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NICK SCHIFRIN: We reached out to 
more than 50 Republican members 
of the House of Representatives

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to come on the program tonight.

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None of them accepted 
our invitation.

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For a Republican perspective 
on today's news, I'm joined 
by longtime GOP strategist and

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former press secretary 
for Speaker John 
Boehner Michael Steel.

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Welcome to the "NewsHour."

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Republicans have been 
criticizing the process, 
as you know, throughout 
the last few weeks,

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specifically that these 
depositions have been 
held behind closed 
doors, instead of having

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public hearings.

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Republicans had a chance today 
to vote for public hearings.

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Why did they vote against it?

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MICHAEL STEEL, Former John 
Boehner Spokesman: Well, I think 
they would argue that it's too

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little too late.

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I think that if this vote 
had been held three or 
four weeks ago, it would 
have been a meaningful

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part of this inquiry.

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I think, at this point, they're 
closing the barn door after 
the cow has already run off,

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from the Republican perspective

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I think that we will continue 
to see closed-door depositions.

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We're not going to yet see the 
sort of robust, open, fair, 
transparent, televised hearings

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that marked the Watergate 
impeachment inquiry 
and the impeachment 
inquiry against former

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President Bill Clinton.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: We heard language 
that goes even farther today 
from Steve Scalise, number

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three in the House, accused 
the Democrats of imposing 
Soviet-style rules.

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How are these rules Soviet, when 
Democrats say that they actually 
are based on the impeachment

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rules that Republicans set 
when they impeached or tried 
to impeach Bill Clinton?

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MICHAEL STEEL: And some of the 
rules that were put in place 
by former Speaker Boehner

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as part of the Benghazi 
Select Committee.

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The argument -- and I think 
there is a lot of fairness to 
it -- is that this is a secret

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proceeding behind closed doors.

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The news is being released 
selectively by the majority.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: But that's 
what it's been so far.

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These -- we're talking 
about public hearings.

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(CROSSTALK)

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MICHAEL STEEL: ... so far.

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When we get -- those criticisms 
will not be valid when and 
if we get to open, televised

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hearings, where Republicans have 
the ability to confront some of 
these witnesses, cross-examine

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them, live on camera, 
and the American people 
can see and judge.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: What will the 
Republican strategy be when we 
begin those public hearings?

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MICHAEL STEEL: I think 
it depends on the 
substance that we find.

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I think that the president's 
defense that his phone call 
was perfect is probably not

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going to hold up.

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It seems very likely that there 
will be evidence of a quid pro 
quo, either retrospectively,

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looking for information 
about what interference 
may have occurred in 
the 2016 election, what,

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if any, involvement Ukraine had 
in that, which I don't think 
that our intelligence services

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judge as any.

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But that's a question.

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The other is whether the 
president was looking for dirt 
on his potential political rival

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- - or his political 
rivals, potential opponent, 
Joe Biden, and his son.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: Specifically, Joe 
Biden and his son Hunter, yes.

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MICHAEL STEEL: And that's a 
very different standard there.

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But you can argue -- and I 
think Republicans probably will 
if the facts are what we think

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they will turn out to be -- 
that what the president did 
is wrong, it is an abuse of

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his office, but it doesn't rise 
to the level that he should 
be impeached, convicted, and

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removed from office less than 
a year before the American 
people will be allowed to make

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that judgment for themselves.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: There's 
a lot of nuance in that 
argument you just made.

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It is not a 10-second 
or 12-second sound bite.

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Let's talk about the substance.

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I mean, are there members of 
the House whom you're speaking 
to who are concerned about

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the substance of this inquiry 
and what the president did 
vis-a-vis either 2016 or Vice

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President Biden and Ukraine 
over the last few months?

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MICHAEL STEEL: Sure.

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And I don't think that -- the 
way our laws are constructed, 
if the facts are what we

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think they are, I don't 
think you can make a credible 
defense of the president on the

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substance, which is why so 
much of this debate thus far 
has focused on the process.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: That's not 
the language the president 
has been using, though.

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MICHAEL STEEL: 
That's exactly right.

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The president is 
the outlier here.

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The president wants to insist 
that the phone call was perfect.

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He continues to refer to 
the memorandum describing 
the call as a transcript, 
which it is not.

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We have seen news reports 
suggesting that there 
were important things 
-- important details

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omitted from that memo.

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So this is the real problem.

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Republicans can defend the 
president successfully.

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He has to be -- he has to be 
willing allow them to make 
the argument that, yes, he did

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do something wrong, but 
it doesn't rise to the 
level that he should 
be removed from office.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: So far, 
he has not been willing 
to allow Republicans 
to make that argument.

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Why would he going forward?

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MICHAEL STEEL: It's interesting.

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He has not attacked 
Republicans who have made 
that argument generally, 
the Mitt Romney attacks

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aside.

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There have been some 
cases where Republicans 
have made that argument, 
and he has not unleashed

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a tweetstorm on them.

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He obviously believes 
that there's nothing 
wrong substantively 
and wants Republicans

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to make a substantive 
case for him.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: But?

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(CROSSTALK)

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MICHAEL STEEL: But there's 
nothing you can - - there 
isn't a case to be made there.

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So he has a choice.

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He can either allow them to 
make the case that comports with 
the facts, that is defensible,

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that is safe, or he will leave 
Republican elected officials 
on the mile-high swinging

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bridge, and he will be 
taking an axe to the ropes.

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He will undercut them completely 
if he tries to insist they 
make a factual, substantive

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case for what was pretty 
clearly, it seems, if the facts 
were what we think they are,

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a quid pro quo 
and inappropriate.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: And quickly, 
in the time we have left, you 
believe that, if the president

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allows Republicans to make 
that argument, that, hey, 
maybe this wasn't perfect, but

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it's not impeachable, that 
they will come out ahead?

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MICHAEL STEEL: I think that 
they will -- the American people 
will agree that it is a time

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- - that the voters 
should choose.

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And I think the vote that was 
held today will prove to be a 
very bad vote for the 30-odd

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House Democrats sitting in 
seats that the president won 
in 2016, half of them in seats

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that he won by big margins.

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NICK SCHIFRIN: Michael 
Steel, thank you very much.