1 00:00:02,033 --> 00:00:05,466 JUDY WOODRUFF: It has been a week unlike any other in recent years, multiple days of marathon 2 00:00:07,433 --> 00:00:10,833 impeachment hearings with administration officials past and present, all in public. 3 00:00:12,766 --> 00:00:15,733 But where does the impeachment inquiry in the U.S. House of Representatives go from 4 00:00:15,733 --> 00:00:17,633 here? 5 00:00:17,633 --> 00:00:20,700 Correspondent Lisa Desjardins sat through every hour of those hearings. 6 00:00:20,700 --> 00:00:23,933 And she's here now to walk us through what the next few weeks might bring. 7 00:00:23,933 --> 00:00:28,100 So, Lisa, it has been a long week, a lot of hearings. 8 00:00:28,100 --> 00:00:31,633 The hearings ended yesterday afternoon, but, today, President Trump weighed in. 9 00:00:31,633 --> 00:00:32,633 LISA DESJARDINS: That's right. 10 00:00:32,633 --> 00:00:34,600 Let's start there. 11 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:36,366 The president clearly was paying very close attention to these hearings. 12 00:00:36,366 --> 00:00:39,000 He had a lot to say this morning on "FOX & Friends." 13 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,766 You reported his message about Vice President Mike Pence. 14 00:00:41,766 --> 00:00:43,900 Well, he also spoke about impeachment. 15 00:00:43,900 --> 00:00:45,966 Let's listen to some of what he said. 16 00:00:45,966 --> 00:00:48,566 DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Don't forget, there was no due process. 17 00:00:48,566 --> 00:00:49,966 You can't have lawyers. 18 00:00:49,966 --> 00:00:51,633 We couldn't have any witnesses. 19 00:00:51,633 --> 00:00:52,900 We want to call the whistle-blower. 20 00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:55,566 But you know who I want as the first witness? 21 00:00:55,566 --> 00:00:57,733 Because, frankly, I want a trial. 22 00:00:57,733 --> 00:01:00,900 LISA DESJARDINS: What he's saying there is, he doesn't think the House Intelligence hearings 23 00:01:00,900 --> 00:01:04,833 were fair, he didn't have representation there, his lawyers couldn't ask questions. 24 00:01:04,833 --> 00:01:06,800 He says he wants a trial. 25 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,533 Well, Judy, if the House does vote to impeach, the president, he will have no choice. 26 00:01:13,466 --> 00:01:16,533 We know from Senate Leader Mitch McConnell's office that he does plan to go forward with 27 00:01:16,533 --> 00:01:18,066 a trial. 28 00:01:18,066 --> 00:01:20,200 And there are not enough votes to prevent that in the Senate. 29 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,866 Even though Republicans have a majority, they do not have enough who feel that a trial should 30 00:01:23,866 --> 00:01:25,933 be blocked. 31 00:01:25,933 --> 00:01:27,733 JUDY WOODRUFF: So procedure would require it if the House votes on impeachment. 32 00:01:27,733 --> 00:01:29,800 LISA DESJARDINS: That's right. 33 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,300 JUDY WOODRUFF: So now -- Lisa, now that these public hearings seem to be behind us, what 34 00:01:33,300 --> 00:01:34,733 are the next steps? 35 00:01:34,733 --> 00:01:37,433 LISA DESJARDINS: Well, Congress is gone for Thanksgiving. 36 00:01:37,433 --> 00:01:40,966 So we do not expect any public hearings, as you're saying, for next week. 37 00:01:40,966 --> 00:01:43,533 It is possible there could be some closed-door depositions. 38 00:01:43,533 --> 00:01:48,133 There are a few characters involved here that Congress has not been able to speak to, including 39 00:01:48,133 --> 00:01:51,066 Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas. 40 00:01:51,066 --> 00:01:55,866 But it may be that Congress has no activity, really, in front of the scenes. 41 00:01:55,866 --> 00:01:58,666 But there is something that is going to happen next week on Monday. 42 00:01:58,666 --> 00:02:03,633 A federal judge has said that they plan to rule on a case involving president -- the 43 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,833 White House former counsel Don McGahn. 44 00:02:06,833 --> 00:02:11,700 Now, he was a critical witness in the Mueller report case, testifying to what the president 45 00:02:13,666 --> 00:02:17,000 - - he said, the president asked essentially, in his view, for Robert Mueller to be fired. 46 00:02:19,133 --> 00:02:23,033 So this is important in impeachment, because Don McGahn would testify to a different impeachment 47 00:02:24,633 --> 00:02:27,700 allegation, obstruction of justice, if Democrats want to pursue that. 48 00:02:27,700 --> 00:02:31,000 If a court rules that he must testify, that could change timelines. 49 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:32,666 That could change calculations. 50 00:02:32,666 --> 00:02:34,966 Of course, that could also continue to be appealed. 51 00:02:34,966 --> 00:02:36,900 But it's something we're going to watch closely next week. 52 00:02:36,900 --> 00:02:41,466 JUDY WOODRUFF: If there were a broadened impeachment inquiry focus. 53 00:02:41,466 --> 00:02:43,566 LISA DESJARDINS: That's right. 54 00:02:43,566 --> 00:02:45,300 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Lisa, what about the committee that's been in the forefront for these last 55 00:02:45,300 --> 00:02:47,266 few weeks, the Intelligence Committee? 56 00:02:47,266 --> 00:02:48,833 They still have work to do, don't they? 57 00:02:48,833 --> 00:02:50,333 LISA DESJARDINS: Right. 58 00:02:50,333 --> 00:02:53,100 Congress is out of town, but staff is working day and night. 59 00:02:53,100 --> 00:02:54,100 They are getting ready. 60 00:02:54,100 --> 00:02:56,266 They're producing a report. 61 00:02:56,266 --> 00:02:59,966 That report essentially will be the evidence, as they see it, against this president. 62 00:02:59,966 --> 00:03:02,466 And it will be a critical piece of information. 63 00:03:02,466 --> 00:03:06,533 At the same time, we should expect House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee, led by Jim 64 00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:11,433 Jordan and Devin Nunes, to put together their own report, their own kind of facts and their 65 00:03:11,433 --> 00:03:12,866 own findings. 66 00:03:12,866 --> 00:03:14,500 What's going to happen after that? 67 00:03:14,500 --> 00:03:16,566 Those reports will be presented to the public. 68 00:03:16,566 --> 00:03:20,000 Then the House Judiciary Committee will take up the issues. 69 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,933 And, Judy, when the House Judiciary Committee meets, they have the right to call public 70 00:03:23,933 --> 00:03:26,000 hearings. 71 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,933 I'm told that we should expect some, but none of the same witnesses as we saw this week 72 00:03:30,966 --> 00:03:32,900 from the House Intelligence Committee. 73 00:03:32,900 --> 00:03:35,833 They say, we feel that those witnesses' testimony stands on its own. 74 00:03:35,833 --> 00:03:39,533 Instead, there is some questioning of whether we could see Mueller-related witnesses... 75 00:03:39,533 --> 00:03:41,700 JUDY WOODRUFF: Ah. 76 00:03:41,700 --> 00:03:45,300 LISA DESJARDINS: ... if the Judiciary Committee determines that that is also a case they want 77 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:46,933 to make for articles of impeachment. 78 00:03:46,933 --> 00:03:49,433 JUDY WOODRUFF: Back to the point that you were making a moment ago. 79 00:03:49,433 --> 00:03:51,533 LISA DESJARDINS: Yes. 80 00:03:51,533 --> 00:03:53,166 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, everybody is curious to know, because we are coming up on the holidays, 81 00:03:53,166 --> 00:03:54,666 November, December. 82 00:03:54,666 --> 00:03:56,700 What does the calendar look like, as far as we know? 83 00:03:56,700 --> 00:03:57,933 LISA DESJARDINS: Ah. 84 00:03:57,933 --> 00:03:59,400 You know I love a good calendar graphic. 85 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:00,600 Our producer Jesse (ph) helped put this together too. 86 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:02,066 Let's take a look. 87 00:04:02,066 --> 00:04:04,533 Well, first of all, they're putting the report together now. 88 00:04:04,533 --> 00:04:09,400 We expect the report to go to Judiciary -- the Judiciary Committee that first week of December. 89 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:14,300 Then we expect those hearings, very likely those first two weeks of December. 90 00:04:14,300 --> 00:04:16,533 And, listen, Judy, that's not just public hearings. 91 00:04:16,533 --> 00:04:21,466 That's also an important event, which will be the marking up of the articles of impeachment 92 00:04:21,466 --> 00:04:23,466 themselves. 93 00:04:23,466 --> 00:04:26,566 That will be line-for-line edits, potential amending of those articles. 94 00:04:26,566 --> 00:04:30,433 After that happens in House Judiciary, if it votes to forward the articles of impeachment 95 00:04:30,433 --> 00:04:35,433 to the floor, this is the timeline likely, that week of December 20 right there. 96 00:04:36,833 --> 00:04:39,133 So it could happen very quickly. 97 00:04:39,133 --> 00:04:44,066 Democrats are on track right now to have that full House floor vote by the end of December. 98 00:04:44,066 --> 00:04:48,500 Judy, also, in that same week, though, that's when the government funding bill runs out. 99 00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:51,233 There's a Democratic debate that we are hosting that week. 100 00:04:51,233 --> 00:04:52,500 JUDY WOODRUFF: That's right. 101 00:04:52,500 --> 00:04:54,200 LISA DESJARDINS: It is a very high-profile week. 102 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,366 A lot is being crammed in there. 103 00:04:56,366 --> 00:04:58,700 But this is the likely schedule right now. 104 00:04:58,700 --> 00:05:01,966 Our viewers should be ready for a very busy and intense December. 105 00:05:01,966 --> 00:05:05,266 JUDY WOODRUFF: Not your usual period running up into Christmas and New Year's and so forth. 106 00:05:05,266 --> 00:05:06,600 LISA DESJARDINS: Not at all. 107 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:08,733 JUDY WOODRUFF: Lisa Desjardins, an incredible week. 108 00:05:08,733 --> 00:05:10,200 Thank you so much for all your work. 109 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:11,200 LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome. 110 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:11,333 My honor.