CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Mike Quigley"

Interview

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SCIUTTO: We continue to follow the breaking news, members of the House Intelligence Committee have been told to be prepared potentially to return to Washington during the upcoming two-week recess, this as Democrats try to wrap up an impeachment inquiry by this fall.

[10:20:08]

Let's discuss with a member that committee, Congressman Mike Quigley. Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Good morning. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: So, first of, can you confirm that members of your committee will be coming back early in effect to begin impeachment proceedings?

QUIGLEY: I'm about 20 feet from the House floor. When we're done, my colleagues and I are going to vote, head to the airport and go home for a two-week district work period. But I am almost certain that we'll be back at least once as members of the Intelligence Committee to go forward with this investigation and listen to witness testimony.

SCIUTTO: As you know, the speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has been discussing about the need for speed, in effect, in this inquiry with the intention of wrapping it up by Thanksgiving, just two months from now. Is it realistic for our viewers to imagine that there would be a vote on the House floor on impeachment before Thanksgiving?

QUIGLEY: It's going to be a tough challenge, but I do think this is different than the challenges the Special Counsel had.

First of all, I see a crack there we didn't see before, and, clearly, because of the whistleblowers process, we have access, as we have witnessed this week, to things the Special Counsel doesn't have, right? We have people from within the administration and we're hearing within the White House coming forward with information that could and probably should lead to articles of impeachment.

SCIUTTO: Will you call members of the Trump administration to testify in this inquiry before your committee, including Bill Barr, the attorney general, Rudy Giuliani, other White House officials?

QUIGLEY: Look, I saw Rudy this morning talking about he's going to be the hero of this. I obviously have several questions for him starting with what color is the sky in your world, but do you have security clearance? The head of our Intelligence Community, on my questioning yesterday, said he didn't know, and the head of our Intelligence Community didn't know what role he's playing.

And last night, Rudy referenced that Mr. Pompeo may have issues with what he is doing. And given his personality, Rudy may be the best source of information because he doesn't know what he shouldn't say. But I do think the attorney general is part of that list as well.

SCIUTTO: You would call the attorney general to testify before the committee?

QUIGLEY: I would. I think, first, let's remember, he applied for this job by arguing against the Special Counsel's work. He has acted not as an independent attorney general but as a Special Counsel for the president of the United States during the Mueller investigation and certainly now.

He wrote -- the Justice Department wrote an extraordinary opinion balanced against the weight of law of blocking this complaint coming before the House in the first place.

SCIUTTO: If the White House expresses executive privilege and attempts to prevent testimony from, say, the attorney general or the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, will the committee exercise its powers, declare those witnesses in contempt and even enforce a subpoena perhaps by sending the sergeant-at-arms?

QUIGLEY: I think that these are all decisions that leadership and the chairman are going to have to make with all of us in the committee. But I do think stressing the point there's urgency here that the president can't hide behind privilege particularly when there's law breaking taking place. So I believe the committee will take whatever actions are necessary. At least that will be my vote.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Mike Quigley, we appreciate you coming on. We know this is a continuing conversation. We look forward to the next one.

QUIGLEY: Thank you. Take care.

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