Rep. Eric Swalwell On James Comey's Hearing, Why Trump Is Not Fit For Office | Morning Joe

>>> THE PRESIDENT'S TWEETS, ARE THEY --
>> I LOVE THOSE. >> CARE TO ELABORATE FURTHER?
>> THEY'RE FUN READING. I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND
SEE -- HE GETS UP EARLIER THAN I DO.
SO I'M ABLE TO SEE WHAT HE HAS TWEETED TODAY.
>> NO TWEETS TODAY YET -- YET. JOINING US NOW, MEMBER OF THE
HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE AND RANKING MEMBER OF THE SUB
COMMITTEE ON THE CIA, DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN ERIC SWALWELL OF
CALIFORNIA. THANKS FOR BEING ON THE SHOW.
GIVEN WHAT WE READ YESTERDAY, WHAT ARE YOU MOST INTERESTED IN
HEARING TODAY? >> I WANT TO SEE SOME OF THIS
TESTIMONY IN CONTEXT, YOU KNOW. MISSING FROM JAMES COMEY'S
TESTIMONY YESTERDAY WAS WHEN SALLY YATES TOLD DON McCANN THAT
MICHAEL FLYNN COULD POTENTIALLY BE COMPROMISED.
THAT CAME JUST BEFORE JAMES COMEY MET WITH THE PRESIDENT AND
THE PRESIDENT ASKED JAMES COMEY TO MAKE THE MICHAEL FLYNN CASE
GO AWAY. ONCE THE PRESIDENT STARTS ASKING
DIRECTOR COMEY TO HAVE CASES GO AWAY AND MAKE THE RUSSIA CLOUDS
BE LIFTED. WHAT WERE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT
JAMES COMEY WERE HAVING WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE? WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IS THAT HE
WASN'T DOING WHAT THE PRESIDENT WANTED HIM TO DO AND THAT WAS
WHY HE WAS FIRED. >> GOOD SEGUE TO DAVID IGNATIUS,
WHO HAS SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU >> SO MUCH OF THIS SWIRLS AROUND
THE FIRING OF GENERAL FLYNN AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER.
YOUR COMMITTEE HAS SUBPOENAED GENERAL FLYNN AND RECORDS OF HIS
COMPANY BEFORE INAUGURATION. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS
THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK GENERAL FLYNN IF HE APPEARS
BEFORE YOUR COMMITTEE? >> SURE.
I WOULD LIKE TO ESTABLISH THAT GENERAL FLYNN HAD KNOWLEDGE THAT
RUSSIA TODAY IS, IN FACT, AN ARM OF RUSSIA'S INTELLIGENCE
SERVICE. ALSO TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GENERAL
FLYNN WAS AWARE OF HOW RUSSIA RECRUITS INDIVIDUALS IN THE U.S.
TO BE WITTING AGENTS OR UNWITTING AGENTS ON BEHALF OF
RUSSIA. ALSO JUST TO TIGHTEN UP THE
TIMELINE AS TO WHEN GENERAL FLYNN WAS IN CONTACT WITH THE
RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR DURING THE CAMPAIGN AND THEN DURING THE
TRANSITION PERIOD. I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY
IMPORTANT AND ILLUMINATING. >> CONGRESSMAN IT'S WILLIE
GEIST. GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING.
>> YOU, TOO, WILLIE. >> YOU SAID AFTER YOU READ
THROUGH COMEY'S STATEMENT THAT THE PRESIDENT'S BEHAVIOR AND
CONDUCT WITH THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR WERE, QUOTE,
INAPPROPRIATE. I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE
WITH YOU ON THAT, EVEN CONSERVATIVES WHO DEFENDED
DONALD TRUMP. IS THERE AN UNDERLYING
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, SOMETHING BIGGER TO BE PURSUED
HERE OR WAS IT JUST INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR BY THE
PRESIDENT? >> WELL, WILLIE, I MISS BEING IN
THE COURTROOM AND WORKING AS A PROSECUTOR.
I GUESS I'LL LEAVE THAT QUESTION TO PROSECUTORS.
THEY'LL HAVE TO PROBE TO SEE IF THERE IS OTHER CORROBORATING
EVIDENCE. I THINK HEARING FROM ADMIRAL
ROGERS AND DIRECTOR COATS WOULD PROBABLY HELP TO BUILD THAT CASE
AND SO FAR THEY DON'T SEEM TO WANT TO SAY ANYTHING PUBLICLY.
FROM OUR PERSPECTIVETIVE ON THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, WE
WANT TO TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HOW WE WERE SO VULNERABLE TO BE
HACKED BY THE RUSSIANS, WHETHER ANY U.S. PERSONS WERE INVOLVED
AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
WE CERTAINLY HAVE A STORY TO TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND WE
WANT TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHY THE PRESIDENT WAS
OBSTRUCTIVE, BECAUSE HE WAS TRYING TO COVER UP BEHAVIOR BY
PEOPLE ON HIS TEAM. >> BUT AS A FORMER PROSECUTOR,
EVERYTHING YOU'VE READ, EVERYTHING YOU'VE UNDERSTOOD,
EVERYTHING YOU'VE HEARD ON CAPITOL HILL AND THE STATEMENT
YOU READ YESTERDAY, DO YOU SEE A CRIME HERE OR DO YOU JUST SEE
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR FROM THE PRESIDENT?
>> AGAIN, I'LL LEAVE THAT TO PROSECUTORS.
WILLIE, A SINGLE WITNESS CAN PROVE ANY ELEMENT OF A CRIME.
THE DIRECTOR POINTED OUT IN HIS TESTIMONY THAT HE FELT THAT
BECAUSE HE WAS THE ONLY WITNESS, HE COULDN'T GO ANY FURTHER.
ACTUALLY, YOU ONLY NEED ONE WITNESS IF A JURY WERE TO FIND
THEM CREDIBLE. ALSO, THERE IS PROBABLY OTHER
CORROBORATING EVIDENCE TO PURSUE AND TO DEVELOP AND TEST IN THIS
CASE. AND THEN, FINALLY, A PROSECUTOR
WOULD LOOK AT INTENT AND CERTAINLY THERE ARE QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT ON TWO OCCASIONS TRYING TO MEET
PRIVATELY WITH THE FBI DIRECTOR AND ASKING PEOPLE TO LEAVE THE
ROOM. THAT SHOWS STRONG INTENT.
>> YEAH. >> CONGRESSMAN, THIS IS JUST
ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE EVENTS, SOMETIMES ON ONE DAY AS OPPOSED
TO ANOTHER, AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A LEVEL OF EXHAUSTION ABOUT
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BOTH WITHIN THE CONGRESS, WITHIN THE
MEDIA AND CERTAINLY OUT IN THE COUNTRY.
SO, MY SIMPLE QUESTION TO YOU IS, DO YOU THINK DONALD TRUMP IS
FIT TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?
>> NO. AND I THINK THE COST OFF THIS
CHAOS, THE COST OF HIS ALLEGED TIES TO RUSSIA, THE COST OF HIS
DISRUPTING HONEST INVESTIGATIONS HAS BEEN -- IT HAS PARALYZED
THIS TOWN. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO DO THE WORK
ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO HELP PUT FOOD ON THEIR TABLE,
A ROOF OVER THEIR HEAD AND GIVE

Rep. Eric Swalwell On James Comey's Hearing, Why Trump Is Not Fit For Office | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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