Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles >> Alcindor: ONE DAY AFTER THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROVED TWO ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT, DEMOCRATS HOPING TO TAKE ON PRESIDENT TRUMP NEXT NOVEMBER WERE ON STAGE, DEBATING. AND ON THAT SAME NIGHT, AT A CAMPAIGN RALLY IN MICHIGAN, THE PRESIDENT SPOKE FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS. HE ANGRILY BLASTED DEMOCRATS AND ATTACKED THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS. JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS ALL OF THIS ARE CHRIS BUSKIRK, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF "AMERICAN GREATNESS," WHO IS IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA; AND KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, CHIEF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER AT moveon.org IN WASHINGTON, D.C. SHE'S ALSO THE AUTHOR OF "MOVING FORWARD: A STORY OF HOPE, HARD WORK AND THE PROMISE OF AMERICA." THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR JOINING ME TODAY. KARINE, I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI IS NOW INDICATING SHE MAY DELAY SENDING THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT TO THE SENATE. WHO BENEFITS FROM THAT POTENTIAL STRATEGY? >> YOU KNOW WHAT, YAMICHE, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN A CONSTITUTIONAL GAME OF CHICKEN. I DON'T THINK THAT OUR FOUNDING FATHERS EVER THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD BE IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE ONE BODY, THE SENATE, WHO SEEMS TO BE WANTING TO COLLUDE WITH THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH-- THAT IS, MITCH McCONNELL, WHO HAS BASICALLY SAID HE'S GOING TO WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. AND WITH ALL OF THE GUIDANCE THAT WE'VE RECEIVED IN THE CONSTITUTION, WE'RE KIND IN A GRAY AREA. AND WHAT I THINK IS HAPPENING, WHAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING IS THAT SPEAKER PELOSI IS ESSENTIALLY SAYING SHE WANTS A FAIR TRIAL IN THE SENATE AND IS USING HER LEVERAGE AT THIS MOMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS. SO, RIGHT NOW, THIS IS JUST WHERE WE ARE. WE'RE IN... WE'RE IN THE HOLIDAY SEASON. WE WON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING UNTIL AFTER JANUARY 6, WHEN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE COMES BACK FROM THE HOLIDAY. >> Alcindor: HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI IS SAYING SHE MIGHT WITHHOLD THOSE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT FROM THE SENATE. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? KARINE SAYS WE'RE IN A GAME OF CHICKEN HERE. >> YEAH, I MEAN, I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, YAMICHE, THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES OF THE ENTIRE YEAR. IT JUST SORT OF TICKLES ME BECAUSE IT DEMONSTRATES WHAT A BROKEN INSTITUTION CONGRESS IN GENERAL IS. AND THAT'S NOT REALLY SO MUCH A HIT ON DEMOCRATS, ON REPUBLICANS. IT JUST SAYS, YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2017. THEY FINALLY PASSED THE ARTICLES, BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO SEND THEM TO THE SENATE. AND SO, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS JUST SORT OF DEGENERATED TO THE POINT WHERE CONGRESS HAS BECOME LIKE AN ARTISTS' COLLECTIVE PERFORMING FOR THE RELATIVE CONSTITUENCIES AND THEIR PATRONS. WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS ENDS UP. THIS EVENTUALLY GOES TO THE SENATE. THERE'S GOING TO BE A TRIAL. DONALD TRUMP IS GOING TO BE ACQUITTED, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE ELECTION. AND SO, TO THE EXTENT THAT THIS DELAYS TALKING ABOUT THE ACTUAL ELECTION THAT'S HAPPENING IN NOVEMBER, WHETHER ANYBODY LIKES IT OR NOT, I JUST DON'T SEE HOW THIS HELPS DEMOCRATS. SO, I WOULD THINK THAT NANCY PELOSI WOULD WANT TO GET THIS OVER TO MITCH McCONNELL AND TO THE REPUBLICANS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. >> Alcindor: CHRIS, STICKING WITH YOU, "CHRISTIANITY TODAY," AN EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE, CAME OUT IN SUPPORT OF REMOVING PRESIDENT TRUMP FROM OFFICE. THE EDITOR WROTE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO IS MORALLY LOST AND CONFUSED. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? AND HOW ARE REPUBLICANS TALKING ABOUT THAT MAGAZINE COMING OUT WITH THAT STANCE? >> YEAH, SO, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A TOTALLY INTERESTING STORY, AND YOU ACTUALLY KEYED IN ON THE LANGUAGE THAT I THOUGHT WAS MOST INTERESTING IN THE WHOLE EDITORIAL BY MARK GALLI, WHO'S THE DEPARTING EDITOR OF "CHRISTIANITY TODAY." AND SO, HE SAYS, YES, DONALD TRUMP SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE. BUT HE USES AS A PREDICATE FOR THAT, HE CALLS HIM MORALLY LOST. AND THE THING THAT JUMPED OUT TO ME ABOUT THAT LANGUAGE IS THAT "LOST," YOU KNOW, IN A CHRISTIAN CONTEXT, THAT'S A VERY FREIGHTED TERM, RIGHT? CHRISTIANS TALK ABOUT THE SAVED AND THE LOST. AND SO, WHAT... SO, IT JUST STRUCK ME WHAT GALLI'S DOING HERE IS, HE'S SETTING UP SORT OF THIS DICHOTOMY WHERE YOU HAVE TO SAY... YOU HAVE TO THINK HE'S EITHER SAYING ON THE ONE HAND, WELL, HE'S MORALLY LOST-- MEANING DONALD TRUMP ISN'T A CHRISTIAN AND THEREFORE OUGHT NOT TO BE IN OFFICE. SO, IS HE SAYING THAT CHRISTIANS OUGHT NOT TO BE PRESIDENT? I HOPE NOT. WELL, ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO IS WRAP HIS POLITICAL OPINIONS IN CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY IN ORDER TO TRY AND BASICALLY TRICK THE READERS OF "CHRISTIANITY TODAY" INTO BELIEVING HIM. AND EITHER WAY, I THINK THAT'S SUPER CYNICAL. >> Alcindor: TURNING NOW TO