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Ep 87: Guest US Rep. Ted Lieu says "Donald Trump has obstructed justice" - Excerpt (27 Apr 18)
Progressive hero US Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) talks to us about Donald Trump's unhinged Fox & Friends interview, Trump-lawyer Michael Cohen taking the 5th, Paul Ryan firing the House chaplain for sticking up for poor people, Donald Trump's "cabinet of corruption" (including Scott Pruitt and Mick Mulvaney), whether Donald Trump should be impeached and whether he's a traitor, about the House GOP's ridiculous "Diamond & Silk" hearing, and about how it is that Lieu has become so good at using social media.
This is a 4-minute snippet of the 45-minute episode. Premium patrons can listen to the entire episode, and support our podcast, here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/18442683
Some highlights:
ON MICHAEL COHEN TAKING THE 5TH
"I think this makes Michael Cohen look very guilty. I actually do agree with Donald Trump at some level when Donald Trump previously had said, essentially you don’t take the Fifth Amendment if you’re not guilty."
ON IMPEACHING DONALD TRUMP
"The impeachment power is similar to the power to declare war, it’s two of the gravest and most serious responsibilities Congress has. It should never be our first option, it should always be our last. And I think it’s something we should do only if there are facts in evidence that absolutely warrant it. So i think we have to see what the special counsel investigation reveals. It’s gotta be something the American people are able to buy into as well."
ON WHETHER TRUMP IS A TRAITOR
"That would depend on what the special counsel investigation reveals. It is pretty clear to me that Donald Trump has obstructed justice. He fired James Comey, and then he did the one thing that his attorneys would have told him never to do, which is to go on national TV and admit that he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation. That's textbook obstruction. If you look up the obstruction statute — I’m also a former prosecutor — it’s very broad. All it requires is that you endeavor to influence a federal investigation with corrupt intent. He did exactly that by firing James Comey because of the Russia investigation."
ON WHETHER TRUMP HAS THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY AT HEART
"You know it’s hard to know. I do know that he definitely has himself and his family’s interest first. So, every time he goes to Mar-a-Lago or one of his Trump-brand properties, he’s making money for himself or his family because his entire staff goes with him, security staff, press staff. And they’re paying lodging with your taxpayer dollars, buying meals with your taxpayer dollars, and it’s going to the Trump organization."
ABOUT THAT "DIAMOND & SILK" HEARING
"It was a ridiculous and stupid hearing. The whole premise of the hearing was to regulate content on the Internet. So, 1) That’s unconstitutional. But, 2) I don’t even know how you’d write a bill to do that. The federal government is going to go tell Facebook how to write algorithms? No. But it was a great opportunity for Diamond and Silk to get lots of air time and do their thing."
ON HOW HE USES TWITTER SO EFFECTIVELY
"Humor and satire can reveal truth in a way that other forms sometimes cannot."
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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By John Aravosis & Cliff Schecter
4.3
358358 ratings
Progressive hero US Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) talks to us about Donald Trump's unhinged Fox & Friends interview, Trump-lawyer Michael Cohen taking the 5th, Paul Ryan firing the House chaplain for sticking up for poor people, Donald Trump's "cabinet of corruption" (including Scott Pruitt and Mick Mulvaney), whether Donald Trump should be impeached and whether he's a traitor, about the House GOP's ridiculous "Diamond & Silk" hearing, and about how it is that Lieu has become so good at using social media.
This is a 4-minute snippet of the 45-minute episode. Premium patrons can listen to the entire episode, and support our podcast, here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/18442683
Some highlights:
ON MICHAEL COHEN TAKING THE 5TH
"I think this makes Michael Cohen look very guilty. I actually do agree with Donald Trump at some level when Donald Trump previously had said, essentially you don’t take the Fifth Amendment if you’re not guilty."
ON IMPEACHING DONALD TRUMP
"The impeachment power is similar to the power to declare war, it’s two of the gravest and most serious responsibilities Congress has. It should never be our first option, it should always be our last. And I think it’s something we should do only if there are facts in evidence that absolutely warrant it. So i think we have to see what the special counsel investigation reveals. It’s gotta be something the American people are able to buy into as well."
ON WHETHER TRUMP IS A TRAITOR
"That would depend on what the special counsel investigation reveals. It is pretty clear to me that Donald Trump has obstructed justice. He fired James Comey, and then he did the one thing that his attorneys would have told him never to do, which is to go on national TV and admit that he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation. That's textbook obstruction. If you look up the obstruction statute — I’m also a former prosecutor — it’s very broad. All it requires is that you endeavor to influence a federal investigation with corrupt intent. He did exactly that by firing James Comey because of the Russia investigation."
ON WHETHER TRUMP HAS THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY AT HEART
"You know it’s hard to know. I do know that he definitely has himself and his family’s interest first. So, every time he goes to Mar-a-Lago or one of his Trump-brand properties, he’s making money for himself or his family because his entire staff goes with him, security staff, press staff. And they’re paying lodging with your taxpayer dollars, buying meals with your taxpayer dollars, and it’s going to the Trump organization."
ABOUT THAT "DIAMOND & SILK" HEARING
"It was a ridiculous and stupid hearing. The whole premise of the hearing was to regulate content on the Internet. So, 1) That’s unconstitutional. But, 2) I don’t even know how you’d write a bill to do that. The federal government is going to go tell Facebook how to write algorithms? No. But it was a great opportunity for Diamond and Silk to get lots of air time and do their thing."
ON HOW HE USES TWITTER SO EFFECTIVELY
"Humor and satire can reveal truth in a way that other forms sometimes cannot."
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.