[Keilar:] The whistleblower complaint detailing President Trump's July conversation with Ukraine's President and the alleged attempt to cover it up by the White House is front and center as Congress, the public and 2020 candidates all weigh in on this nine-page complaint. One big question, where do congressional Republicans stand? GOP Senator Mitt Romney called the transcript troubling. Other Republican senators, many of them say they haven't read it or they had no comment on the whistleblower complaint. Joining me now to discuss, former Congressman and 2020 Republican presidential candidate, Joe Walsh. Joe, thanks for joining us.
[Joe Walsh , Presidential Candidate:] Hi, Brianna. Good to be with you.
[Keilar:] So Congressman, first, I just want to get your reaction to this complaint and the White House now acknowledging that officials did direct this Ukraine call transcript to be filed in a separate, more highly classified system. They're clearly saying it was appropriate, but they are confirming that this was moved. Is that an impeachable offense in your eyes?
[Walsh:] Absolutely. And Brianna, let's just pull ourselves back for a minute because we tend to overanalyze and overcomplicate everything with this President. What have we learned this week? We learned that the President of the United States asked a foreign government to interfere in our 2020 election. That's what the American people found out this week. And Brianna, what's astounding about that, right, the President asking a country to interfere in our 2020 election is that's the very issue that has torn this country apart for the last two or three years Russia interfering in our 2016 election. And we find out this week that this guy in the White House asked another country to interfere in our 2020 election. Brianna, it's impeachable. It's clear that this President and this is a serious thing to say doesn't give a damn about this country. And Brianna, this is a gut check. This is gut check time for Republicans.
[Keilar:] He has certainly said publicly in the abstract prior to all of this coming to light, that this kind of thing was okay, that he would do this kind of thing. Now, we have seen the phone call. We've seen the memo. We've seen the complaint. He doesn't still at this point he is attacking the whistleblower. He doesn't seem to think that there is anything the matter with all of this.
[Walsh:] And again, Brianna, not surprising, because to put it quite simply, we have a President who doesn't have any respect for the rule of law. He doesn't have any respect for truth, and he's got no guardrails. Look, all Donald Trump cares about is Donald Trump. And this phone call, what we learned this week makes it clear, if there's one issue, Brianna that has been eating at this country for the last three years, its foreign interference in our election. And here is the President of the United States just a couple of months ago on this call, it's quite literally like he is giving his middle finger to the American people. I don't care about that. I'm going to ask another government to interfere in our 2020 election. I dare you to come get me. He is giving the country the middle finger and Republicans better understand that.
[Keilar:] Joe, you said there are no guardrails. I think it's pretty stunning to a lot of people because a lot of Americans think there are guardrails. There are laws that government figures, including the President are supposed to operate within, and then you even look at this whistleblower process, where the D.O.J. and William Barr being a part of this complaint in the White House, the President being at the center of this, get brought into this. This almost doesn't even go to Congress. What is this revealing to you about how things maybe need to change because there should be guard rails, shouldn't there?
[Walsh:] Brianna, there should be guard rails and the Attorney General doesn't work for Donald Trump, the Attorney General works for the United States of America. And Brianna, that's interesting. You just raised what is probably the second most disturbing thing we learned this week. Whistleblowers in America should be revered. They should be praised. They should be protected. You had the President of the United States yesterday basically saying the whistleblower is a spy and he should be hung for treason. Look, Brianna, if I'm President, I can tell you what, I believe in transparency. And if a whistleblower has a complaint, a whistleblower should be able to take that complaint directly to Congress. And I would encourage a whistleblower to do this. Donald Trump again acting like some sort of mob boss, he thinks everything is about him and it's not about the country and I'm going to be a broken record, again, Brianna, the republicans have to decide. This is gut check time. Are they going to defend Trump? Or are they going to defend the rule of law?
[Keilar:] But Congressman, what about so many voters who support Donald Trump? I mean, what is not disparaging voters who support Donald Trump at all, but my point being, they have a point of view, they are attracted to his message enough that this other stuff we're talking about doesn't matter enough to influence that support. What does that tell you, especially as you're a candidate what does that tell you about what you need to be listening to from voters and what you need to be providing voters?
[Walsh:] His voters, Brianna, had so much invested in what he was, and I get that because his voters are the same folks who have been listening to me on the radio for the last six years. They're tired of both political parties. They're tired of the political system. So they said, let's put this guy in the White House and he will shake it up and he will drain the swamp. I can tell you, Brianna, that being out there in New Hampshire and Iowa and campaigning, I'm beginning to sense more and more every day his voters are fed up with the drama. They're fed up with waking up every single day and there's another Trump scandal or issue in the news. They're just tired with it. I actually think Briana, his voters are going to move before congressional Republicans will. It'll take some time.
[Keilar:] It might take that for congressional Republicans to move indeed. Former Congressman Joe Walsh, thank you so much.
[Walsh:] Thanks, Brianna.
[Keilar:] Geraldo Rivera says yes, thank you. Geraldo Rivera says he would like to beat up the quote, "rotten snitch whistleblower." This is just one example of how this is playing on the President's favorite channel. We're going to discuss with Michael Smerconish, next. Plus, have White House officials tried covering up this call? Hiding this? Are they legally exposed?