CHARLES: STANDOFF OVER THE

SENATE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

EXTENDING INTO THE NEW YEAR.

WE'RE STILL WAITING TO SEE WHEN

SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI WILL SEND

TWO ARTICLES TO THE UPPER

CHAMBER.

SOME REPUBLICANS ARGUE THE

SPEAKER IS IN CONTEMPT

CONFERENCE.

THAT IMPEACHMENT ISN'T VALID

UNTIL SHE TRANSFERS THE CHARGES.

CONGRESSMAN ANDY BIGGS ON HOUSE

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND CO-CHAIR

OF THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, SIR.

CONGRESSMAN BIGGS, WHERE DO

THINGS STAND AT VERY MOMENT?

>> WHERE WE ARE WHERE WE WERE A

WEEK 1/2 AGO.

NANCY PELOSI IS BASICALLY

HOLDING ON TO THE ARTICLES.

SHE IS NOT TRANSMITTING, SHE IS

SOFTLY BACKING AWAY FROM HER

ORIGINAL REASON WHY, SHE WANTED

LEVERAGE, WANTED TO CONTROL THE

U.S. SENATE TRIAL WHICH SHE

CANNOT DO.

SO, QUESTION IS, AND YOU HAVE

ASKED IT, FRAMED IT RIGHT, IS

SHE GOING TO TRANSMIT?

IF SO, WHEN WILL SHE TRANSMIT?

WHAT IMPACT WILL THAT HAVE?

UNLIKE ANY OTHER TIME IN THE

HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY.

WHERE YOU HAVE THE SPEAKER OF

THE HOUSE TRYING TO CONTROL THE

SENATE DOING ITS CONSTITUTIONAL

DUTY.

CHARLES: BEYOND THE HUBRIS OF

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE TRYING TO

DICTATE HOW THINGS GO IN THE

SENATE, IT FEELS LIKE THE

DEMOCRATS, PARTICULARLY

NANCY PELOSI, GRAPPLING AS THIS

THING LINGERS ON.

HASN'T SERVED THEM WELL WITH

RESPECT TO PUBLIC OPINION POLLS,

FUND-RAISING THINGS LIKE THAT.

I FEEL THEY ENTER INTO AN AREA

AND THEY'RE NOT SURE HOW TO GET

THEMSELVES OUT OF IT?

>> I AGREE WITH YOU.

THEY KEPT, AS GOING THROUGH

THIS.

NANCY PELOSI SAID THEY WERE

TRYING TO IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT

FOR 2 1/2 YEARS.

EVERY TIME THEY THOUGHT

SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN, WHETHER

THE MUELLER REPORT, THE MUELLER

DEBACLE ON TV, WHETHER IT WAS

THE ACTUAL OPEN HEARINGS AFTER

THEY HAD CLOSED-DOOR HEARINGS,

YOU GET TO THIS POINT AND

NANCY PELOSI SAYS, OKAY, NEXT

STEP IS TO TRY TO CONTROL IT IN

THE SENATE.

IT HAS NOT PLAYED OUT EVER LIKE

THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD.

IN FACT IT CONTINUES TO WORSEN

FOR THEM, AND IMPROVE FOR

PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PUBLIC

SENTIMENT TOWARDS PRESIDENT

TRUMP.

I THINK WE ALL LOOK AT IT, SAY,

THIS IS AN ABERRATION.

THIS IS ABNORMAL.

THIS IS NOT THE WAY THIS SHOULD

BE DONE.

AND I THINK DECIDING YOU WILL

HOLD THE ARTICLES AND NOT

TRANSMIT IS JUST ONE MORE

EXAMPLE OF A MISSTEP POLITICALLY

BUT ALSO A TROUNCING OF

CONSTITUTION WE INHERENTLY AS

AMERICANS UNDERSTAND, THAT IS

NOT THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO

BE.

CHARLES: MEANTIME FORMER

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN GOT

HIMSELF INTO A REAL PICKLE

SUGGESTING THAT HE WOULD NOT

EVEN TESTIFY IF HE WAS

SUBPOENAED.

I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU, THE

SOUND OF THAT, ALONG WITH THE

AUDIENCE.

TAKE A LISTEN.

>> YOU STAND BY YOUR EARLIER

STATEMENTS THAT YOU WOULDN'T

COMPLY IF YOU WERE SUBPOENAED TO

TESTIFY IN AN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

BEFORE THE SENATE?

>> CORRECT.

THE REASON I WOULDN'T IS BECAUSE

IT IS ALL DESIGNED TO DEAL WITH

TRUMP DOING WHAT HE HAS DONE HIS

WHOLE LIFE, TRYING TO TAKE THE

FOCUS OFF HIM.

CHARLES: BIDEN DID TWEET

YESTERDAY, I WANT TO CLARIFY

SOMETHING I SAID YESTERDAY.

IN MY 40 YEARS OF PUBLIC LIFE I

ALWAYS COMPLIED WITH A LAWFUL

ORDER.

IN MY EIGHT YEARS AS VP MY

OFFICE UNLIKE DONALD TRUMP

COOPERATED WITH LEGITIMATE

CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT

REQUESTS.

HE SPOKE WITH CANDOR TO THE

"DES MOINES REGISTER" BUT, YOU

KNOW, TRYING TO CLEAN THIS THING

UP, IT IS INTERESTING, THAT THE

SENATE IS BEING ACCUSED OF

THINGS THAT BEFORE THE

IMPEACHMENT TRIAL EVEN HAPPENS.

HERE JOE BIDEN IS SAYING HEY, I

WILL NOT EVEN COOPERATE?

>> YEAH.

I MEAN, IT IS INTERESTING HE HAD

TO CLEAN IT UP, WE GOTTEN USED

TO JOE BIDEN HAVING TO CLEAN UP

STUFF BUT REALITY I THINK WHEN

HE WAS SPEAKING FIRST TIME IS

EXACTLY WHERE HE STANDS.

THEY BELIEVE THAT, DEMOCRATS

BELIEVE AND THE LEFT BELIEVES

THAT WHATEVER THE SENATE DOES IS

NOT GOING TO BE LEGITIMATE.

THAT IS PART OF THE PROBLEM.

SO JOE BIDEN IS SAYING I'M NOT

GOING TO GO BUT REALITY IS, THE

QUESTION OVER EXECUTIVE

PRIVILEGE IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT

MATTER THAN WHAT HE IS SAYING.

HE IS TRYING TO CONFLATE ACTUAL

SUBPOENA GIVEN TO HIM BY THE

SENATE WHICH THE SENATE WAS

INVOKING, EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE,

THE HOUSE HAD THE RIGHT TO GO TO

COURT TO EXAMINE THE PROCESS.

THEY CHOSE NOT TO BECAUSE THEY

WANTED IN A HURRY.

WE'RE IN TOO BIG AFTER HURRY TO

DO THIS.

THEY SEE THEY'RE NOT THAT BIG

AFTER HURRY AFTER ALL.

JOE BIDEN I THINK WOULD SHOW UP

BECAUSE IT'S A DIFFERENT ANNAL

THAN EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE.

HE WOULD BE SUBJECT TO CONTEMPT.

CHARLES: NANCY PELOSI SEEMS TO

BE IN A QUAGMIRE, MANY ARE

QUESTIONING WHAT REPUBLICANS ARE

GOING TO DO.

EARLIER THIS WEEK KIM STRASSEL

OF "WALL STREET JOURNAL" WROTE

AN ARTICLE, REPUBLICANS

DISMISSING HER TACTICS WHY ARE

REPUBLICANS ASSUMING SHE WANTS A

TRIAL?

IT WOULD, HOW WOULD IT BENEFIT

FOR DEMOCRATS TO CONDUCT A

EFFICIENT SOLEMN PROCEEDINGS.

THE HOUSE WAS FARCE SHIFTING

DEFINITIONS OF HIGH CRIMES.

WHAT IS, WHAT ARE THE

REPUBLICANS GOING TO DO?

ARE YOU JUST GOING TO SIT BACK

LET NANCY PELOSI DICTATE HOW

THIS THING GOES?

OR IS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR

GAMEPLAN TO TAKE MORE ACTIONS?

>> ON THE SENATE SIDE I DON'T

THINK NANCY PELOSI HAS ANY

LEVERAGE WHATSOEVER AND I THINK

THAT IS PART OF THE PLAY OUT

THAT KIM IS TALKING ABOUT THERE,

BECAUSE WHAT YOU SEE IS,

MITCH McCONNELL IS STEPPED IN

AND SAID WE'RE GOING TO DO IT

THE WAY THE SENATE IS GOING TO

DO IT.

WE'LL TRY TO DO IT THE WAY THE

CLINTON IMPEACHMENT TRIAL WENT,

AND THAT IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO

DO.

I THINK McCONNELL HAS ALL THE

CARDS IN THE SENATE RIGHT NOW.

WHAT NANCY PELOSI IS GOING TO DO

IS CONTINUE TO OBSTRUCT AND RUN

OVER THE CONSTITUTION.

THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO.

BUT, REMEMBER, WE'RE IN THE

MINORITY.

UNTIL THE REPUBLICANS GET THE

HOUSE BACK ALL WE CAN DO IS

INTRODUCE RESOLUTIONS OF

CONDEMNATIONS, THOSE TYPE OF

THINGS.

CHARLES: LET ME ASK THIS.

SOME ARE SAYING THIS IS THE

BATTLE FOR PUBLIC OPINION.

MITCH McCONNELL SAYING EARLIER

IN THE MONTH THAT THERE IS NO

CHANCE THE PRESIDENT WILL BE

REMOVED.

SENATOR MURKOWSKI SUGGESTING A

COUPLE DAYS AGO SHE IS

UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SOME OF THE

THINGS McCONNELL IS SAYING

WITH RESPECT TO REPUBLICANS IN

THE SENATE COORDINATING WITH THE

WHITE HOUSE.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE MAYBE YOU ARE

LOSING OR COULD POTENTIALLY LOSE

THE PUBLIC RELATIONS ASPECT OF

THIS, EVEN THOUGH MANY CONSIDER

THE WHOLE THING A FARCE AT THIS

POINT?

>> THE WAY PUBLIC OPINION GOES

SO FAR, IF YOU HOLD SOMETHING

THAT IS NOT FAIR, EGG GREEN YOU

TELL LIES TO THE PUBLIC YOU WILL

LOSE PUBLIC OPINION.

AS LONG AS MITCH McCONNELL

WILLING TO HAVE CLINTONESQUE

TYPE OF PROCEDURE, PROBLEM FOR

DEMOCRATS, IF HE HOLDS A TRUE,

SOLEMN, REAL HEARING, LETTING

DEMOCRATS FROM THE HOUSE COME

OVER TO TRY TO MAKE THEIR CASE,

IT WILL ACTUALLY SHOW THE

DICHOTOMY BETWEEN THIS RUSH TO

JUDGMENT, THIS HORRIBLE EFFORT

IN THE HOUSE.

CHARLES: CONGRESSMAN ANDY BIGGS,

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN.