CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview With Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)

Interview

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REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D-CA): So, there's over 400 members doing all kinds of work within their jurisdiction and under their job description right now.

So, again, it's a phony argument, but the Republicans are really having a difficult time trying to come up with some kind of message that works for them.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: So, one of the theories of the case that we hear Democrats suggesting is that the reason Ambassador Yovanovitch was asked to leave her post, was fired, was that she was somehow going to be an obstruction to President Trump, to Rudy Giuliani, in their attempt to push to -- the president of Ukraine to publicly announce investigations into the Bidens and into the discredited, debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election.

Where is the evidence that that's the reason why she was pushed out?

SPEIER: I don't actually know, Jake, if that's the reason.

I think that Lutsenko, who was the prosecutor general, was offended by the fact that she was critical of him and speaking out about the fact that there was still a great deal of corruption in Ukraine. This was in early March of 2019.

And then they ratcheted up the efforts to get her fired. But that really started back in 2018, when Lev Parnas went to fund-raisers for the president in April and then was at a private dinner with the president in May of 2018, and then contributed $325,000 to the president's campaign later in May of 2018.

So I think all of this has to do with money. Now, why the Ukrainian oligarch, whomever that might be, wanted to transfer money into a phony company in the U.S. and use Parnas and Fruman to dispense it, particularly to the president, I don't know.

They certainly wanted to have her out. And so the president obliged them.

TAPPER: And let's say, you are referring to Parnas and Fruman, who have been indicted for alleged campaign finance violations. You just referred to the actual incident it was, that it was concealed that all this money had been donated to a pro-Trump super PAC.

So you're about to go into this closed-door testimony with David Holmes, who's an aide to the top diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor. And, according to Taylor, Holmes overheard this phone call between President Trump and Ambassador Sondland.

What are you expecting to learn from him?

SPEIER: Well, I -- we want details about what he heard and the conversation he had with Ambassador Sondland after the phone call, and more about the nature of the lack of security associated with that phone call, a terrible breach of security, it would appear.

And I would like to hear more about that as well, because probably more than anyone else, the Russians probably have the full content of that phone call.

TAPPER: Do you know if there was anyone else on that call or if anyone else overheard? I have seen other reporting from the Associated Press and others that there is at least a second U.S. Embassy employee in -- who was also present at that restaurant in Kiev who overheard the call.

Do you know anything about that?

SPEIER: Well, there has been a second person that has come forward. We certainly haven't interviewed that person.

I don't know that we will interview that person. We will see how this interview tonight goes with Mr. Holmes.

TAPPER: Congresswoman Jackie Speier, thank you so much. We always appreciate your time.

SPEIER: Thank you, Jake.

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