CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: Interview with Sean Patrick Maloney

Interview

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COOPER: Jim Acosta, appreciate it. Thanks.

Joining us now, Democratic congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, who played his part in the President's first Impeachment. Congressman, thanks for being with us. What is your reaction first of all, to Vice President Pence rejecting the Speaker's called to invoke the 25th Amendment?

REP. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (D-NY): Well, it's just the latest in a disappointing series of failures by this administration.

Look, the President should resign, barring that, the Cabinet and the Vice President should do their duty. But we of course, assume that they won't. We've all learned that by now. That's why tomorrow, we'll move forward to do our duty, which is to hold this President accountable.

COOPER: Do you believe there will be significantly more House Republicans who vote to impeach beyond the small handful who have already announced their intention to do so? A Republican source tells CNN anywhere from 10 to 25 members of the party in the House may vote to impeach?

MALONEY: Well, I don't know. I'll believe it when I see it. You know, we've watched for years, as they looked the other way during kids in cages or payments to porn stars, or the impeachment crisis, the first one; or all the other scandals and corruptions of this administration.

So I welcome them into the realm of the duty that they swore an oath to uphold when they joined the Congress, and I recognize that they're taking a tough vote. But right now is a time to stand up and be counted.

COOPER: What do you make of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell signaling according to multiple reports that he is furious with the President and open to impeachment? I mean, how likely in your view that the Senate would actually convict the President. It seems a very heavy lift in terms of numbers.

MALONEY: Well, I don't think we know. I think it's a dynamic situation. I think you're seeing them splinter. I think it's about time that Republicans found their voice and their moral compass. So I hope more of them do the right thing.

Remember, we have the votes to impeach the President in the House. We're going to do our duty. We will hold him accountable in the House. It might be with some Republican votes, but it is the Republicans in the Senate that hold the keys. They can remove this President if they choose to do their duty.

COOPER: Do you think Senator McConnell actually is genuine in an effort to distance from the President? I mean, you know, clearly he has enabled this President and you know, as much as he possibly could, up until now.

MALONEY: Well, I don't know and I don't know what part is cynical calculation. You know, there's a lot of people finding religion with one week to go in this administration, and a violent attack on the Capitol.

But I mean, it. You know, my parents went to church every day. They love the story of the prodigal son, we will welcome them back. But they must admit their wrongdoing and be held accountable for all the transgressions that have taken brought us to this point, and for those who continue to dissemble or to lie for this President, to spread the pernicious incendiary mistruth that the election was stolen, well, they need to be held accountable, too.

COOPER: Congressman Maloney, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

MALONEY: Thank you.

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