CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) is Interviewed About the Impeachment Trial
Interview
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BURNETT: Breaking news, the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer just telling me he believes up to a dozen Republican senators may be open to supporting witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, making it clear he wasn't just thinking about four or five who are troubled by the situation, but 10 to 12 could be open to it.
And this coming just hours after Trump's defense team wrapped up its opening arguments. And now, we're just hours away from the question and answer period. That is going to begin tomorrow.
OUTFRONT now, the third ranking Republican in the Senate and the chairman of the Senate Republican conference, Senator John Barrasso.
I appreciate your time. It's great to have you with me, Senator Barrasso.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): Thank you, Erin. Thank you.
BURNETT: I wanted to give you a chance to respond to Minority Leader Schumer. I don't know if you heard him there, but he says he believes there are 10 to 12 senators in your conference that could be open to voting for witnesses. Is he right?
BARRASSO: No, he's not right at all. The momentum in our conference is clearly to moving to final judgment. The House made its case primarily yesterday and today, it was a strong case, it was compelling, it was concise. They used less than half the amount of the time that the House did the last couple of days.
So, I'm very comfortable with where we are. I think we have a very strong case. We need to get back to the work of the American people, and why we have the momentum moving to say we've heard enough. We can make an informed decision and judgment. Let's vote.
BURNETT: So, I don't know if you heard senator Schumer, he was saying Majority Leader McConnell's comments when he told other Republicans he doesn't have the votes to block witnesses. That partly he felt, Schumer felt that was true and partly, that was McConnell trying to motivate his caucus to get everybody in line. So, you clearly think it was motivational and not reality?
BARRASSO: I think there are still some members that want to spend time -- and we will eight hours tomorrow and eight hours the next day -- listening to the answers to the questions of both the House as well as the White House's cases and hear what we have to say. We have lots of questions, over 100 questions probably on both sides.
People want to hear that. But ultimately when it comes around to Friday, and it's time to decide, should we move to a final judgment, I believe that is what will happen at that time, and then a vote to acquit President Trump.
And it's interesting on the Senate floor visiting with other colleagues, I think there are some Democrats who also will vote to acquit. And tonight, "The Los Angeles Times" even had a story that Dianne Feinstein, the senator from California has said she is leaning in that direction. And she was chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
BURNETT: I saw that, Senator.
BARRASSO: She was there during Bill Clinton's -- BURNETT: I saw that too, Senator. And she's disputing that saying she
was misunderstood and that's not what she was saying. I just want to make sure you know that. Other than her, when you say there are other Democrats you're talking to who may acquit, like who, how many?
BARRASSO: Well, there are a couple and Senator Schumer can deal with his colleagues, but I will tell you the president will not be removed from office and it's time to get this behind us, so we can get on with the important work of the American people.
We need to lower the cost of insulin for diabetics. I'm from Wyoming. I chair the Highway Committee, the Roads, Bridges, Highways, the Environment and Public Works Committee. We need to get a highway bill done. We need to help our veterans.
There are so many things we cannot get to as long as impeachment is going on. And to open this up to additional witnesses and time and dragging this out just hurts the ability of the country to move forward.
BURNETT: So, let me just ask you a question though. In the concept of I know you and I and everybody else cares about honesty, right? So, you have all these witnesses that said the president did something that he says he didn't do. Now you have a person, John Bolton, who says he had conversations with the president where the president told him to do what all those other witnesses are also saying. And this is "the New York Times" manuscript that I'm referring to.
BARRASSO: Yes.
BURNETT: And today, President Trump's former chief of staff and retired Marine General John Kelly said, quote, if John Bolton says that in the book, referring to a quid pro quo, no aid unless -- I believe John Bolton.
All right. So, that's what John Kelly says. If John Bolton says that in the book, I believe John Bolton. Do you believe John Bolton?
BARRASSO: Whether you do or don't, even if all those things are true, and Professor Dershowitz is here, I know he's coming up to be your next guest, these still do not raise to the level of impeachable offenses.
This impeachment is completely partisan and political and impeachment wasn't supposed to be done that way. We are at a point where they're starting to vote in Iowa on Monday. We are in an election year. Let the American people decide who they want to be their president. A hundred members of the United States Senate should not make that decision.
And this doesn't just try to overturn the election of 2016. This removes President Trump from the ballot in 2020. So, it interferes with that election as well.
(CROSSTALK) BURNETT: But they would have to move to do that obviously in addition to what they've done. But can I just ask you the question about Alan Dershowitz? Because that is a point, I know there are some, Senator, in your caucus who are saying he did it but it's not impeachable, right? And they seize on Alan Dershowitz's testimony to make that argument.
The other constitutional law expert who has spoken for the president, on behalf of the president, as you know, is Jonathan Turley, right? So, there's Alan Dershowitz and Jonathan Turley. Alan Dershowitz says there has to be a crime to impeachment. Jonathan Turley who spoke on behalf of the president said that that's dead wrong. Here's what he just said the other day.
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JONATHAN TURLEY, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW EXPERT: Mind you, it's clear, you can impeach a president for abuse of power. You can impeach a president for non-criminal conduct. It's just not easy. What's fascinating to me is the White House built its case so solidly around a theory that is so widely rejected.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That there has to be a crime.
TURLEY: That there has to be a crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Does it give you pause that Alan Dershowitz may be the one on an island here?
BARRASSO: Well, I'm not a lawyer. I'm a physician. I came to Congress to help lower the cost of health care for the American public.
There are lots of things that we need to be doing so we can have all the dueling lawyers that you want. I think impeachment should never be partisan. It should not be political. And this has never happened until this impeachment.
And that, to me, is one of the greatest concerns that I have with regard to Ukraine where all this -- I've been to Ukraine multiple times. President Trump has done much more for the people of Ukraine and the freedom fighters there than the previous administration ever did.
So, when you take a look at what happened, the money didn't go, the -- there was never an announcement of investigation. And I think the president has a responsibility to fight corruption and make sure American taxpayer dollars are used wisely. And that's actually one of the questions that I'm going to be asking and posing during the question period tomorrow.
BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your time, senator. Thank you very much.
BARRASSO: Thanks for having me. BURNETT: Thank you.
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