Colorado’s Morning News, Ken Buck, January 21, 2020
Station: KOA, 850 am
Show: Colorado’s Morning Show
Guests: Buck, Ken
Date: January 21, 2020
Topics: Imperachment, Cory Gardner, Fishing Expedition
HOST APRIL ZESBAUGH [00:00:00] Today is the start of the impeachment trial against President Trump. It will focus on the articles of impeachment brought by the House, which are abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Right now, we’re getting perspective on the impeachment process as it moves along with Colorado Republican Congressman Ken Buck. Good morning. Good morning. When you hear the schedule that your colleagues in the Senate are going to go through over the next several days, maybe weeks. What do you think about it? Is this a fair way to conduct this trial?
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM COLORADO’S FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, AND CHAIR OF COLORADO GOP, KEN BUCK [00:00:27] I think it’s the only way to conduct the trial. There’s obviously going to be a lot of complaining from both sides that the trial is being conducted unfairly. But the Senate can’t engage in a fishing expedition or let the House Democrats engage in a fishing expedition. So really, the House was the case that House Democrats developed and presented to the House for the articles of impeachment is the case that the Senate will hear. I think after the rules are hammered out today and the arguments on the substance of the case have heard the rest of this week. I think at that point the Senate will deliberate and they’ll decide whether they need more witnesses or not. They may very well allow witnesses. I don’t think that decision is going to be made until further down the road.
HOST MARTY LENZ [00:01:14] Sounds like it’s witnesses or subpoena of documents if you had a preference, Congressman. And my guess is you don’t think either, because I think you’ve kind of question the legitimacy of this process from from Jump Street. But but if you could have the documents or witnesses, would one or the other at least go a long way to if you were to say, assuaging the the the idea that this is not a fair, transparent process?
BUCK [00:01:35] Well, I think the I think that as a prosecutor, I can tell you I want both because I want to hear what the witnesses have to say about the documents. The documents can be interpreted many different ways. I think it takes a witness to really help interpret the documents. But I think my problem with this process has been that the House Democrats were looking for reasons to impeach this president from day one. And there have been five articles of impeachment or five sets of articles of impeachment presented on the House floor over the first three years of this president’s administration. And at some point, you wonder whether this is an investigation looking for a crime.
ZESBAUGH [00:02:17] Well, you joined us last, Congressman. You had some blame for House Democrats who could have called more witnesses and did not. Now that the Senate has the case, do you worry if they don’t call witnesses that Americans are going to think this trial is a sham?
BUCK [00:02:30] I don’t. I think that Americans are going to draw their conclusions and most have drawn their conclusions and many have moved on already. But I don’t think that this is a trial that necessarily involves witnesses. They have depositions taken already. They have witness statements. They have evidence that has been accumulated. How you received that evidence is really up to the Senate, whether they want live testimony or whether they want just to hear the testimony that’s already been developed.
LENZ [00:02:59] You know, it’s interesting because it is a sense of gamesmanship. I think many people would think that that Nancy Pelosi was trying to delay, if you want to say, delivering the articles in the process, because she wanted to if you want to say, interfere to some degree, my word with the State of the Union sounds like the Republicans are doing the verse kind of in a rush it through before the State of Union. Do you see that gamesmanship going on here? Is that why you’re doing it with these long blocks of time? You think why they’re doing it that way?
BUCK [00:03:22] Well, I think there’s a lot of gamesmanship going on, and yes, I think the State of the Union is part. Remember last year the State of the Union was postponed because of a government shutdown and a partial government shutdown and other reasons. But I think that if the Democrats in the Senate can drag this out, they can stall the Senate’s ability to confirm President Trump’s judicial nominees. They can stall other actions that the Republicans in the Senate want to take. At the same time, the Republicans in the Senate want to move this on. Want to get it off the front pages and want to move back to the work that they have been doing. And so I think, yes, there is gamesmanship. And we’ll see who wins in the court of public opinion. But ultimately, I think Mitch McConnell will keep this Senate, this trial in the Senate as as short as possible.
HOST APRIL ZESBAUGH [00:04:16] We’re up against a newscast. But quickly, any surprises, do you think we’ll see from Colorado’s vulnerable GOP Senator Cory Gardner?
BUCK [00:04:23] I think Cory is playing this right. I think he is going to wait and see and render a judgment after he has heard the evidence.
LENZ [00:04:32] Congressman Ken Buck, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.
