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Trump After Committee Vote: Democrats Trivializing Impeachment; Donald Trump Speaks After House Panel Advances Impeachment Articles; Donald Trump: Wouldn't Mind A Long, Or Short Impeachment Trial; House Panel Passes Impeachment Articles, Floor To Vote Next Week. Aired 12- 12:30p ET

Aired December 13, 2019 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm John King. Thank you for sharing this very big news day with us.

The Trump impeachment, now one step from the finish line. The House Judiciary Committee on party line votes this morning approving articles accusing the President of abusing his power and obstructing Congress.

Plus the House is poised now to take its final step next week, then on to the Senate. The Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, the formant of the jury there promises even before the trial begins that the President will not be convicted, nor will he be removed from office. And the stalk partisan divide is a reminder the impeachment fight is about to collide with the Election Year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): Today is a solemn and sad day. For the third time in a little over a century and a half, the House Judiciary Committee has voted articles of impeachment against the President for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The House will act expeditiously.

REP. DEBBIE LESKO (R-AZ): This is really a travesty for America, and it's really tearing America apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: A very busy hour ahead including hearing from the President for the first time since that House Judiciary Committee vote just moments ago in the Oval Office. The President of the United States telling reporters "Democrats are trivializing" the impeachment again more from the President in just a few moments. The President speaking after the House Judiciary Committee a little over two hours ago, voting out two articles of impeachment against President Trump.

Purely party line votes, 23-17, on both articles, abuse of power ask obstruction of Congress. The vote took less than 10 minutes. Expect the full House to vote next Wednesday. Wherever you stand in this debate, this is a moment to pause, to recognize the reality and the map. The President of the United States will be impeached.

Let's get straight up to Capitol Hill and CNN's Manu Raju. Manu, a momentous day today, the hearing was quick the votes were quick the result consequential?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No question about it and as you mentioned historic and we expect that historic vote to happen on the House floor by middle of next week probably by Wednesday we are expecting at the moment. The Democrats do have the vote a majority is all that is needed to approve these two articles of impeachment which will be voted on separately.

Now the question ultimately now is just about how many Democratic defections there could be on the House floor? We are hearing from our sources that there could be a handful, but probably not more than that. Right now there are two Democrats who indicated that they would already oppose moving forward on the impeachment inquiry.

I spoke to them separately. They've also indicated they're likely to vote against those two articles of impeachment as well as Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey Collin Peterson of Minnesota. But there could be others as well. A number of Democratic freshmen I spoke to, people who serve in districts that President Trump won are holding their cards very closely.

Right now they're not saying how they would vote. They're saying they will talk to their voters and constituents over the weekend. They'll assess it and come back next week and they'll make that announcement. The Democratic leadership strategy is this. They're essentially letting their member voter how they feel?

Nancy Pelosi has said she is not going to whip or strong our members to vote a certain way. She said this is such a historic momentous vote. It's a vote of conscience. Republicans are saying that they are in fact, whipping the vote. They are, in fact, seeing if these members are going to vote with the President.

And at the moment, it appears that probably all of them are expected to vote for a vote against both articles of impeachment, side with the President. Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, told me there would be zero Republican defections next week. So expect this party line debate to play out next two days and that vote to occur mostly on party lines by middle of next week, John.

KING: Manu Raju, live on Capitol Hill on this very important day. It's going to be very interesting to watch those law makers those who are on the side home this weekend a meeting with constituents. With me here in the studio to share their reporting and their insights CNN's Jeff Zeleny Catherine Lucey with "The Wall Street Journal" "Politico's" Laura Barron-Lopez and Paul Kane with "The Washington Post."

Paul, I want to start with you given your experience on the Hill. It is hard sometimes to step back in the age we live in with all the tweets, all the screaming, all the finger pointing. The end result of what happened a little over two hours ago is the President of the United States; forget the party for a minute, a President of the United States is going to be impeached.

PAUL KANE, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Absolutely. The House Judiciary Committee has only done this a couple times. You know, Nixon and Clinton in 1998. We're into somewhat uncharted territory. Those were in a second term of a President also, so we're really into uncharted territory about there is an election coming up.

[12:05:00]

KANE: We're, what, two, two and a half months away from Iowa Caucus results. The trial in the Senate is going to be happening as the final weeks of the Iowa Caucus campaign is going to be. You guys are trying to set up a debate that may run into the impeachment trial. A lot of this has just never happened before.

KING: Right. So on that last part, now let's put the President's name into it. This is important and historic for any President, any party, any situation of the politics of the country. But in this case, a Republican President, a Democratic House, a completely party line vote heading into an election year, it is just - again, we're going to watch these undecided Democrats over the weekend. That will affect the margins. But by this time next week, we'll be sitting at this table a week from now and the President of the United States will have been impeached by the House of Representatives.

CATHERINE LUCEY, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Now that is - this is a sort of epic clash between two sides and it really reflects the divided nature of Washington right now. You're not going to see a lot of defections on the Democratic side, perhaps some. You're going to see perhaps none on the Republican side.

The President has made very clear on the get go how he is going to deal with this? In terms of the House process, he has declared it a sham. He has declared it a witch hunt. He is declared it political. He's refused to participate or let his people participate, and his folks will say that when you look ahead to 2020, this has been an effective strategy.

His Campaign Manager says that they've seen fundraising tick up, they've seen volunteers tick up, they've seen more people at rallies that his people, his supporters see this as an attack on their President and this is energizing his base.

KING: I think anyone who has tried to project this out to next November, I get that's what the Trump Campaign is supposed to do, that's what the Democrats are supposed to do. Anybody who is trying to protect this to next November, I think is going out on the plank a little bit but there is no question at the moment.

If you look at the polling either numbers have not shifted overwhelmingly in the Democrat's favor they up a little bit weeks ago and then they sort of froze. If you look at polling Republican intensity, it is up. Just no question at the moment the Republican base is ginned up by this. Just a quick look at some of the polling.

This is some Quinnipiac National Poll. Should the President be impeached and removed from office? Now and in November exactly the same. No, now and in November, the no up a little bit but essentially the same. So you have the public hearings, you have the debate in the Judiciary Committee. The public seems not to budge. You look at key battleground states and this is what makes the Trump Campaign feel up to I'm not sure optimistic is the right word, but OK. But emboldened by look at - University in Wisconsin, now yes 40 percent, November 40 percent, no 52 percent again frozen.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It's probably not surprising because that is the state of our politics at this moment. I mean, the White House and the Trump Campaign and the President himself leading the charge here on discrediting all of this, so his supporters are following along.

But this is one of the things that Speaker Pelosi, when she was very reluctant to do this at the very beginning, I also remember speaking with her the day before she announced this and she was hoping for it to be a bipartisan event. That is now not going to happen. We probably could have seen or predicted that because there is no such thing, really, in this era of Washington bipartisan.

But it is those voters in the middle who are paying attention. You are absolutely right in terms of reading this out what this means for November. Nobody has any idea what this means and it's the voters in the middle who of course decide every election here, but this is a monumental moment. Some Democrats may vote against it, but they're just as at risk voting for it. They're tied to it or they're not.

KING: All right. The risk, if you're a Democrat even from a Trump district or a swing district is if you vote against it, then the Democrats are mad at you. And whether you're Democrat or Republican the first thing you need is your base. The first thing you need is your base, then you try to reach out to others.

If you lose your base, you're done, anyway. So if you're Elissa Slotkin, for example, you're in a district that is tough. Here she is just a little while ago saying, I have not decided yet, but--

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): Sometimes you have to make calls that aren't based on a poll or some political consultant. If this is the end of my political career, at least I'm doing what I think is right and I'm basing my decisions on integrity. That is the most I can do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to read your mind and that last answer sounds like a no. Is that where you are?

STOLKIN: No, I literally have not made up my mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Elissa Slotkin not at least like your microphone. LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "POLITICO": It's OK. She's from Michigan and she is one of those Democrats who are in a very tough re-election. I believe Trump did win her district in 2016. She, like others, like Max Rose, other members has to decide whether or not they do want to say yes on this vote.

It sounds like Slotkin could be leaning yes, because she said, that look, even though this may be the end of my political career, she feels as though this may be the right decision to make given history. I think it's also important to note on the polling that, yes, since the actual hearing started, it didn't tick up, but it is still at the highest that we've seen it compared to during Bill Clinton's impeachment. Bill Clinton's numbers for removal never reached that height.

KING: Right. Let's get straight to listen to the President of United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Any questions please go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, your reaction to the vote in the House Judiciary this morning?

TRUMP: Well, I was actually, believe it or not finishing up the final - I was doing the final touches on the China deal.

[12:10:00]

TRUMP: That's going to be one of the great deals ever, and it's going to ultimately lead to the opening of China, which is something that is incredible because that's a whole big untapped market of 1.5 billion people.

And so I was actually doing the finals, but I got to see enough of it and certainly I had spoken to my people. It's a witch hunt, it's a sham, it's a hoax. Nothing was done wrong. Zero was done wrong. I think it's a horrible thing to be using the tool of impeachment which is supposed to be used in an emergency, and it would seem many, many years apart to be using this for a perfect phone call where the President of that country said there was no pressure whatsoever.

Didn't even know what we were talking about. It was perfect, the relationship is perfect. I've done much more for them than Obama did for them. It's a scam. It's something that shouldn't be allowed and it's a very bad thing for our country, and you're trivializing impeachment.

And I tell you what, someday there will be a Democrat President and there will be a Republican House, and I suspect they're going to remember it because when you use impeachment for absolutely nothing other than to try to get political gain. That being said, my poll numbers, as you know, have gone through the roof. Fundraising for the Republican Party has gone through the roof. We're setting records. Nobody has ever seen anything like it because the people are disgusted. The people are absolutely disgusted. Nobody has ever seen anything like this. I watched yesterday. I got to see quite a bit of it yesterday and I watched these Democrats and the Committee make fools out of themselves, absolute fools out of themselves.

I also saw them quoting all the time incorrectly. They kept saying me. It wasn't about me, it was about us. The word was us. So they kept saying me. It said us. Can you do us a favor? Our country, our country then it talked about seeing the Attorney General of the United States. For these people to say me, they would say me. You said, do me a favor. No, it didn't say that, it said do us a favor, our country, talking about the past election, talking about corruption.

The other thing nobody remembers and nobody likes to talk about, and I talk about it all the time, is why isn't Germany? Why isn't France? Why aren't other European countries paying? Because we're paying the suckers, you know for years we've been the suckers. But we're not the suckers anymore big difference.

But why isn't Germany paying big money? They have a much bigger benefit than we do because Ukraine is really a stoppage between Russia and the major part of Europe. Why aren't European countries paying? Why isn't France paying lot of money? Why is it always the United States? We're 7,000 miles away. Why is it always the suckers that pay?

So we've changed that but nobody brings that up. I think that the whole impeachment thing, hoax, I guess you could call it, because it is a hoax. Nancy Pelosi knows it. By the way, they duped her yesterday. She was on an interview and she said we've been working at this for two and a half years.

So she was working on it two years before I ever spoke to Ukraine. She said, we've been working on impeachment for two and a half years. And reporters were shocked when they got this answer because it shows she's a liar.

So it's a very sad thing for our country but it seems to be very good for me politically. Again, those people, because I watched some of the dishonest fake media. They're saying, well, the polls have remained the same. No, the polls have not remained the same. I think you understand that John.

The polls have gone through the roof for Trump, especially within independent voters and especially in swing states. I could show you numbers that nobody has seen numbers like this before.

So the impeachment is a hoax, a sham, it start a long time ago, probably before I came down the escalator with the future First Lady. It started a long time ago. When you look at the IG Report and you look at these horrible FBI people talking about, we've got to get him out, the insurance policies.

Just in case she loses, meaning crooked Hillary. It was crooked as a $3 bill. Just in case crooked Hillary looses, we've got an insurance policy. But we've been going through the insurance policy now for three years and it's a disgrace. Thank you very much, everybody.

[12:15:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know how much they'll be buying?

TRUMP: I think they will hi $50 billion in agriculture no much more than 50 because it's also manufacturing and other but I think in agriculture they will hit $50 billion, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next year?

TRUMP: Pretty soon. They've already stepped it up. My deal with them was two months ago. We had it in pretty good form. I said, do me a favor, start buying agriculture, and they started. If you look, they're already buying even before the deal is signed, they're buying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about the people of Venezuela?

TRUMP: Well, with the people of Venezuela 100 percent it's so important to us and we're going to be discussing Venezuela today. It will be a big subject.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, do you prefer a short process in the Senate or a more extended process?

TRUMP: Well, I've heard Lindsey Graham who was terrific and I've heard his statement and I like that. And I could also - I'll do whatever I want. Look, we did nothing wrong, so I'll do long or short. I've heard Mitch, I've heard Lindsey. I think they are pretty much in agreement of some concept.

I would do whatever they wanted to do it doesn't matter. I wouldn't mind the longer process because I'd like to see the whistleblower that is a fraud. The whistleblower wrote a false report. And I really blew it up when I released the transcript of the call. And then Schiff gets up and he - I blew him up, too.

Because he went up in front of Congress and he made a statement about what I said that was totally false. Then a long time after he made it, when he got he said, oh, this was a parody. Schiff is crooked. He is a corrupt politician and a disgrace.

And because of the fact he's in Congress, he's got immunity so you couldn't do anything. But he went up to you know that he made a totally false statement. The whistleblower wrote a totally false statement, so it's a fraud. Then I say, where is the informer, the one that informed the whistleblower?

He had an informer, he disappeared. You know why he disappeared? Because I released that transcript, had I not released that transcript we would have had an informer, we would have had another whistleblower. By the way, where is that second whistleblower? Remember that?

We have a second whistleblower, we have breaking news. Not all of it, but much of the media is corrupt. These are bad people, they're sick people and they're corrupt. We're fighting the Democrats and we're fighting a lot of the corrupt media.

But I asked the corrupt media, where is the second whistleblower? Now, had I not had a transcript - I'm lucky we had this transcript which, by the way, has now been verified by the Lieutenant Colonel. Lieutenant Colonel, OK? He's another beauty.

So where is all of this stuff that was going to happen? Once I released it, and I released it quick - quickly. But once I released it, all of a sudden the second whistleblower disappeared. The first whistleblower that was all set to testify, he all of a sudden becomes this saint-like figure that they don't need him anymore.

The one that everybody wanted to see including Schiff was the whistleblower. Once I released the text of what happened, the transcript that was the end. Everybody disappeared. So now there is no informer, there is no second whistleblower. Everybody is gone.

And by the way, a guy like Sondland nobody ever says it. He said very strongly, that I said I want nothing. No quid pro quo, nobody says that. That's what he said. He said that in Congress, nobody ever says that. So look, we're dealing with a lot of corrupt people. There was nothing done wrong.

To use the power of impeachment on this nonsense is an embarrassment to this country. The President just said it. It's an embarrassment to our country. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Just listening in there you hear chaotic moments at the end. Reporters trying to get a couple of additional questions in, the President of the United States with the President of Paraguay there, both of their National Security teams.

For the discussions of impeachment obviously coming up as well as the new China trade deal in the questions there some significant things the President said. Number one, not everything the President said right there tracks the facts. That's not uncommon. But not everything the President said right there actually tracks the facts. Including, he called the whistleblower a fraud.

Everything in the whistleblower report, everything of substance has been verified from additional witnesses in the impeachment hearings. But what the President was arguing there was political as we head into this impeachment process the President trying to essentially keep the Republicans on his side and keeping the American people thinking the facts are in dispute, even though the basic facts of what happened are not in dispute.

[12:20:00]

KING: You can argue about whether it was an impeachable offense. The President withheld the White House meeting then temporarily withheld military aid to Ukraine while asking himself personally and through Rudy Giuliani and his covet or private, what you want to call it off the books operation for investigations into the 2016 election and the Bidens.

What was most significant to me there looking forward, despite the politics, was the President said he'll do whatever they want to do when it comes to a Senate trial. If you go back several days in the President's Twitter feed, he was demanding witnesses, demanding what the whistleblower would be called? Demanding Hunter Biden be called.

Now the President seems to be listening to the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who met yesterday with the President's Attorney Pat Cipollone, saying, no, that's not what we want. We don't think it's necessary. They're not the votes to convict, let's keep it clean.

ZELENY: He does but there is so much time for him to think and sit and stir about this. If you think about the time he'll be down in Mar-a- Lago over the Christmas break. This is going to be starting in January. We don't know where the President is going to end up by this once this begins in January he's hearing from a lot of outside people.

So he says, I wouldn't mind doing a long process, I'm fine with whatever. He probably not fine with whatever, but he is trying to - Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell and others are trying to sort of suggest to him that a shorter process without witnesses is better because that makes it much more unknown ending if you have witnesses and things. So he is though so consumed by it. He could have talked for a couple minutes and then switched to economy that's what Republicans would wish he would do. He has consumed by this right down to belittling members of his own and national security.

LUCEY: Well, it also quickly turns to, I'd prefer a longer one. I mean, we know what he has wanted is - he wants a show. He'd like to see witnesses, he'd like a production and there has been this effort to try to push him towards the idea that a shorter process, there are benefits to shorter process and there are members at the Senate who would prefer that.

KING: Well, let's go to CNN's Kaitlan Collins who is outside the White House. Kaitlan, on that point, the President as Catherine that's the perfect word, he wants the show. He wants the Republicans to call him the whistleblower. He would like the Republicans to unmask the whistleblower which would be hyenas what the President would like that now the President would like to get Hunter Biden called in.

What the Majority Leader has said to the White House through the Counsel Pat Cipollone is we might lose votes if we do that. If we turn this into a circus, we might lose votes. Right now, I'm confident sir, you will not be convicted and forced to remove from office. Why not keep it clean? Why not keep it short? Will the President in the end listen, I guess is the question?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That is ultimately the question but he did say he has been fielding those pitches from people like Senator McConnell who we reported privately has been advising as much to the White House about inviting those witnesses to come in person.

And it is also something that President said that Lindsey Graham has been making that argument to him. And what we've heard privately is essentially their concern is that it could turn into a circus but also that it could prove damaging for them because if they do have these witnesses coming and testifying in person Democrats get to call witnesses too. They're going to be testifying like what you've seen over the President's conduct which several people who currently work here and used to work here have said they believe what inappropriate.

And you saw the President there, during that spray marking, he didn't name him but he was appearing to mock the Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman of course the National Security Council staff for the expert on Ukraine who testified about the President's call. Who still works, we should note, in the building right here next to the White House just a few feet away from where the President was sitting there.

And as he was talking about this saying that Democrats are trivializing impeachment. John, it was also really interesting to see who was on the couch next to him? It was the Vice President Mike Pence, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney who are all also at the center of this scandal with the President.

Of course, you have got to keep in mind as he's making these arguments, as he's talking about whether or not that trial is going to be long or short, Rudy Giuliani was at the White House this morning after he recently returned from a trip to Ukraine. He told "The Wall Street Journal" that his plane was still making its way out of the runway when he got a call from the President asking what he had?

So John, as Jeff said, it's going to really depend on what he comes to over the next few weeks as there is a lot of time to go before this trial get kicked off.

KING: Well, a lot of time to go as the President to your point about Lieutenant Colonel Vindman. He said "He is another beauty". He is a Purple Heart recipient in Iraq War Combat veteran. We'll call him American patriot here.

COLLINS: Yes.

KING: Kaitlan Collins at the White House, appreciate it. Thank you. A quick break then we'll come back to this historic development. The house Judiciary Committee voting on two articles of impeachment sends it in for the floor of House of Representatives. The climatic vote there scheduled next week and then a Senate trial. We'll be right back.

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[12:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'll do whatever I want. Look, there is we did nothing wrong. So I'll do long or short. I've heard Mitch, I've heard Lindsey. I think they're very much in agreement on some concept. I'll do whatever they wanted to do. It doesn't matter. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The President of United States in the Oval Office just a short time ago saying he'll do long, he'll do short. He's speaking in the context of a Senate impeachment trial of House the full House will vote to impeach the President next week then a Senate trial early next year to decide whether the President of the United States should be convicted and removed from office. The votes are not there, not even close at the moment which is why the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says, I want to do this quickly and I'm working hand in hand with the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Everything I do during this, I'm coordinating with the White House Counsel. We'll be working through this process and hopefully in a fairly short period of time in total coordination with the White House Counsel's Office and the people who are representing the President. I'm going to coordinate with the President's lawyers, so there won't be any difference between us.