essentially a juror sitting on this impeachment trial, one of the things that I have to do in addition to my oath of office that I've taken swearing allegiance to the Constitution, I also have to be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and take an oath that says, I will be fair and impartial. I will try and get at the truth in this impeachment proceeding, and that's what I'm committed to try and do. BALDWIN: On the truth -- last question, Senator Shaheen -- what do

you make of the fact that Secretary Pompeo has yet to say a single word about his own diplomat being under surveillance?

SHAHEEN: Yes, I think it's very disappointing. You know, one of the challenges that we've seen under the Trump administration has been a lack of understanding of the importance of our diplomats, of our State Department, the ability they have to influence what happens around the world and the importance of their expertise and experience so that our policy isn't just about military power and about sanctions, but it's also about diplomacy, and this President and this Secretary of State don't seem to appreciate how important that is.

BALDWIN: Senator Shaheen, you have a big job. America is watching. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, thank you so much.

SHAHEEN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We will come back to this, but let's talk about the debate, shall we? Did Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg have an advantage over their senator rivals, who will be in Washington for a month essentially for this impeachment trial? Let's talk about that.

And the entire Russian government suddenly resigning today, which signals a Vladimir Putin power play.

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