CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Ami Bera

Interview

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Joining us to discuss, Democratic Congressman from California, Ami Bera. He sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, of course, one of the committees involved in hearing these witnesses here. Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.

REP. AMI BERA (D-CA): Jim, thanks for having me on.

SCIUTTO: So how do Democrats fight the -- not just the impression but the fact that yesterday's vote was completely along party lines? Republicans are saying this is a partisan impeachment investigation. How do you fight that argument?

BERA: It's disappointing that no Republicans voted for it. Because what they were asking for is moving these hearings to public phase and get some transparency here, and that's exactly what that vote was about. Setting the parameters, moving to a public phase, and that's what they wanted, they should have voted for it.

SCIUTTO: Look at the numbers here, this new ABC News/Washington Post poll out, that it has some concerning signs for Democrats, particularly, look at the independents. Independents leaning, and again, within the margin of error, but split against impeachment and removal. And, again, look at the split there, 82 percent Republicans no, 82 Democrats.

You know as well as I do that for this to move forward, and particularly if you're going to go towards removal in the Senate, you've got to convince a large bloc of non-Democrats, independents and Republicans. You're not doing that yet.

BERA: Well, having sat in a lot of those depositions and listening to career Foreign Service officers, career national security folks kind of lay out what they saw, what alarmed them, et cetera, I do think moving --

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