Mia Love and Russ Feingold on Impeachment and Kamala Harris

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: What has surprised you most or what has been the most significant development this week amongst, you know, that sort of group that we’ve laid out?

FMR. REP. MIA LOVE (R-UT): Well, one, Kamala Harris jumping out of the race, and then also the impeachment inquiry and how the speaker has actually come out and broadened the scope, where she wanted originally to keep it as narrow and focused on Ukraine. She has actually surprised quite a few of us by saying that all roads lead to Russia and is going to broaden that scope a little bit, which gives us an insight as to what the articles of impeachment are going to, may or may not include.

AMANPOUR: So, that’s interesting. Russ Feingold, I mean, obviously, senators are going to be the jurors, if indeed the president is impeached by the House. Did you also notice a broadening out of a mandate from the house speaker?

FMR. SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D-WI): Well, I think the house speaker is doing exactly what she should do. She didn’t want to go down this road, but she knows she has to, and she knows that there is very likely going to be an impeachment in the House and that there will be a trial in the Senate, and this has enormous historical significance. So, I am very happy with the methodical and mature way that the Democrats are handling this in the House. They’re not being theatrical. They are giving it the respect that it is deserved. The question of exactly what should be included in the articles of impeachment is something they have to work out. But what it looks like to me, and I think to most people in the country, is that this actually is a careful and appropriate process, consistent with the way the founders of this country would have expected the impeachment process in the House to work.

AMANPOUR: So, let me play this for both of you. It’s Jonathan Turley, who is the lawyer called by the Republicans to lay out the constitutional basis during the hearings earlier this week. And it looks like, I mean, given the speed of what’s going on, you know, this may happen before Christmas. And he, though, is calling for it to be slowed down somewhat. Just take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN TURLEY, PROFESSOR, THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Why you want to set the record for the fastest impeachment? Fast is not good for impeachment. Fast and narrow is not a good recipe for impeachment. If you rush this impeachment, you’re going to leave half the country behind.

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AMANPOUR: As a Republican, Mia Love, do you feel that it’s rushed?

LOVE: Well, yes and no. One is I felt like if we wanted to get as much information as possible and also, if we wanted to give the same benefits to the current president that was given to Former President Bill Clinton, then his attorneys should have been involved and that would have lengthened out the process.