[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] ... UNTOLD STORIES OF AMERICAN SPIES with Mike Rogers. That's at 9:00 pm Eastern, Sunday nights, followed by new episode of THIS IS LIFE with Lisa Ling. That's at 10:00 pm Eastern Sunday night. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] OUTFRONT next breaking news, the White House just subpoenaed. Democrats say the President's actions have left them no choice, the impeachment probe escalates tonight. Plus, Mike Pence slamming a request for Ukraine documents from him. The Vice President's office says it doesn't appear to be serious. Really? And the other breaking news this hour, doctors are revealing moments ago Bernie Sanders did have a heart attack. Let's go out front. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, President Trump's White House subpoenaed. House Democrats issuing a subpoena to the White House moments ago. This is part of the impeachment inquiry. They say they are left with "no choice" after the White House refused to hand over documents related to Trump and Ukraine. This as Congress this hour has obtained new documents in the whistleblower complaint against President Trump. The Intelligence Community Inspector General deemed that whistleblower complaint both urgent and credible today. Spent nearly seven hours behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. Sources tells CNN that he gave documents showing how he work to corroborate the whistleblower complaint which, of course, alleges Trump tried to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden while he held up military aid to the country. Now, the story is moving very quickly at this hour. Of course, the big question now will Trump order his team to defy a subpoena? Because tonight the President himself is defiant saying that all of this had nothing to do with Joe Biden.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I don't care about Biden's campaign, but I do care about corruption. His campaign, that's up to him. Politics, that's up to them. I don't care about politics.
[Burnett:] Well, we know he does care about Biden a lot and goodness knows he cares about politics. I mean, first Biden, Trump mentioned him by name in his phone call with the Ukrainian president multiple times, specifically asking the Ukrainian president to investigate him even though there is nothing to show Joe Biden did anything wrong. In fact, President Trump's own former envoy to Ukraine told Congress in his newly released opening statement and I quote, we just got this today, it's important to hear, "I have known former Vice President Biden for 24 years, and the suggestion that he would be influenced in his duties as Vice President by money for his son simply has no credibility to me. I know him as a man of integrity and dedication to our country." Well, look, we know Trump cares about Joe Biden and one of the reasons we know is that he singles him out for insults all that time.
[Trump:] I'd rather run against, I think, Biden than anybody. I think he's the weakest mentally. Joe Biden has truly lost his lost his fast ball. Joe Biden is not playing with a full deck. I mean, you look at a guy like sleepy Joe Biden...
[Burnett:] He brings him up all of the time. He cares about Joe Biden and he cares about politics. I mean, nobody, nobody cares about polls, and who is up and who is down more than he, Trump loves polls.
[Trump:] I got great poll numbers. Our poll numbers are through the roof. Every poll that I see and every poll that we have, I'm winning by we're doing well.
[Burnett:] OK. Trump's polls explain his obsession with Joe Biden. The most recent head to head matchup was a Fox News poll, one the President would listen to, Joe Biden 52, Trump 38, ABC News; Biden, 55, Trump 40, Quinnipiac; Biden 54, Trump 38. Biden currently trouncing Trump in the polls Trump adores and that is why Trump care so deeply about taking Biden down. Kaitlan Collins is out front at the White House tonight. And Kaitlan, obviously, the subpoena very significant, any response from the White House? Obviously, the subpoena came just moments ago. Have you heard anything yet?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] No, they haven't gone back to us yet, Erin. We've reached out for comment and they haven't said anything. Of course, as you noted it just came out a short time ago, but we should note the White House was expecting this. Democrats signaled as much just a few days ago essentially saying that they were sending a warning shot to the White House that they weren't messing around in this impeachment inquiry that they've been pursuing. But people back here at the White House have a very different view of that. They essentially have been arguing that not only are they going to keep their distance and they've been pretty dismissive of these requests so far. But they say that's because Democrats didn't vote to hold this formal impeachment inquiry. Democrats just said they don't need to, to pursue this impeachment inquiry that they're moving forward with that Nancy Pelosi announced last week. But that is not the view here at the White House and that's why right now we've been in these discussions with the White House about this draft of this letter that they're expected to send early next week right now is the time we're hearing though that's still unclear. Basically, this letter that's going to dare the House Speaker to bring a vote to the House floor to have her caucus vote essentially, formally and officially doing this impeachment inquiry. The White House says they're not going to cooperate essentially until they get that. Right now they're still waiting on it.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan, and certainly a showdown in the offing. Out front now Democratic Congressman Denny Heck, Member of the House Intelligence Committee. He was inside today's meeting with the Intelligence Community Inspector General. And I want to ask you about that, Congressman, but first, I want to start with the breaking news, this subpoena. Obviously, there's a game of chicken and I don't mean to play light with it, but this is escalating and it's a standoff. I mean, what happens if Trump's White House defies you?
[Rep. Denny Heck:] So I think Chairman Schiff has made it abundantly clear that defiance of this act constitutes obstruction of a legitimate congressional inquiry in pursuit of impeachment. And as a consequence of that, we will assume or infer that he is not innocent of whatever it is that we're out to verify with the documentation. There is no other reason for him to withhold it, to hide it, unless, of course, he's guilty.
[Burnett:] So when does a vote happen? With this whole they're trying to say, oh, you have to do a vote before they do anything, what's your sense of when a vote would happen for actual articles of impeachment?
[Heck:] Oh, we have some more work to do. We have some other people that I think can add, frankly, materially to our understanding of what went on here. We have several of them scheduled for next week. As you know the former Ambassador to Ukraine is among them. We would hope that at some point we're able while taking into account appropriate security precautions, an opportunity to talk to the whistleblower himself or herself. So we have some more work here to do to understand completely in all three dimensions the actual story and narrative of what's going on here.
[Burnett:] And I want to ask you about what you're going to ask them in a moment, because there are some crucial testimonies coming up. But I want to ask you about today, when you met with the Intel Inspector General. Again, that's the person, Atkinson, who evaluated the whistleblower complaint, deeming it credible and urgent, gave you documents today, I understand, laid out his thinking and what he knew and when he knew it. What did you learn new?
[Heck:] So first of all, I want to say that my reaction to Inspector General Atkinson was much the same it was the first time. The man is incredibly thorough, approaches his job with professionalism and integrity. And in fact, the very fact that we are able to, at this point in time, be able to evaluate the whistleblower complaint is because he had the courage to come forward with it. So look as a matter of fact, since the Inspector General issued his report and with the issuance of the call report, they have verified everything that the complaint put forth. So we now know, in the President's own words, that he actively solicited in violation and clear violation of federal law, the assistance of a foreign national government in support of this campaign in 2020.
[Burnett:] So we also saw the text messages that Volker provided to Congress in his testimony this week. Volker, of course, Trump's envoy to Ukraine, former, he has now resigned. Perhaps the most damning message that we all heard though or saw came from the top diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor. Bill Taylor in this text which came out in the Volker testimony says, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with the political campaign. OK. This is the top American diplomat in Ukraine, a stunning text and I think it's important, Congressman, to make sure our viewers know that was sent before anyone. Anyone in America knew there was a whistleblower or any issue with Ukraine. No one knew there was a story. That's what people who were involved thought this was. They thought it was a quid pro quo. What was the most powerful evidence you've seen in the past couple of days between the Inspector General testimony and Trump's now former envoy? Was it that text or were there other things as powerful?
[Heck:] So I think the two most powerful things that have occurred are, first of all, the call report, the President's own words in which he said directly after a discussion about the sale of Javelin missiles to Ukraine, I need a favor I need you to do us a favor though. And that combined with what Ambassador Taylor said about it being crazy to withhold security assistance I think are incredibly damning, their own words. And in fact I would respectfully suggest to you that's why everybody on the Republican side seems to be in full blown attack mode. I've said to you before that they only have four plays; deny, attack, play the victim and change the subject throughout outrageous pronouncement. They're in scorched earth attack mode. They're attacking the process. They're attacking the whistleblower. They're attacking the Inspector General. A Republican Senator today attack President Obama. They're attacking Chairman Schiff. They're doing everything except defending these words, which are unbelievably in and of themselves incriminating.
[Burnett:] Before we go, obviously, you've got the subpoena to the White House and I know you're giving them a deadline, I believe, two weeks from now. Your committee also gave though a deadline tonight for the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. That's the subpoena deadline for them tonight. They've got a few hours. Where do things stand?
[Heck:] Well, I just don't have much optimism whatsoever that they're going to comply with the law. They show no regard for it thus far to date. What's really at trial here isn't just the narrow behavior of the incumbent President of the United States and his violation of this particular federal statute. It is the very principle of rule of law and whether or not it is the who hold public trust, those of us that are privileged to occupy these positions are obligated under our constitutional oath of office to adhere to the law. We are and those who aren't are going to be held accountable sooner or later.
[Burnett:] Congressman Heck, thanks very much for your time.
[Heck:] You're welcome.
[Burnett:] Next breaking news, Democrats want Ukraine documents from Mike Pence. The Vice President's office now slamming that request this hour. Plus, Republicans, so many are so silent about what the President asking from foreign governments, but some are now speaking out, that ahead. And more breaking news, doctors saying minutes ago that Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack.