ELLISON, THANK YOU, ARTHEL.

ARTHEL: ERIC, IMPEACHMENT

INQUIRY MARKS BIG GAMBLE AS THEY

HEAD TO 2020 ELECTION, SPEAKER

PELOSI SAYS SHE'S NOT CONCERNED

IF THE PARTY LOSES MAJORITY IN

THE HOUSE OVER IT.

>> NEXT ELECTION CYCLE, DO YOU

HAVE ANY ANXIETY AT ALL OF ANY

OF THE TOUGH THAT WE ARE TALKING

ABOUT OR ANYTHING THAT WE ARE

NOT TALKING ABOUT IMPACTING YOUR

ABILITY TO HOLD CONTROL OF THE

HOUSE IN 2020?

>> DOESN'T MATTER.

>> IT DOESN'T MATTER?

>> OUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY SO

TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE

CONSTITUTION.

>> JOINING US IS NOW CALIFORNIA

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN, MEMBER

OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND

REFORM COMMITTEE, CONGRESSMAN,

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

ARE YOU 100% SURE THAT

IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY IS THE WAY

TO GO AND NOW IS THE TIME TO DO

IT?

>> I AM, I CAME OUT FOR AN

IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY 2 OR 3

MONTHS AGO, I SAW FIRSTHAND ON

THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE THIS

PRESIDENT AND THIS

ADMINISTRATION STONE-WALLING

EVERY CONSTITUTIONAL ATTEMPT TO

PRODUCE DOCUMENTS AND WITNESSES

TO DO APPROPRIATE INVESTIGATIONS

TO THE POINT WHERE KELLYANNE

CONWAY SAID AT ONE POINT TO THE

EFFECT THAT LET ME KNOW WHEN

THEY COME TO TAKE ME AWAY IN

HANDCUFFS, THAT'S NOT HOW

AMERICANS WORK.

ARTHEL: WHEN CRITICS SAY

DEMOCRATS ALL OVER THE PLACE,

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR ANY REASON,

WHAT DO YOU TELL THEM, WHAT IS

THE PARTY'S CONCISE REASON FOR

IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY?

>> WELL, WE HAVE SEEN IN THE

LAST WEEK SHOULD SHOCK EVERY

AMERICAN WHERE A PRESIDENT OF

THE UNITED STATES IS USING THE

POWER OF THE OFFICE TO INFLUENCE

A FOREIGN LEADER TO DIG UP DIRT

ON A POLITICAL OPPONENT TO

ENHANCE HIS REELECTION

OPPORTUNITIES AND ALSO DOING

THIS AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR

CONTINUED SUPPORT OF UKRAINE AND

ITS EFFORTS TO FIGHT RUSSIA,

THIS IS BEYOND THE PAIL AND I

BELIEVE THAT EVERY AMERICAN

READS THAT TRANSCRIPT, THE

MEMORANDUM OF THE PHONE

CONVERSATION COUPLED WITH THE

WHISTLEBLOWER'S REPORT, YOU CAN

COME TO KNOW OTHER CONCLUSION IF

YOU HAVE AN IODA OF GREAT

MATTERING BETWEEN YOUR EARS.

>> IS THE PURPOSE TO GAIN

SUBPOENA POWER, SECURE

DEPOSITIONS, GET THE COMPLETE

UNREDACTED TRANSCRIPT OF THE

JULY 25TH PHONE CALL BETWEEN

PRESIDENT ZELENSKI AND TRUMP

THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED AND

BREAKING NEWS THIS MORNING ADAM

SCHIFF SAID THEY WILL INTERVIEW

THE ACTUAL WHISTLEBLOWER, IS

THAT THE PURPOSE OR ISISM --

IMPEACHMENT THE ULTIMATE GOAL?

>> THE PURPOSE TO GET DOCUMENTS

AND INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE

THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE

TO SEE, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN MORE

AND MORE NEWS REPORTS, THE

SERVER FROM THE SITUATION ROOM

WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO HOUSE

INFORMATION REGARDING THE

MEMORANDUMS ON THE PHONE CALLS,

MANY OF THEM WERE BEING

TRANSFERRED OVER TO A

HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED SERVER AS

WELL.

ARTHEL: YOU KNOW THE PRESIDENT

-- YOU KNOW THE PRESIDENT SAYS

HE DID THAT BECAUSE THERE WERE

TOO MANY LEAKERS IN THE WHITE

HOUSE, HE FELT THE NEED TO

SECURE ALL OF THESE

CONVERSATIONS WITH FOREIGN

LEADERS?

>> WELL, WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO

IS ALSO CALLING THIS

WHISTLEBLOWER WHO DID EVERYTHING

BY THE BOOK A POTENTIAL SPY AND

WE ALSO SAW WHAT HE SUGGESTED

SHOULD HAPPEN TO SPIES, A

COMPLETELY UNETHICAL AND IMMORAL

FOR OUR PRESIDENT TO DO THIS.

ARTHEL: WHERE COULD YOU GO WRONG

IF INVESTIGATIONS BECOME TOO

BROAD, DOES THIS PLAY INTO THE

PRESIDENT'S CLAIM THAT THIS IS A

WITCH HUNT, DO DEMOCRATIC

LAWMAKERS HAVE DISCIPLINE TO

CONTROL SCOPE OF IMPEACHMENT

INQUIRY?

>> BASED ON THE CONVERSATIONS

THAT WE ARE HAVING WITH

LEADERSHIP I'M VERY CONFIDENT

THAT SPEAKER PELOSI AND THE

COMMITTEE CHAIRS ARE GOING STAY

FOCUSED ON WHAT TRANSPIRED WITH

THE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT AS WELL

THE COVER-UP F OTHER ITEMS COME

IN THEY WILL TAKE A SECONDARY

STANCE TO, I THINK, AGAIN

UKRAINIAN SITUATION.

>> I'M SURE YOU'RE WELL AWARE

THAT THE NATION IS PRACTICALLY

SPLIT ON THE IDEA OF IMPEACHING

PRESIDENT TRUMP, 49% APPROVE,

46% DISAPPROVE WHICH IS

ACCORDING TO NPR/PBS POLL, IF

YOU THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD

HARM REELECTION CHANCES, SHOULD

YOU CONSIDER THE CHANCES OF THE

EXACT OPPOSITE EFFECT?

>> WELL, TWO THINGS ON THAT,

FIRST, TO ME THIS ISN'T A

POLITICAL QUESTION, I TOOK AN

OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE

UNITED STATES AS DID THE

PRESIDENT.

AND WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO

HONOR THAT OATH ON BEHALF OF ALL

AMERICANS, AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE

AN OBLIGATION TO DO THEISM

PEACHMENT INQUIRY FOR THAT

REASON ALONE, SECOND, IF YOU GO

BACK IN HISTORY AND WHEN YOU

LOOK AT WHEN IMPEACHMENT

PROCEEDINGS STARTED AGAINST

NIXON, HE HAD APPROVAL RATING

NORTH OF 50% AND LESS THAN

ONE-THIRD OF AMERICANS SUPPORTED

IMPEACHMENT BUT AS THE EVIDENCE

CAME OUT, AS THE FACTS CAME OUT,

IT WAS CLEAR THAT WE HAD A

PRESIDENT WHO VIOLATED HIS OATH

TO THE CONSTITUTION AND I

BELIEVE AS WE DO THIS

INVESTIGATION AMERICANS WILL SEE

EXACTLY WHAT THIS PRESIDENT HAS

BEEN UP TO AND WILL HOLD HIM

ACCOUNTABLE FOR VIOLATING HIS

OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION.

ARTHEL: THE PRESIDENT AND HIS

SUPPORTERS WILL BLAME DEMOCRATS

FOR CREATING CIRCUS AND FURTHER

DIVIDING A DIVIDED COUNTRY, WHAT

DO YOU SAY TO THAT?

>> FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TO LOOK

AT WHAT IS BEING DONE IN

CONGRESS, CONGRESS TO DATE HAS

PASSED 300 BILLS, VAST MAJORITY

BIPARTISAN, YET ONLY 15% HAVE

BEEN PASSED BY THE SENATE, WHEN

WE TALK ABOUT WHAT IS PREVENTING

THE WORK OF CONGRESS IMPACKING

OUR COUNTRY AND OUR COMMUNITIES,

IT CLEARLY SITS AT THE FEET OF

MITCH MCCONNELL, TO PUT THIS IN

PERSPECTIVE -- ARTHEL: HOW SO,

SIR?

>> I'M SORRY?

>> IT CLEARLY SITS TAT FEET OF

MITCH MCCONNELL, HOW SO?

>> THE FACT THAT HE HAS ONLY

BROUGHT BILLS TO THE FLOOR OF

THE SENATE SUCH THAT ONLY 15% OF

THE BILL THAT IS HAVE PASSED THE

HOUSE HAVE PASSED THE SENATE YET

THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE BILLS

PASSED IN THE HOUSE HAVE BEEN

BIPARTISAN.

LET'S TALK ABOUT BACKGROUND

CHECKS, 90 PLUS PERCENT OF

AMERICANS WANT BACKGROUND

CHECKS, WHY HAS MITCH MCCONNELL

PUT THAT ON THE FLOOR?

>> OKAY, I'M RUNNING OUT OF

TIME, YOU POINT OUT THINGS THAT

REALLY ARE CONCERNING TO THE

AMERICAN PUBLIC, WITH THIS

IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY CONSUMING

ALL THE OXYGEN THERE IN DC AND

IN THE COUNTRY, I MEAN, CAN WORK

REALLY GET DONE IN THE MIDST OF

ALL OF THIS?

>> WELL, THAT'S MY POINT, IT CAN

BE DONE, AND IT IS BEING DONE,

AND WE CAN DO MULTIPLE THINGS

INCLUDING THE INVESTIGATION OF

VIOLATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED

STATES AS WELL AS PAST

LEGISLATION AFFECTING OUR

COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY BUT WE

NEED A PARTNER IN THE SENATE AND

THAT MEANS MITCH MCCONNELL NEEDS

TO PUT ON THE FLOOR OF THE

SENATE LEGISLATION THAT HAS

PASSED THE HOUSE IN A BIPARTISAN

FASHION.

ARTHEL: AND YOU WOULD BE

COUNTING ON MITCH MCCONNELL'S

MAJORITY LEADER -- MAJORITY

MITCH MCCONNELL TO CALL A TRIAL

TO SANCTION YOUR IMPEACHMENT IF