CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript "Interview with Sen. Mazie Hirono"

Interview

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Joining me now is Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, who's a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Hirono, what's your reaction to the testimony from Bill Taylor? He gave an opening statement we obtained and he says that he was told that President Trump wanted a public commitment from the president of Ukraine, that Ukraine would conduct these investigations into matters that the president wanted investigated, that would help him politically such as into the Bidens, et cetera, in exchange -- directly in exchange for military aid for Ukraine. What's your reaction?

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D-HI): Apparently, Mr. Taylor took really accurate and extensive notes. And his testimony from what I've read as to the context -- content of his testimony is that he corroborated and provided context what the president when he said to the Ukrainian president, I like a favor though.

TAPPER: One of your Democratic colleagues today called Taylor's testimony, a quote, sea change. Do you think that's true when it comes to Republicans?

HIRONO: I'm hold -- I'm not exactly holding my breath because they're still busy trying to defend the president -- the president's actions. And, you know, so I do think, though, this testimony is further corroboration that the president asked a foreign government to get dirt on a political opponent for his political and personal gain.

TAPPER: Congressman Gerry Connolly, a Democrat of Virginia, said it's more urgent now that Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton testifies.

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But the White House has made it clear that they're not cooperating with the investigation. The people who have testified have done so because they were subpoenaed.

One of your colleagues, Congressman John Garamendi of Maryland, I believe, suggested that if witnesses won't cooperate, the sergeant of arms may need to take them off and haul them to the Capitol jail. Is that -- is that a serious option the Democrats are talking about?

HIRONO: I don't know if that's a serious option but the fact is that the White House and the president is stonewalling every effort on the part of the House to subpoena or to have witnesses testify. So that's stonewalling, that's what we should be focusing on, and I think that the House would consider adding that kind of behavior to their articles of impeachment.

TAPPER: I want to ask you also about the news that CNN broke at the top of 3:00 Eastern that the anonymous senior administration official from the Trump administration who wrote that "New York Times" op-ed in September of 2018, that individual is now writing a book. It's called "A Warning" and it basically is still anonymous. But it makes a case against re-electing President Trump.

How do you feel about senior administration officials or former senior administration officials do this kind of thing anonymously?

HIRONO: Well, I wish that they didn't feel as though they have to do these things anonymously, but regardless they are privy to how this president behaves and the kind of priorities that he puts forth. And so, it is what it is. And they think that the best way for them to get the points across is anonymously. And at some point, I hope that they'll come forward.

There's no question that the president continues engage in all kinds of behavior that we can totally disagree with from a policy standpoint. And then, of course, I mean, that includes his Muslim ban, that includes his precarious decision to remove our troops from northern Syria, the issue of the potential resurgence of ISIS as a result of that action. That's on the one hand.

There are a whole bunch of policy reasons why this president should not get reelected and then there's the constitutionally mandated impeachment process which is what the House is engaged in.

And, by the way, can I say when I heard the president use the word "lynching" with regard to what he's going through, you know, to liken a constitutional inquiry process to mass murder of blacks -- by murder of blacks by mass mobs in our country is just -- I was so appalled that I hardly had any words to say.

For those who are coming forward to defend the president's use of that word, I just want to say to them, do you not know anything about the history of our country and the racism in our country? These are -- I'm just appalled.

TAPPER: The only person I've heard defending the president's use of the term is your colleague Senator Lindsey Graham. So what would you say --

HIRONO: Well, maybe everybody else will just not go there. That would be good.

TAPPER: But what would you say to him if he were in front of you right now because he has used -- he said it is a lynching and -- he said, quote, it is a lynching in every sense of the word, unquote.

HIRONO: I would hardly have the words to say to Lindsey, you know, how -- because he has turned 360 on first criticizing the president when he was running for president himself and then turning around and being one of the prime defenders of the president. So, you know, Lindsey is -- he's going to say what he's going to say. I totally disagree with him. And I am just so saddened and appalled by Lindsey's continuing defense of the president.

TAPPER: All right. Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii -- aloha and thank you so much.

HIRONO: Aloha. TAPPER: Support for impeaching President Trump and removing him from office hits a number that could rattle his White House. The new CNN poll numbers, next.

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