CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) Is Interviewed About Impeachment Hearings

Interview

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Joining us now, one of the Intelligence Committee members who questioned the two witnesses today, Democratic Representative Val Demings of Florida. Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us.

I want to get to all of these developments, but you were there and you questioned the two witnesses today. What was your overall impression of their testimony?

REP. VAL DEMINGS (D-FL): Well, I tell you what, it was a good day really in this impeachment inquiry because we were able to hear from two long-serving career Foreign Service officers who have dedicated their lives to this country for decades. They've served in Republican and Democratic administrations. They've served well. They stayed under the radar.

And this impeachment inquiry has brought them out to give their testimony. And you know, they told about their knowledge of the President using the power of his office to try to coerce a foreign power, Ukraine President Zelensky, into helping in the 2020 election.

BLITZER: Based on what you heard today, have you already seen enough, heard enough to vote in favor of articles of impeachment?

DEMINGS: Well, I tell you what, Wolf, the evidence since the whistleblower came forward, since the release of the President's, the readout of the call, and witness after witness after witness giving corroborating testimony, that the President abused his power. He betrayed his oath of office. That he thinks it's OK for other countries to decide or have a decision about American elections and jeopardize our security.

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I think the only question that is left out there is these things occurred. The evidence is overwhelming but the question is, what do we want to do about it. As you as you know I serve on the Judiciary Committee, Intelligence will wrap up their work in the next few weeks and the information will come back to Intelligence to begin -- I mean, I'm sorry, to Judiciary to begin those articles of impeachment.

BLITZER: Ambassador Bill Taylor's aide, David Holmes, he has agreed to testify behind closed doors before your committee on Friday. What do you plan to ask Mr. Holmes?

DEMINGS: Well, you know, that was really kind a bombshell today for the committee and for the American people and all who were listening and watching. For an aide to -- Ambassador Taylor to say that he was with Ambassador Sondland and overheard a conversation directly with the President and overheard the President say or ask the question about investigations when the call was over my understanding is that this aide asked Ambassador Sondland what did the President think about Ukraine and Ambassador Sondland said something to the effect the President's more concerned about investigations of the Bidens. So, we look forward to hearing directly from this witness on Friday.

BLITZER: The President and the White House and their allies up on Capitol Hill keep hammering these two witnesses who appeared today for their lack of firsthand knowledge or direct conversations with the President. Both of them agreed they had never spoken to the President directly about any of this. Is that a serious obstacle to the case for impeachment?

DEMINGS: Wolf, that's not an obstacle at all. As a former law enforcement officer many of the best cases that we have start with people who sound the alarms, who may not have firsthand knowledge. But put in a decent case and investigation together is all about following the evidence where it leads.

If we look at the President's own words and the call-out, if you look at Chief of Staff Mulvaney statements during the press conference and then we look at the statements from every witness, those who have had direct conversation with the President and those who have not, all of them corroborate the information that we now know is that the President abused his authority for political purposes.

BLITZER: What was your reaction, you just heard the clip from the President a few moments ago, insisting he doesn't remember any phone call along those lines with Ambassador Sondland in which he said he's more interested in finding dirt on the Bidens than he is about Ukraine. Now this is what David Holmes, the aide to Ambassador Taylor, told Ambassador Taylor. What was your reaction to the -- the reaction from the President?

DEMINGS: Well, look, I also know the President said that today's hearing or the inquiry is a joke. I can tell you, Wolf, there is nothing funny about our country finding ourselves directly involved in an impeachment inquiry due to the inappropriate, really disgraceful behavior of the President. And we have to ask ourselves, is this the kind of country that we want where not just this President but any future President can abuse their authority or their power for political purposes? I say that is not the kind of country that the American people want.

BLITZER: Representative Val Demings, thanks so much for joining us.

DEMINGS: Thank you.

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