VIOLATIONS BY SAYING, AND I
QUOTE, WE WERE FOLLOWING
PRACTICES COMMON AT MIA.
WE WILL BE SURE TO STAY ON THE
STORY.
CBS 4 NEWS.
TURNING NOW TO THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
AND INTERNAL WHITE HOUSE EMAIL
SHOWED AN EFFORT TO JUSTIFY THE
PRESIDENTS DECISION TO WITHHOLD
CONGRESSIONALLY AUTHORIZED
MONEY TO HELP UKRAINE'S
MILITARY AFTER THAT DECISION
WAS ALREADY MADE. IN E-MAILS
FIRST OBTAINED BY WASHINGTON
POST, THE
ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF
STAFF MICK MULVANEY ASKED THEM
OFF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT
AND BUDGET FOR LEGAL
JUSTIFICATION TO WITHHOLD THE
AID IN EARLY AUGUST.
THAT WAS AFTER THE PRESIDENT
ORDERED THE HOLD AND AFTER HIS
JULY 25 PHONE CALL WITH THE
PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, WHICH HE
ASKED THE PRESIDENT TO
INVESTIGATE JOE BIDEN AND HIS
SON HUNTER.
FOR MORE THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY, WE'RE JOINED BY DOCTOR
CHARLES SELDEN A PROFESSOR IN
THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND
POLITICAL SCIENCE AT
SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY.
WITHIN THE LAST HOUR, WE
LEARNED THAT FORMER WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL HAS BEEN ASKED TO
TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS.
IS THIS A SETBACK FOR THE
PRESIDENT, WHO HAS SOUGHT TO
WITHHOLD HIS AIDES FROM
TESTIFYING?
IT IS MOST DEFINITELY A
SETBACK BUT NOT TODAY BECAUSE
LIKELY IT WILL BE APPEALED AND
THE DC CIRCLE WILL LIKELY
ACCEPT THE APPEAL AND PUT IT ON
HOLD AND ULTIMATELY TO BE
DECIDED BY THE SUPREME COURT.
BUT WHAT IT LAYS OUT IS A VERY
CLEAR ARGUMENT THAT THE IDEA
THAT THE PRESIDENT CAN IMMUNIZE
ALL OF HIS MEN, ALL OF THE
SENIOR ADVISORS FROM ANY
QUESTIONING BY CONGRESS IS
SIMPLY NOT CONSTITUTIONAL AND
NOT APPROPRIATE, NOT LEGAL.
WHEN WE LEFT THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY BY THE HOUSE COMMITTEE,
IT IS THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE.
YES.
OKAY.
WE LEFT IT AT DEMOCRATS
APPARENTLY MADE THEIR CASE BUT
THEY HAVEN'T SWAYED ANY
REPUBLICANS AND WE ARE WAITING
FOR A REPORT BUT NOW WE ARE
HEARING ABOUT THIS FELLOW
PARNASSUS WHO IS AN ASSOCIATE
OF RUDY GIULIANI WHO MAY HAVE
SOME NEW INFORMATION AND WHO
MAY BE WILLING TO COOPERATE. DO
YOU SEE THAT HAVING AN IMPACT?
YES.
IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT.
WILL IT BE THE ULTIMATE IMPACT?
NO.
WE USE THE PHRASE SMOKING GUM,
GUN THAT COMES FROM WATERGATE.
THE THING ABOUT WATERGATE IS
THERE WAS ONE BIG SMOKING GUN
THAT CAME MONTHS AND MONTHS
AFTER THE HEARING STARTED AND
IT SHOOK EVERYONE.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRUMP
ISSUE IS THAT IT IS LIKE THERE
IS A SMOKING GUN EVERY DAY.
NEW THINGS COME OUT THAT IN A
MORE TRADITIONAL POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENT WOULD BE THE DEATH
KNELL OF THE PRESIDENT.
BUT WITH SO MANY THINGS
HAPPENING, PEOPLE ARE KIND OF
FATIGUED.
AND SO WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A
SMOKING GUN IS NOW SIMPLY
ANOTHER SOURCE OF SMOKE.
ANOTHER MONDAY. OKAY.
HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING SO FAR
THOUGH IN TERMS OF HOW THIS ALL
PLAYS OUT THAT WOULD EVEN
REMOTELY SICK JUST THAT 20
REPUBLICANS AND EVERY SINGLE
DEMOCRAT IN THE SENATE WOULD
VOTE TO IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT?
I THINK IT IS UNLIKELY AT
THIS STAGE.
I THINK IT IS UNLIKE THE EXCEPT
FOR ONE POSSIBILITY.
AND THAT IS IF THE POLLS START
SHOWING THAT REPUBLICAN PHOTOS
ARE IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHMENT AND
CONVICTION.
THE MINUTE THAT CHANGES, THE
MINUTE WE START SEEING THE
REPUBLICANS MOVING AWAY FROM
THE PRESIDENT, THEN I THINK
THERE IS A REALLY GOOD CHANCE
THAT THE SENATE MIGHT VOTE TO
CONVICT.
OTHERWISE, NOT A CHANCE IN --
YES.
WE FOLLOW YOU.
WHAT DID THE TESTIMONY YOU
HEARD LAST WEEK FROM THE STATE
DEPARTMENT PROFESSIONALS, WHAT
IT TELL YOU ABOUT THE STATE OF
OUR DEMOCRACY?
WELL, IT SAID ACTUALLY
PRETTY GOOD THINGS.
ALTHOUGH IT DID SHOW HOW
DANGEROUS THE SITUATION THAT WE
ARE DEALING NOW WITH IS.
ESSENTIALLY, THESE PEOPLE SAID
WAS THERE ARE RULES AND
PROCEDURES IN PLACE FOR HOW THE
GOVERNMENT RUNS ITSELF.
IT RULES WHAT THEY DO.
IT RULES THAT THE POLICYMAKERS
DO.
NOW, THE PRESIDENT IS CORRECT.
HE IS IN CHARGE OF POLICY.
HE CAN CHANGE POLICY.
BUT WHAT THEY ARE POINTING OUT
IS THAT THERE IS A PROPER WAY
TO CHANGE POLICY AND AN
IMPROPER AND POSSIBLY AN
ILLEGAL WAY TO CHANGE POLICY.
IN THE PRESIDENT CHOSE THE
LATTER.
AND THAT IS WHAT IS SO
DANGEROUS.
NOT THAT HE MADE THE CHOICE HE
MADE, BUT THE WAY HE WENT ABOUT
DOING IT.
AND WHAT WE SAW IS THAT THE
PEOPLE WHO RUN OUR GOVERNMENT
ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, THEY
WON'T ACCEPT THAT.
DO YOU THINK THE TESTIMONY
OF ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE CHANGES
ANYTHING IN THE AMERICAN
DISCOURSE OR THE BELIEFS THAT
ARE HELD BY EACH SIDE?
I THINK IT STRENGTHENS THE
VIEWS OF THOSE OF THE EXTREMES,
THOSE WHO VERY MUCH BELIEVE THE
PRESIDENT IS DIRTY AND BOY DID
THAT STRENGTHEN IT AND THOSE
WHO REALLY SUPPORT THE
PRESIDENT DID NOT SWAY THEM AT
ALL.
BUT THERE IS A PERCENTAGE IN
THE MIDDLE.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE A POSITION, BUT
