House Intel Report Accuses Trump Of Misconduct, Obstruction; WH: Dem Report "Reads Like The Ramblings Of A Basement Blogger"; House Intel About To Vote On Impeachment Report; Schiff: Nunes Conversations With Giuliani As Shown In The Phone Records Are "Deeply Concerning"; Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Is Interviewed About Donald Trump, Impeachment, And Devin Nunes; House Intel Report: Trump "Compromised National Security To Advance His Personal Interest"; Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) Is Interviewed About Trump, Impeachment, And Kamala Harris; Why The Founding Fathers Added Impeachment In The Constitution; Dems: Phone Records In House Intel Report Shows How Trump Allies Coordinated "False Narratives."
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @jaketapper. You can tweet the show @theleadcnn. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. I will see you tomorrow.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM and we're following breaking news. Take a look at these live pictures coming in from Capitol Hill where the House Intelligence Committee is expected to vote very soon to send its sweeping impeachment report on the Ukraine scandal to the Judiciary Committee which will almost certainly use it as a basis for articles of impeachment against President Trump. The report cites what it calls overwhelming evidence of misconduct and obstruction by the President of the United States in his effort to get Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. As he moves one step closer to impeachment, Mr. Trump is in London right now for a NATO meeting, but has taken time to launch new attacks against the Democrats and the impeachment process. The White House responded to the report just a little while ago saying and I'm quoting now, it "reads like the ramblings of a basement blogger." Our political correspondent Sara Murray has been combing through the lengthy report and this very, very lengthy -- I don't know if you had a chance to read all 300-plus pages but you've got some detailed information on what it includes.</s>SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. I mean, this newly released report is very damaging for President Trump. It says he sought foreign election interference from a foreign government. This is House Democrats' stopped short of fully calling for the President's impeachment.</s>MURRAY (voice-over): House Democrats concluding evidence of the President's misconduct is overwhelming as lawmakers take a big step forward in impeaching the President. By pressuring the Ukrainian President to open investigations into the Biden family and the 2016 election in exchange for a White House meeting and security assistance, the President placed his own personal and political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process and endangered U.S. national security, according to the newly released impeachment report. The 300-page document expected to serve as the framework for articles of impeachment sharply condemned the President's efforts to block witnesses from testifying saying, "It would be hard to imagine a stronger or more complete case of obstruction than that demonstrated by the President since the inquiry began." House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and the other committee chairs leading the inquiry stopped short of recommending impeachment saying, "It will be up to the Congress to determine whether these acts rise to the level of an impeachable offense, whether the President shall be held to account, and whether we as a nation are committed to the rule of law or instead whether a President who uses the power of his office to coerce foreign interference in a U.S. election is something that Americans must simply get over." But the sharply-worded document lays the groundwork for a U.S. President to be impeached for the third time in American history.</s>REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D) INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: If we don't care about this, we can darn well be sured the President will be back at it doing this all over again.</s>MURRAY: The document makes the case that President Trump's efforts to shape foreign policy to benefit him political stretched beyond his July 25th call with President Zelensky. The call was a dramatic crescendo in those efforts.</s>REP. ERIC SWALWELL, (D) INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: He abused his office to leverage your taxpayer dollars to have a foreign government try to cheat an election.</s>MURRAY: Other administration officials, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former Energy Secretary Rick Perry allegedly knew of or aided the President's efforts according to the report. The document also provides new details on Rudy Giuliani's efforts to peddle conspiracy theories about Ukraine and aid Trump in his pursuit of investigations. After subpoenaing phone companies, Democrats laid out calls between Giuliani and officials at the Office of Management and Budget as well as Giuliani and Congressman Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence panel.</s>SCHIFF: It is I think deeply concerning that at a time when the President of the United States was using the power of his office to dig up dirt on a political rival, that there may be evidence that there were members of Congress complicit in that activity.</s>MURRAY: And you really get a look in that Wolf into the awkward dynamics between the two parties on this committee when it comes to this report and our colleagues on the Hill caught up with Devin Nunes and tried to ask him for comment about being named in the Democrats' report, he did not comment.</s>BLITZER: Yes, all right, the 300 pages indeed a very thick report. All right, thanks very much Sara Murray for that report. President Trump is in London right now. He's far from the impeachment storm. But he and the White House are lashing out at these latest historic developments back here in Washington. Our chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is traveling with the President in London right now. Jim, the President's trip is clearly being overshadowed by all of the breaking news here.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That is right, Wolf. The White House is tearing into the report from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee calling it, "the ramblings of a basement blogger," that's mild compared to President Trump's description of Adam Schiff earlier in today as I, "deranged human being." This deeply personal attacks came as the President was clashing with NATO leaders and then doing some clean up here in London.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): In between meetings with Prince Charles, the queen and leaders of NATO in London, President Trump made it all too clear he has a royal pain in the form of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Adam Schiff is a deranged human being. I think he grew up with a complex for a lots of reasons that are obvious. I think he's a very sick man, and he lies.</s>ACOSTA: In response to the Schiff report alleging the President abuse the power of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, the White House got personal as well saying in a statement, "At the end of a one-sided sham process, Chairman Schiff and the Democrats utterly failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by President Trump. Chairman Schiff's report reads like the ramblings of a basement blogger straining to prove something when there is evidence of nothing." The President warn Republicans will just torn (ph) on a Democratic president with impeachment in the future.</s>TRUMP: You'll have a Democrat president, you'll have a Republican House and they'll do the same thing because somebody picked an orange out of a refrigerator and you don't like it so let's go and impeach them.</s>ACOSTA: While the White House is living little hope that it will cooperate with House Impeachment hearings, the President hinted he may allow some top officials to participate in a trial in the GOP controlled Senate.</s>TRUMP: So when it's fair, and it will be fair in the Senate, I would love to have Mike Pompeo, I would love to have Mick, I'd love to have Rick Perry, and many other people testify. But I don't want them to testify when this is a total fix.</s>ACOSTA: But unlike the House, there are Republicans in the Senate who worry the White House like Mitt Romney who said he is not buying the President's bogus theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election.</s>SEN. MITT ROMNEY, (R) UTAH: I saw no evidence from our Intelligence Community nor from the representatives today from the Department of State that there is any evidence of any kind that suggest that Ukraine interfered in our elections. We have ample evidence that Russia interfered in our elections.</s>ACOSTA: In London, Mr. Trump was lacking horns with French President Emmanuel Macron who had said the NATO alliance had suffered a brain death, a shot aimed at the U.S. less than one week after a terrorist attack in London. Mr. Trump responded to Macron with a joke about releasing Isis fighters into Europe.</s>TRUMP: Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I could give them to you. you can take everyone you want.</s>EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: Let's be serious. The very large number of fighters you have on the ground are the fighters coming from Syria.</s>ACOSTA: That was hardly the only jarring moment of the day as the President rattle the financial market saying his trade deal with China may have to wait until after the 2020 election.</s>TRUMP: I have no deadline, no. (Crosstalk)</s>TRUMP: In some ways I think it's better to wait till after the elections.</s>ACOSTA: And when he initially said the U.S. doesn't support protesters in Iran.</s>TRUMP: I don't want to comment on that. But the answer is no. But I don't want to comment on that.</s>ACOSTA: Only to walk that back. We do support them totally and have supported them from the beginning.</s>ACOSTA: Now setting aside the nastiness baked (ph) into the White House response to the Schiff report administration officials aren't really attacking any of the specific accusations raised by Democrats just yet. As for the hearing in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, the President says he won't be watching as he'll be wrapping his meetings with NATO leaders, that would be out of character for Mr. Trump who is glued to those hearings chaired by Adam Schiff. Wolf, it's hard to believe the President won't be watching. Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Good point. All right, Jim Acosta, thank you. Let's go to Capitol Hill right now, our Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju is there for us. Manu, the committee will be voting on the impeachment report very, very soon. So what comes next?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the committee is going to adopt that report likely along party lines, then it moves to the House Judiciary Committee. And things are going to move pretty quickly. Expect over the next couple of weeks that committee to begin those proceedings. Tomorrow a hearing with legal experts to discuss the articles -- to discuss impeachment whether or not a high crimes and misdemeanors were met particularly in this episode. Then there will be future hearings as well. Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman signaled today that his staff counsels are likely present some of the findings on today's report before the House Judiciary Committee. And then there could be action on articles of impeachment before the House Judiciary Committee and that could happen as soon as next week before the full House could vote the week after to actually impeach the President before the Senate would take up the trial and that could go into next year and the Republicans will have to decide whether or not to remove the President from office or they will allow him to stay in office. At the moment they're signaling they will absolutely let him stay in office. But nevertheless the Democrats here in House are still making decision about what to do with -- even if the report is very clearly lays out the case for impeachment. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee today, I asked him if he would get behind impeachment at this point, he's still stopped short.</s>RAJU: Do you support impeaching and then the Senate removing him from office?</s>SCHIFF: I'm going to reserve any kind of a public judgment on that until I have a chance to consult with my colleagues with our leadership. I'm gravely concerned that if we merely accept this that we invite not only further corruption of our elections by this President but we also invite it of the next President.</s>RAJU: So, he didn't say that he is supporting articles of impeachment yet. He made very clear in his press conference that almost certainly he's going to get behind that. The question ultimately is going to be how many articles of impeachment Democrats decide to move forward with. It sounds like according to the report and the way it was laid out, obstruction of Congress will likely be one of them, abuse of power potentially other. And then other questions how they deal with the Mueller report, those findings of obstruction of justice as detailed by that report whether that's included in the report, that's a continuing discussion among the Democratic caucus. But expect that to be clear here, Wolf, in the coming days.</s>BLITZER: We also learned, Manu, that the committee subpoenaed call, a phone call records between key players including the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes. What's the latest on that?</s>RAJU: Yes, this was a development in this report. We have been told by members of this committee that actually that they subpoenaed third parties, AT&T, to get information from them about some of these interactions that occurred. And they learned that this connection with the conservative journalist John Solomon was linked to Devin Nunes as well as other players, Rudy Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas as well as the White House Budget Office as part of what the Democrats contend was an effort to dig up dirt earlier this year against Joe Biden. And they came around the same time as Solomon wrote articles in the Hill newspaper going after Marie Yovanovitch, the now ousted Ukrainian ambassador. This is all part of what the Democrats called a smear campaign. With multiple witnesses also called a smear campaign to get Yovanovitch out of the way. So this is the first time we're seeing a direct link between Devin Nunes as well as -- so this effort allegedly to dig up dirt on the President's political rival Joe Biden. Adam Schiff said he had serious concerns about the revelation. But they were still trying to learn more facts about this situation. I tried to ask Devin Nunes just moments ago to react to this. He ignored the question. We'll see how other members react in the moments to come here, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: We certainly will. All right, Manu Raju up on Capitol Hill, thanks very much. Let's get more on all of this. Joining us now Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. He's a key member of both the Intelligence and Judiciary committees. Congressman thanks for joining us. In your lengthy report, 300 pages, it says this and I'll put it up on the screen, "the President placed his own personal and political interest above the national interest of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process and endangered U.S. national security." So what do you believe the consequences, Congressman, would be of not impeaching the President following that conclusion in your report?</s>SWALWELL: He gets worse. And, Wolf, if we do nothing, we lose our ability to hold any president accountable in this Congress and every future Congress. But with this President, the fact that this phone call to President Zelensky was made the day after Bob Mueller testified shows how emboldened he can feel that he can abuse his power. And we want to show him, one, that he can't do that, and two, that actions like this have consequences.</s>BLITZER: So, have you already personally decided to vote in favor of impeachment?</s>SWALWELL: No. I'm actually going to, you know, support the process. A fair process. Fairer than Donald Trump would give to anyone who he makes an accusation against. But right now, Wolf, we have powerful, clear, uncontradicted evidence that the President has abused his power. If he has evidence that could exonerate him, now is the time to start cooperating, turn over the 71-document requests that we've asked for, send the 12 different witnesses that he has blocked from testifying. If he's not going to do that one can only conclude it's because he has a very powerful consciousness of guilt himself.</s>BLITZER: As you just heard from Manu Raju, the report also contains phone records showing that the top Republican on your committee Devin Nunes was in communication with Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas who is the indicted associate of Giuliani during key dates on the Ukraine timeline. Do you believe Devin Nunes should recuse himself?</s>SWALWELL: You know, I'm going to leave that to Devin Nunes, Wolf. You know, this isn't about Devin Nunes, this is about the President of the United States. It's disappointing though that he used a serious impeachment inquiry to falsely attack Adam Schiff every single day suggesting that Chairman Schiff was a fact witness when all along it now seems that Devin Nunes, in fact, was the fact witness, and he was just projecting his own guilt, his own involvement in this shakedown scheme on Mr. Schiff. But this isn't about Devin Nunes as much as he may want it to be. This is about the President's conduct.</s>BLITZER: How long have you had all these phone records?</s>SWALWELL: Yes, I'll let the chairman speak to that. You know, he drives our investigation. And I think they also speak for themselves in the report.</s>BLITZER: What about the records of Rudy Giuliani's phone calls to the White House and the Office of Management and Budget, will your Committee continue investigating those calls?</s>SWALWELL: Yes. And also you can deduce that, you know, you see the Office of Management and Budget involved. They are the office that made the call that many ambassadors were on where they learned that we're going to hold up the aid to Ukraine. So that is run by Mick Mulvaney who said on television that we need to get over it, the fact that we are asking the Ukrainians to conduct investigations, and that that was a reason that the aid was held up. So it's really laid out there, Wolf. This is one of the simplest cases of this magnitude that I think the American people will ever see.</s>BLITZER: The Judiciary Committee, and you're a member, will hold its first impeachment hearing starting tomorrow morning. So what can we expect and how do you keep this from becoming what some of your colleagues fear could be a circus?</s>SWALWELL: Yes. And we don't want it to be that. And so tomorrow it is essentially, what is impeachment? Why did our Founders give us this extraordinary remedy against a chief executive? Two, where do the facts that we have here relate to what the Founders envision for impeachment? And then three, laying out, you know, the different ways that you could hold an abusive executive accountable. You know, that's going to be tomorrow's hearing. I think it would be very educational for the American people. And again the Republicans, now that they've seen this report, now that they've seen that the ranking member on their side was, you know, possibly complicit in this, it's time to take a hard beat and ask yourself, do you want to go down that way or do you want to be a part of the team Republican and Democratic that sought to restore the integrity of our democracy?</s>BLITZER: Congressman Eric Swalwell, thanks so much you for joining us.</s>SWALWELL: My pleasure. Thanks Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And stay with us. We are waiting the House Intelligence Committee's final vote on its impeachment report. We'll update you with all of the breaking news right after this.