that will allow north macedonia to join nato. we will have two live hearings on c-span3. treasury secretary steven carson and hud secretary testify on affordable housing -- programs. at 2:30 the senate foreign relations committee looks at turkey's latest offensive in syria. testifiesckerberg wednesday on his company's cryptocurrency project and -- at a house financial services hearing. you can see that life starting at 10 a client -- 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span3. yoho talkstative ted about the impeachment inquiry and u.s. relations with syria. he is a member of the foreign affairs committee. geltzer willer --

take your calls on impeachment. will talk about how u.s. troops are being used in syria and saudi arabia. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. ♪ host: good morning, it is tuesday, october 22nd. the house and senate are in at 10:00 a.m., while members conducting the impeachment your curry set to meet behind closed doors. the talk -- the top diplomat of ukraine text messages have become a part of the probe. president trump has called republicans to get tougher on fighting impeachment. republican callers only in this first segment asking you if you are seeing cracks in the party when it comes to support for president trump. if you are a republican in the eastern or central time zone it

is1. -- it is 202-748-8000. in the mountain or pacific time zones, 202-748-8001. you can send us a text message, that number 202-748-8003. you do, please include your name and where you are from, otherwise catch up on social media. at twitter it is at c-spancj. unfazed -- on facebook it is facebook.com/c-span. publicans calling in as we show you the president from yesterday. [video clip] pres. trump: this is a phony investigation. i watched a couple of people on television talking about it saying we are talking about what a phony deal and investigation it is. e to get tougher andhave to fight because the democrats have tried to hurt the republican party for the election which is coming up, where we are doing very well. we have had a record crowd, the

biggest crowd they have ever had and we had 20,000 people outside, at least. we are doing great. you saw what happened in north carolina, people did not think we would pick it up. that was two weeks ago. a governor that people thought was ok went down, and now he has a big election. he was under 50%, and no one thought that would happen. we are doing well. a lot of the stories made up between a guy like shifty schiff, who is a corrupt politician, and the media buys it because the media is corrupt also. [end video clip] host: we are talking to the republicans only asking if you are seeing cracks and reports -- in support for president trump. here's the story from yesterday mitt romney of, utah and lindsey graham of south

carolina saying that they should be watching for two different reasons. mitt romney is often a critic of the president and lindsey graham is a close ally. here is some of the interview with mitt romney from the show on hbo. [video clip] saying chinav and will you investigate my political opponent is wrong, it is an -- it is a mistake. it was shocking for my -- for the president to do so and a mistake. cannot have presidents asking foreign countries to provide something of political value that is, after all, against the law. [end video clip] host: those were his comments. here is as quoted at in "usa today" from his interview. saying that "he will not support the president at all costs. he did not rule out voting to convict trump is he -- if he is

impeached in the house and more evidence comes to light. lindsey graham saying show me something if -- that is a crime. if you can show me that he was engaged in a quid pro quo, that would be disturbing." juste asking you, republicans only to give us a call this morning, asking whether you think there are cracks in the support for president trump. in the eastern or central time zones, 202-748-8000. if you are in the mountain or pacific time zones, 202-748-8001 . we will start right outside d.c. in maryland. victor, good morning. caller: good morning. you know, i do not even pay attention to the mainstream media anymore, they are as corrupt as can be. information, it tune into rush limbaugh, he is more reliable than mainstream media anyway. showo listen to a trucking

that comes out of cincinnati, and all of the truckers are for trump and they have had it with mainstream media, corrupt media, and the democrats. if they are so sure that trumpeted something wrong, why are they holding these hearings behind closed doors? what are they afraid of? let us have a vote right now, impeach were not. host: this is robert out of nashville, tennessee. morning. caller: i have heard of folks in 2016 that trump said that they would not vote for him in 2020. , is ineptmy opinion at the job and i do not understand what he expects the reaction to be when he insults is lowering the

discourse of politics. host: are you one of the folks who voted for him in 2016? caller: i did not. i did not vote for the democrat either, but i worked for a republican campaign in 1984. host: what do you make of comments by mitt romney, criticisms that the president has received from members of his own party on issues in the past week like the syria pull out and the decision that he eventually g7 ated to host the next his own resort? caller: well, i think it is ridiculous that people panic when someone in their own party criticizes them. ofs is part of the tradition american politics. throwing the baby out with the bathwater, it is just another

sign of the discourse being lowered. people of either party criticizes each other. i do not think it is a big deal. host: when you say people panic, who are you talking about? caller: the president insults everyone all the time, every time. have taken on that as well as their defense whenever someone criticizes the president. the first thing they do is insult the criticize her. -- the criticizer. margie out of pennsylvania. good morning. caller: good morning. i am a little distressed at the press when they jump on a phrase and interpret it, and use it however they want. quid pro quo, something for

something. that,president has done and i was disappointed with lindsay bram -- lindsey graham and the quote you just said. in congress you vote for my bill, and i will vote for yours. sanctions, you do what we say or we do not buy your oil. quid pro quo is something that the press likes to over inflate, and the president has a perfect right to investigate joe biden's dealings in ukraine. it looks shady. it looks like a shades of billy carter, if anyone is as old as i am. i do not put any credence in what mitt romney says, and we are not the pocketbook of the

world. if you want money, here is what you can do for us. host: here is more from president trump at the white house yesterday. [video clip] fighttrump: the democrats dirty. i think they are lousy politicians with lousy policies. they want open borders, they want sanctuary cities. they do not care about drugs or almost anything. they do not care about usmca. i think they are lousy politicians. they have two things, they are vicious and they stick together. they do not have met romney -- mitt romney in their midst. they do not have people like that. you never see them break off,. that is why respect so much what i saw with will heard today. he was one of the few that did not seem to be there and he made a statement. he said i have not seen any complaints whatsoever from the

ukrainians. there ukrainians did not complain and they did not tell any of our ambassadors. [end video clip] host: president trump during that cabinet meeting. we will show you more. we are talking to republicans only this morning asking you whether you think that there are cracks and support for the president in the party, or if you do not think that is happening. phone lines are split up regionally. having this conversation also the day after a four page report from nancy pelosi, truth exposed is what is -- is what it is called. it is being described as something that could eventually be a roadmap to articles of impeachment by house democrats as they move through their investigation. it is coming in three parts, they call it the shakedown, pressure campaign and the cover-up that are laid out in that report. we will show it to you a little bit there, quoting the president

from his phone call from that transcript, "do us a favor though." when it comes to the pressure thatign, often cited in four page document released by nancy pelosi are the text messages from u.s. ambassador ambassador, the top to ukraine and his text messages are becoming the focus of the impeachment probe. bill taylor said to me behind closed doors today -- sitting behind closed doors today with the committees behind the impeachment inquiry. we'll have cameras set up outside in case members make comments. c-span will be monitoring the closed-door hearings and getting the comments that we can as the investigation continues. taking your phone calls, split up regionally. dana from l.a. this morning. what do you think about this idea about whether there are

cracks in the republican party right now when it comes to president trump? stopr: c-span needs to letting democrats come and and bsu people on the republican line, it does not for anybody. this only works if people play by the rules and we trust that people will call in on the appropriate lines. what do you think about statements by mitt romney? the criticism that the president has perceived? caller: first of all, mitt romney is a wuss of a man. what did he do for a living? he went around taking businesses and killing people's jobs and making money. he is just a low life anyway. republican are not republican. trump is gaining support, not losing it. host: this is roy, and las vegas. good morning. caller: good morning.

first bought president trump was a joke when he first came on the scene. but as time went on, he just was saying things that made so much sense and exposed so many things. no, we are not losing support at all, he is just gaining support all along. ?ost: where do you see it how do you see it in las vegas? caller: it is hard to see if you listen to the mainstream media, numbers the fact is the are still big in all of this. people that i talked to that have been trump supporters, they get more and more entrenched,

the more that this stuff comes against him. when've been a few times the right person has come along for some reason. reagan came along and change the world. the beatles came along and change the world. there was a documentary i saw about that. , as weird asmp some of the things that he has said that make ukraine's a -- cringe a little bit. if he had not come, our country -- we are the last hope for our country. the direction was so corrupt, and that is my opinion. polling a time when shows the polarization of this country, what is the appeal to new supporters. how was the president reaching out to new supporters? the fact thatut current supporters get more entrenched the more that democrats attacked the

president. what is the appeal to folks to come over to president trump and support him. the reaction is that he , and it is just the way that he comes back at these people, it is the only thing that he can do. he does not have a choice, it is just his character, and we need it. host: another headline from the papers. base is steadfast even as troubles mount, a story talking about the pole from the public -- the poll from the public religious research institute. percent of white evangelicals and 98% of republicans who rely on fox news do not believe that trump should be impeached and removed compared with 94% of republicans

overall. as committed as those americans are, they are in not -- they are not enough for him to win reelection. the survey revealed significant defections among non-republican constituency that's helps -- that helped president trump win. the trend is driven with white women without a college degree, 40% who say they support impeaching him compared with 29% who said so back in mid-september." taking your phone calls asking for republicans only to call in and get your thoughts on the support for president trump in the party. carl, new york. good morning. caller: what is going on with c-span? why do c-span only have conservatives on? why do you not want to talk the democraticd

party doing impeachment behind closed doors? host: we will be talking with a republican member of congress next. one of those members who voted for the censure resolution or the attempt to censure adam schiff yesterday. that attempt was tabled and effectively killed yesterday in the house, 218-185. before we hear from him, we are talking to republicans only. what do you think about the question we are asking? we lost the caller. dan, from maryland, good morning. caller: i have called before about the fact that what happened with trump is that trump is a result guy. you have to look at the results. if you look at all of the nonsense around from the press, and from -- i worked for six to 2000,s from 1970

bill clinton. there was the nixon stuff that happened, and i followed that because i was a professional in national security. clintons ander the what happened with that operation. evenis going on now, and though nixon was not impeached, what is happening now is not impeachment. this is basically having something to substitute for an election. if you have to read -- if you read the transcript, there is nothing in there. there is nothing wrong with that. it is just nonsense to think that was something out of line. if you look at all of the other stuff that they are throwing out, and coming from schiff, he told us for three years that the president was involved with russia. was 13 lawyerser

working for the worse they could find. they did not have any indictments about obstruction. there were no indictments. people say that on c-span all the time, you have to correct them. no indictments. if you look at all of this stuff, and a thing about lies. on douglas, and he basically was talking about lies, and i called him and i said what about the bay of tonkin, what about the lies that you can keep your doctor, tell me some lies that have really had that kind of substance to them. host: you said you worked in national security. some of the criticism, the toughest criticism, has come in the wake of his decision about the serial pull out and news on that this week that it may not be a total pullout. i wonder your thoughts on republicans criticizing the president on foreign policy, is that ok?

caller: it is ok. let me tell you something's on that. trump came in, and when i was working in that, i was so upset of how much of nato that we paid the bill for. 90%. guy, butrong defense look at it. nato is a joke, and let me tell you why. germany is getting all of their gas to heat their homes and etc. from russia. nato was set up to protect germany and -- from russia. germany is not paying 2%. we are the defense protection for europe. that makes no sense at all. having this conversation with republicans only, asking about support the party for president trump, whether you see any wavering. mick mulvaney the acting chief of staff was on fox news sunday

on sunday, and was asked about the issue. here's what he had to say. [video clip] >> there seems to be a growing number of republicans in congress who are if not breaking with the president than distancing themselves. you have mitch mcconnell who wrote a scathing article about syria this week. i will put up one of his quotes. "withdrawing u.s. forces from syria is a great strategic mistake and strategic nightmare for our country. house republicans voted against 129-60, and icy talked to a very well-connected republican in washington this week. someone whose name you would know well who says that if the house votes to impeach and it gets to a trial in the senate, there is a 20% chance, and this is just an estimate. there is a two any percent chance that enough republicans

will vote to remove the president. >> that is absurd, but let us deal with the issue of syria. >> let us deal with the issue on whether the republicans are losing your support. >> the comment about the 20% chance, the person does not know what they are talking about. talk about the reaction of republicans to the decision in syria. the president knew that it would happen. he recognizes that it is not politically popular to make the decision to move the troops out of syria. he ran on it and told people that he would do this if you wanted. >> i just want to ask you, is there any concern that the president is losing support of republicans in congress? >> the president's popular back home, more popular in swing districts now that impeachment has started. they have to go home eventually as well. do i understand that there are certain folks who are upset about the syria decision. i do. the president knew it would

happen. elections have consequences on foreign policy, and thankfully they do. [end video clip] host: the president's acting chief of staff from this weekend. having the conversation this morning as the impeachment inquiry continues on capitol hill. taylor, testifying behind closed doors today. we will wait to see if any members make comments, and if they do we will bring it to you on c-span as we have been doing throughout the impeachment inquiry. as of today, making it easier to webpagesl of c-span's and coverage of the impeachment in curry, you can go to c-span.org/impeachment any time. they are all of the congressional briefings, hearings, as well as the response during the process. you can access entire events as well as interest for quick

viewing. that is your fast and easy way to access all of the unfiltered coverage, and you can do so at c-span.org. landon has been waiting in richmond. you are next. caller: good morning. off i saying i have never criticized donald trump, but donald trump's problems started before he was president. 2014, and i dond not think he was even thinking about running for president. it started out because they wanted a businessman in the government. you cannot run the government as a business. the united states government is not a business. let us talk about quid pro quo. all politicians take money for something. them,alking about all of republicans and democrats. people are saying why would he

support that? every politician, democrats and republican takes money for something. going on about what's in the world. say that wejority should attack iraq. it was his father who said you would have trouble with the islamic people, because the islamic people would rather fight the russians first, and then they would rather fight each other next, and then fight united states. everything was changed with that. out of middleburg, pennsylvania. ofr thoughts on support president trump within the

republican party. caller: there are no cracks, but a couple of crackpots and sour grapes. anyway, a house divided cannot stand, and it has not been more divided since 1860. if we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat it. winston churchill told us that the one thing we learned from history is that we do not learn from history. little chickens are running around saying the skies falling and nader is standing behind saying wolf. constant drumbeat of negativity from "the new york times" and msnbc. host: you mentioned mitt romney. how do you feel about john kasich? caller: i said that there are crackpots in the republican party, and that is the cracks that are there.

those will heal if we get back in time. somebody is doing something about it, and they are mad. host: here is the former republican governor from ohio, john kasich on pbs late last week. [video clip] >> it is one thing for a president to be able to pull aid from a country based on public policy, but another thing to dangle aid, vital military aid, over the head of a nation fighting for their survival. on youn politics, based have to do this investigation that we want. we do not want any president to do that. this is really hard for me. it is a really sad day. i do not want to have to be doing this, but when i look at it and i have a responsibility to questions, i felt that this was the right thing to do. i feel good about what i said, but i am saddened. [end video clip]

john kasich announcing his support for impeachment late last week. getting your thoughts with republicans only in this first hour. also looking for your text messages and twitter and facebook comments as well. here is a text message from one of our viewers. "i support our president and i want the impeachment to go forward, to take all the ammunition from the liberals from both parties so he can be found not guilty of all made up charges from liberals and never trumpers." this from mickey saying "i am a republican and did not vote for trump or clinton, however i voted republican. in 2020 i prefer to vote for a republican, however if trump is on the ballot i will vote for a democrat candidate." mike out of florida. republican. good morning. have so many things that i want to say -- caller: i have so many things i

want to say, but i think a lot of people are ignorant about ukraine. when i listen to people calling 80% of the that republicans do not know what they are talking about, and 99% of the democrats do not know what they are talking about. the hearings that they are having now are what the soviet union want -- used to have when they want to get rid of a person. it is called a kangaroo court, and everything is done in secret. i have watched ukrainian tv for decades, and recently ukrainians have nothing negative to say about trump, but in the past they have said so many negative things about obama, how he with hillary'sin famous reset button and opened

up the door for him to invade any country that is bordering him. and then, when crimea was invaded, and it was an invasion. , it was no civil war. in the fighting in the east is an invasion, not a civil war. was -- three years by congress to send arms to ukraine and we was very crucial at the time -- host: out of curiosity you said you've been watching ukrainian tv for decades, why were you doing that? caller: because i know ukrainians and our media is very lacking. especially international news. don'th bbc, but even they provide the news i'm interested in. why not go to the source. host: that is mike in fort lauderdale, florida. the impeachment inquiry, we told

you about william paylor, the top u.s. diplomat in ukraine testifying today, that is probably the testimony we will -- that will get the most focus this week. several other current and former trump administration officials testify behind closed doors. michael duffy, the associate director of national security program at the offices of -- office of management and budget and the defense department ,fficial overseeing ukraine director of european affairs. been'stimonies has sought. intelligence committee, foreign affairs committee and oversight committee all three house committees these ongoing impeachment inquiry probes and

the testimonies that have taken place. rodney's neck set of plainfield, indiana, good morning. goodgood morning -- >> morning to you. supporters what the cracks are. there are a lot of cracks, the biggest crack is they cannot cut the strings to people. or publicans or democrats, they have to have strings on people. they can't pull his strings. it's strange to me how the news media tries to cut those strings. host: what do you mean by cut those strings? caller: donald trump doesn't cater to republicans or democrats, he compares -- he is for the american person, the american people. the people of america.

he wants this country to be great and that's what he is trying to do. this is a country that we come over here and took away from the native indians, we took it away from them. it's our country. now you've got the globalists out there who want to make everything globalized, donald trump wants this country to be a national country and be proud of this country again. and prosper again. we used to make the cadillac of products announce a big throwaway country, that's what we turned into. host: that's rodney in indiana. denise is out of new york, a republican, good morning. caller: good morning. i think trump is actually giving a little report. after the mullah report came out i know people that were just

disgusted with the democrats for the way they had been complaining since the day he came into office, so i think the problem for the democrats is going to be even if people don't always like trump, which we all have a problem sometimes with what he does or what he says. i think the democrats aren't going to have anybody worthy of voting for either so i think either people will either stay home or trump is going to pick up the vote. as far as the republican vote and him about syria, a lot of those people get money from the defense and money is the problem with everything. so they did this to appease to people who give to their campaigns. as far as the investigation into it money for biden, i think affects the left and the right because they will look at it, if we investigate biden they will

look at it and i'm sure their other democrats and republicans whose -- whose kids got rich. it's a bill of this is happened to so both the left in the right are afraid of trump, i agree he doesn't have the strings and as far as the syria -- host: on the investigation into president would the just ask for the investigation into biden? you are sure -- you said you are sure there are others it happened to, why would he use the power just for the guy who at the time was the front runner running against him and 2020? caller: i think a lot of it goes has andthe money that why may be obama's presidency wasn't harder on china. or sold uranium to

ukraine, there was a little hillary dealing with it as well. i just think other people are run by money. that's the problem. we are going to lose our republic if we don't give some , i tend to be more independent but i've got to tell you trump was the first person in my life that i donated to his campaign. i had never done that before. my husband registered to vote for the very first time just because we were so mad at the direction the country was going in and there are a lot of us that still feel that way and trump has done almost everything he said he was going to do. he doesn't get credit for that. he has worked on the jail system, he got people off food stamps, people working. so many positives but the republic is broken because our idia, you can't even --

missed the days where you could have a good debate. host: out of curiosity, how much did you give in 2016? caller: $100. host: are you planning on donating again in 2020? caller: probably. i probably will but i want to see who the democrats. i'm open-minded but i don't see anyone on the democrats side that i can believe in and that wants to take the country in the way i think it should go. the democrats not voting even on the trade deal with mexico and canada, it doesn't make sense. we have to fix this. host: denise out of new york. on the united states mexico canada trade agreement talking about that as well next with ted

yoho, congressman from florida. and member of the foreign affairs and agriculture committees. on the issues of canada, that election yesterday took place. prime minister justin trudeau surviving both scandals and missteps on the campaign trail to win a plurality of seats in parliament in canada's federal election. majority to retain his government dependent on the sport of smaller parties to advances agenda. it will be his fourth minority government in 15 years and a setback for trudeau, the 47-year-old liberal leader who was swept to power in 2015 with a stunning landslide victory, here is some of his comments last night in his election victory speech in montreal. >> it has been the greatest honor of my life to serve you for these past quattro years and tonight, you are sending us back to work for you.

[applause] we take this responsibility seriously and we will work hard for you, for your family, and for your future. to those who voted for our party, thank you for putting your trust in our team. thank you for having faith in us, to move this country in the right direction. those who did not vote for us, know that we will work every single day for you. we will govern for everyone. [applause] regardless of how you cast your ballot, ours is a team that will fight for all canadians. host: justin trudeau last night and last night just after midnight getting a congratulations text from president trump, a congratulations tweet

congratulating him on a wonderful hard-fought victory and as the president wrote a work forward to working with you for the betterment of both of our countries. the president on twitter last night. your phone calls this morning, a conversation about this topic, this is the headline from the washington post political column. if you republican cracks on impeachment are showing. mitt romney mentioned in that story, francis rooney, a congressman now retiring from florida mentioned in that story. we want to hear from republicans only. if you think that is the case and that's what you are seeing where you live in this country. ed in manassas, virginia. near being a very lifelong never trumper when trump criticized ted cruz during the election. but based on the media falsehoods and the democratic party inability to govern, they

seem intent on obstruction, investigation and division. i've learned why they are doing this, why they are attacking trump's because the democrats can't govern. everywhere they govern, california's most impoverished state if you take into account cost of living. liberal or democrat congressional districts are almost universally have the most inequality and we know about crime and democrat governed hellholes. we know obama lost ukraine, syria and crimea. he oversaw north korea expand their weapons, their missile yield tenfold and then develop missiles that could reach thousands of miles into the pacific so democrats can't govern so they are attacking trump by this extraconstitutional means. i think it's very dangerous in dubious and tyrannical.

so for that reason, not that i like trump, it's i hate democrats. i'm sticking with them because he's the best hope we have to stop this democratic party tyranny. >> you said you're a constitutional conservative. one other comment from the president's cabinet that got a lot of attention, the president blasting the phony emoluments clause of the constitution which played a role in him scrapping his plans to host the g7 summit at his resort down in florida next year. what did you think of that comment? caller: i see a great deal of hypocrisy from the left. truncate $400,000 to charity. that's a small sum when you count his millions. i saw the fortune 500 list he dropped down. when you juxtapose what they are criticizing trump for with the fact that barack obama now is getting $500,000 for his to wall street cronies and joe biden

goes over to china and his son gets a billion-dollar deal in china and he put -- he gets put on a board, his crack addict son is put on a board in an industry he doesn't know anything about for over $100,000 a month, i find that extremely dubious and i find the media, the left-wing media, to be extremely dishonest and they don't represent free speech. they represent the democratic party machine, the democrat propaganda ministry. that is dangerous for free speech as well. another reason why support trump. int: this is cory pennsylvania, good morning. caller: good morning, thanks for taking my call. thank you for c-span. the cracks i see in the party line is i'm a union member and union members have almost always supported democrats and i can

honestly tell you there's a lot of union members there will be voting trump again in 2020. host: and why is that? caller: the economy is doing so well and when your construction worker into you work out of baltimore in their buildings being built all over the place and the economy is doing well. drywall is are making the most $18 an hour to hang drywall. that is good money. host: one of the headlines from the washington times also noting the president's comments at his cabinet meeting yesterday. trump touting his economic record in the fight against impeachment. mario is next out of lebanon, ohio. caller: good morning. yes i noticed you reference the washington post and i would encourage you to look up an article last week from the cincinnati enquirer where a reporter was sent on assignment to go back to his hometown in appalachia and he wrote an excellent article about the

strong support that he is finding. a few quick points. you posed a socratic question to the call recently about why the president focused in on biden and i wonder if you at the same skepticism with regards to the whole mueller investigation and the genesis of that and how the presidential candidate of the time, trump was being targeted both before and after he was elected. that's a question you might want to ask yourself. did you have that same skepticism without investigation is to mark host: what is your level of skepticism with the impeachment inquiry going on now? caller: extremely high skepticism. let me make a quick point about kasich from a governmental standpoint. ohio when governor of the whole gay marriage issue is being held in the supreme court. i'm not talking about the merits

of whether someone can marry someone else, i'm talking about ohio had a constitutional amendment passed by a democratic process here in ohio and when he was interviewed by someone on abc with regards to that, he said nothing. he said i have a friend who's gay, i can go to his marriage. you can -- some of you may remember that, he said nothing about supporting the people of ohio who had constitutionally passed a marriage amendment. that is the type of governor he is and he is a mealymouthed republican. i would also pass that on to portman as well. he came out and said i support the mueller investigation and everything. have you heard one word from portman now that there is an into thetion by barr genesis again of the investigation. he says nothing. he is mealymouthed and quiet. thanks for taking my thoughts in the last thing i would share for you is here in lebanon, the flag

is already flying for trump 2020. we are not even if you 2020 and we have trump 2020 flags throughout the neighborhood. twitteris alyssa on speaking about kasich. the media like to tout romney and kasich as being cracks in trump's support, they have been against trump from the start. most of d.c. was. it's a miracle trump is achieved as much as he has with so many in congress against him. he is a winner. bill is next in pennsylvania, good morning. caller: good morning. how are you doing? host: i'm doing well. caller: you are getting some good callers this morning. that 52-year-old lady from new york, there's a lot of ladies like that in pennsylvania and i can tell you who is cracking, the democrats are cracking because they just heard hillary clinton the other night on i

forget where it was that, she was calling tulsa gabbard, calling tulsa gaba day trader and tulsa gabbard is a combat veteran and when i hear something like that i think to myself, the news media every day is telling us republicans are cracking, they don't take a story like that and look at it and go why would hilary say something like that. because the noose is tightening around her neck as far as bill barr and durham getting to the bottom of things and they are desperate. i want to know one thing. what is worse, is it worse for somebody to say that guy was not born in america, he's not an american citizen or is it worse for someone to say a combat veteran, a member of congress is a traitor? ask yourself that and what you think, pedro?

host: this is john in salem, oregon. caller: good morning. first of all i want to say i am a trump supporter and go forward from there. people like mitt romney and john kasich are absolutely not trump supporters, i don't listen to anything they really have to say. made romney is upset because he is not president. he had the opportunity to beat obama in 2012 if he had just done his job. but he goes silent to the last two weeks of the campaign and obama wins. and now this countries and a huge mess because of that. trump as the news media, was right in february of 2017 when he called the news media the enemy of the people. i'm not talking about you because i really do appreciate c-span and pbs to a certain degree. but i don't even listen to the new york times, washington post,

cnn is ridiculous, msnbc i can't even begin to watch. i used to watch them a couple years ago but they are so partisan against trump. it is ridiculous. now cracks, i don't believe it, i don't see it. host: when you talk about the news media being against president trump, how do you think president trump has done in sort of navigating the response to the impeachment inquiry? there have been some republicans were called for the white house to create a war room coordinated response. the president choosing instead to sort of go on his own and being his own best spokesman on this front. where do you fall on that? trump shouldnk have a better cast of people around him. i think there should be may be a war room. there should be some advises around to more people that should be the ones coming out and speaking out for him. i would like to see him a little bit less involved in calling people names and be more focused

on getting the word out there as far as his plan, his programs, his successes and so forth. host: who would be good to do that in your mind and who hasn't done that well? caller: which job well? host: the messaging job, the speaking up shop. caller: the news media is the one that's not speaking up. you see nothing in the news media about his economy, the success he is having, but the unemployment being down, etc.. host: if president trump should step back from doing that, who would you like to see step up more and be one of those messengers? caller: i could see mick mulvaney, i could see pence doing that. i think there is a good cast of characters in the republican party that can really speak up and help him as far as being able to do that. i don't think the press, not

saying the press is the enemy of the trump, if the enemy of the american people because they are not reporting the news correctly. host: that is john from oregon come more on the messaging front, here is the story out of the washington post. as the white house says to build a political operation to counter the democrats on the impeachment issue, some outside outs -- the trump white house and some allies including former white house chief of staff steve bannon have started their own initiatives to boost the president. bannon, who is had a strained and turbulent relationship with trump ever since he was ousted in 2017 had talks over the weekend with associates about launching a podcast that he hopes would serve as an outside war room of sorts for the president. saying according to three people who are familiar with his plan "there is not enough focus and communication between the white " bannon saidhill

in a brief telephone call. this is a public media play that would have every day focus to help people understand what's going on. that from today's paper. lewis in sterling, virginia, you are next. good morning. caller: thanks for taking my call. i guess my question would be where was the outrage and calls for impeachment during the fast and furious and irs targeting of conservative groups? tosident trump's phone call this ukrainian president pales -- i mean pales in comparison to those issues and here is the crazy thing. suburbs in the d.c. where you would think a lot of people would be educated on this stuff. my liberal friends and coworkers never even heard of those stories. never even heard of those stories. forget, the aid to

ukraine was denied by president obama, trump at least came in and gave some initially wears president obama said sorry, you guys are on your own wears president trump initially went and gave and authorized that lethal aid. media here is just so blatantly biased, people don't even hear about these stories, they are completely ignorant. as far as the cracks in republicans, i mean kasich ann romney i think is another -- kasich and romney both wanted to be president. romney has wanted to since he was a teenager and there is jealousy there. they are hoping to seize on that and there is resentment and that's what you are seeing. host: jeffrey in brooklyn, good morning. caller: good morning. am a republican but i'm republican the believes and facts. i'm just going to speak on the

previous caller. it bothers me that nowadays we live in the greatest country in the world, we have the best press ever in the world. it bothers me we don't believe in factual reality anymore. we have a president now who on a and governs conspiracy theory. he just pulled our troops out of syria and put them in harm's way because these are people who actually serve with the kurds and now you make them feel -- the kurds are looking at them and saying save us, we've known you for so long. -- we fought this war together. and they say we can't do anything because we have orders from the president so we have to get out. all the promises we

made is out the window. job, but i not your still feel like you have to do a little pushback when people call in and give all this crazy stories about trump is doing this, this man is destroying this country. so you didn't support trump and 2016? , but i well i didn't believe in the republican party. host: what does the republican party for today? caller: now we don't even know what we stand. the party stands with trump. host: what do you think it should stand for as a republican? caller: for freedom. we believe in free trade, all of a sudden now it's whatever trump says is what we do.

host: who was the last republican that stood for that the voted for? caller: george bush. because he has compassion. as a president you have to have some type of compassion. you can't just ignore people's pain. i know it is not your job, but you have to push back on a lot of things these people call and say because we can't live in this kind of life. host: jeffrey in brooklyn. this is jim out of detroit. good morning. caller: good morning, thanks for taking my call. i agree with that man from new york. and dad told mom me first impression and i remember back before trump elect -- got elected, i watched shows about him and he was a failed businessman and i have always been republican and he started running for office and he

started attacking the other people against him, not their platforms, the people. ugly, it is not presidential. he has never been presidential break -- presidential. pulling out the troops now? i feel less secure in my home in the united states of america right now than any other time i ever have in my whole life. said a couple callers back the cracks that are being discussed right now in their publican party are sour grapes, are folks who ran against the president and had it out for the president. do you see a turn among republicans that you talk to where you live in detroit, michigan? caller: i feel like within the cavanaugh -- kava

naugh got put in the supreme court, i felt like things have been going wrong. trump, ito believe in thought maybe he could do something for this country, but it just seems like he is a whirlwind and has no real direction and i don't know. it just makes me really sad that the other republicans don't go by like the guy from new york said, facts. like't know, it's just people just disavow everything that news media says anymore and it is depressing. our last caller in this first section. we will be joined by representative ted yoho of

florida, a member of the foreign affairs committee and house agriculture committee. later, we will be joined by discuss theer to impeachment inquiry into president trump. we will be right back. ♪ >> the house will be in order. >> for 40 years, c-span has been providing america unfiltered coverage of congress, the white d.c., and washington, .round the nation c-span is brought to you by your local television or cable provider. c-span, your unfiltered view of

government. >> here is a look at some books being published this week. trump versus china," newt gingrich suggests china possesses the greatest threat to the united states. in "three days at the brink," tehranear recalls the conference where they planned military to end world war ii. in "it shouldn't be this hard to serve your country," david the countriesbed -- serving as the secretary of veterans affairs. the settling of the american west in "dreams of el dorado." edison, the late pulitzer

prize winning biographer -- recalls the lesser-known achievements of thomas edison. watch for many of the authors in the future on book tv on c-span two. for youe making it easy to follow the impeachment inquiry on c-span.org. video on demand of the congressional briefings and hearings, as well as the administration's response. log on to our impeachment inquiry webpage at yourn.org/impeachment, fast and easy way to watch c-span's unfiltered coverage anytime. >> "washington journal" continues. host: your fast and easy way to watch c-span's unfiltered congressman, republican from florida, member one of the committee is

leading the impeachment committee. he called on republicans to get tougher infighting impeachment. what do you think he meant? guest: just to push back on the narrative the democrats are pulling out and talking about this collusion and corruption. to bring the narrative back to the 2016 election moving forward , with all the things we know beenhappened that have not investigated -- lois lerner, james comey, hillary clinton, all of those things back to 2016. why were there fisa warrants signed? i read the intelligence briefing and i can understand signing the first one, but the next three should not have been signed because they are based on a false premise. att: the president took time his cabinet meeting yesterday to note that democrats stick

together better. i wonder, do you see these cracks in the republican conference on the house side? guest: there is talk about that, but to your point, democrats have always done that. they may not like each other but they stick together on points. the republicans are more independent and freethinking and we challenge things. i have been in the middle of that sometimes. as far as a crack in the republicans, there is some dissatisfaction but i think they will stick together. host: dissatisfaction along what lines? this: frustrated, impeachment inquiry going on since the president got elected. and republicans hung together yesterday when i came to the censure vote of adam schiff. 217, all democrats voting to table it and all republicans voting to move forward.

you fell into the move forward category. why do you think adam schiff should be censured? guest: if you go back to where it started, nancy pelosi started off, we are going to have an inquiry. those,past, when we had and inquiry and impeachment, they were voted on the house floor. that is not the law, but is the precedent that has been set. she broke from that. they went into the closed door hearings and the president has not had his legal counsel. there is no subpoena power he is able to use. we have been banned from going into the testimony of some of the republican members. this is supposed to be a fair process to let the american people know about these charges, are they legitimate or not? the democrats are piecemealing and saying, we got you i think this will wind up throwing in

their face, just like adam schiff said there was proof of collusion with the russians and that was a hoax. are a member of the foreign relations committee. are you allowed to go into today's briefing? guest: we are going to attempt to go in and we should be able to go in. host: we have seen these closed doors hearings in the past. how many have you gone to? guest: i have not gone to any. i have been busy with different assignments and my daughter had a grandchild. host: where should congress focus its efforts? guest: what we need to do as a nation, and congress should do this as a nation, focus on our national debt. we should focus on border security. this is something we could focus

on if we talk about border security, but if you bring up a wall, we should work at a good amigration policy or at least policy for our agricultural industry. we should look at trade disputes with different countries, mainly china, and look at what china is doing. i think our biggest threat is china. we cannot forget about north korea. the market onered rare metals and produce 85% of the active ingredients that go into our medicine. they have cornered the market on minerals that go into our livestock feed. they have positioned themselves favorably and we have allowed it , so we should focus on the things that will have a long-term impact in this country. impeachment is a distraction the democrats are using as a political tool to keep president trump from being reelected host:

. -- beingwing reelected. host: is it slowing down other processes? guest: we have a bell in the house and senate that is probably the most favorable bill we have heard from industry. to get that through is a tough thing. on impeachmently and the toxic environment that brings up, it is hard to focus on anything else. host: ted yoho our guest, republican from florida. taking your phone calls. on the phone lines for republicans, (202) 748-8001, democrats, (202) 748-8000, independents, (202) 748-8002. from minnesota, joanne, independent. caller: good morning. independent,

representative, but it sure is nice to hear someone make some , and the topics you are addressing is what is important. i would like to make a couple of comments. i too feel the impeachment should not be happening. i feel that it is a sham and they are basing it on this call. as the president of the united states, the media is not listening to him. the media is not listening to the president of the ukraine. i think this is a sham, and other leaders are not going to want to deal with this. you were talking about the cracks before in the republicans. i think they really need to look. he was talking to the ukrainian president about corruption, not a political thing.

it seems the media and the democrats want to make everything political. this wasn't political. it was to get at the corruption. guest: thank you for the call. i was born in minnesota, so i appreciate your stance. and thengress, house senate, republicans and democrats, we need to focus on what is best for america in all of our policies. andre looking down the road should be looking 50 to 100 years to lay a course for this nation so that following generations should follow that. , i cannotshortsighted tell you what we will do by the end of the month for the funding of the government. we need to do what is best for america, not what is best for an american -- a political party. host: as pulling troops out of

syria best for america? guest: what they are talking about doing is creating a safe turkey.ween syria and this is something we advocated five or six years ago. we talked over and over again about creating a safe zone. pulling troops out of syria, they are going to leave 200, i have to go back to why are we in syria? it goes back to president obama and 2011 and 2014. you have to look at the genesis of why we are in syria. how do we get out? it is an endless war. there are so many competing forces, something has to be done. pulling troops out of syria, is it right or not, history will judge. the best thing to do is to take off the band-aid rapidly, work with russia and syria and turkey to create a safe zone so we can

relieve the stress on turkey from syria and jordan and other areas, so that hopefully you get the semblance of stability. host: who ensures that safe zone? guest: good question. who showed? turkey is talking about taking over a 300 mile area of syria. there needs to be a coalition of countries that have a vested interest in that area, and i would like to see that negotiation going on. i would like to see american notence at the negotiation, so much with forces on the ground. this started with an operation in 2011. president obama author raised that authorized -- authorized billions and troops started going in. that is how we started some of these never-ending wars. we need to look at that

strategy. host: members on capitol hill looking at that strategy in the form of congressional hearings. two: 30 today, the senate foreign relations committee on turkey's offensive in northeast syria. next out of oakdale, new york, republican. caller: good morning. guest: good morning. caller: i really feel that there is some people in the democratic party that need to go to jail. how do they get away with bashing the president, investigating, going into their homes, arresting them guns drawn? all sorts of issues with the russian collusion started against mccain.

many republicans had flipped and gone to the democratic party. i wonder if they paid them. i wonder if there was money. they were republican and all of a sudden sided with the democrats. guest: i don't know what people do. with the news media -- no offense to john josh it can be toxic -- john -- it can be toxic. we should serve the american party. to serve a political party in this environment, we divide america. if you look at our founding thatiples and core values have given opportunity to so many people, those are neither republican or democrat ideals, those are american ideologies. the warning from our founding fathers, political parties will be the demise of this country. we should focus on what is best

for this country and have policies working together where people on both sides of the aisle can come together and work on that. until we do that, we will see this divide. this impeachment thing needs to go away. this is something the democrats well regret going down this path. host: do you think people should go to jail? guest: people who have broken the law should go to jail. that is the frustration of the american people. there is so many things done wrong that we as private citizens would be in jail, but in washington, if you took evidence and withheld it from the fbi or damaged or destroyed it, you and i would go to prison. if you are a former secretary of state and first lady, seems like it is ok. host: doug, fairfax, south dakota, a democrat.

caller: good morning. now, he tells a lot of lies. he started out telling me obama wasn't a citizen. lie. he said the inauguration crowd was a lot larger. pictures show a lie. then he tells me the "access hollywood" tape was not him. lie. on the airline -- airplane, that was another lie, and i could go on and on. deal, he isria showing that he has orange hair on the back and a yellow stripe running down his back. he wants to get rid of isis and then he turns around. his yellow streak is showing. guest: as far as why -- i don't want to go down that path

because we could go to president obama with the affordable care act, your health insurance will go down, you can keep your dr.. that is politics, unfortunately. if you don't like the people in politics, change them. kurds,as syria and the the kurds are strong fighters and have been strong allies, yet they are people without land. they have an area in a rock but it is not kurdish land. -- iraq but it is not kurdish land. they need to have a place they can go and operate peacefully without fear of being demolished or wiped out or genocide. that is the thing that we need to stick close to our allies and support them. that is why i support a safe zone between northern syria and turkey, and there has to be provisions for the kurds who have stood with us.

to leave them hanging, i don't think is the right thing to do. it will damage foreign policy in the future and hurt alliances we have. we need to get out of syria. you have too many competing interests fighting for different causes. we don't have time to go into that more. there is competing interests in syria between the russians, turkey, iran, isis, and these other factions. host: congressman ted yoho has been with us for the past 18 minutes. tweet --he president's someday if a democrat becomes president and republicans when the house, even by a tiny margin they can impeach the president without due process or any legal rights. republicans must remember what they are watching here, a lynching. we will win. guest: the emphasis needs to be

on all americans. all americans need to be concerned. when you get a breakdown of the rule of law or due process, that is not healthy for anybody. i hate to focus on a republican or democratic issue. this is the bedrock of our republic and we need to come together and get over this. if there was something that is impeachable, go through with it, but if not, do not go through with endless investigations. the whistleblower came out anonymously with all this scathing information and adam schiff said this is it, and they say we do not need the guide to come forward because we have his testimony. that shows one side is trying to outdo the other side for political gain. bring this person out, let republicans in, and have the

debate and front of the american people and let them decide. host: sailors ville, kentucky, jimmy is a republican. caller: i was watching c-span. nice to be talking to you. there was a lady on that said inre was only 24 soldiers syria. we know there is more than that. i can't get over all the lies. i am a hard republican. mercy.ve i am a christian, and to see the lies and stuff going on, not just by the democrats but by the republicans. why can't we tell the truth about what is going on in the world? point and got a great being a christian, i appreciate you saying that.

only one person will fix this country, the man upstairs. prayers are needed more than ever when we are this divided. it has been said in the bible and abraham lincoln said a nation divided upon itself cannot stand. where are we going as a nation? china is our biggest threat. i admire one of the things they did. mao laidung laid -- out a 100 year plan for china and they have done a remarkable job at our expense and other nation's expense. we need to have that kind of leadership. we need to look down the road and get out of these things that distract us. if you look at the front of your car and try to stay on the centerline, you are all over the road but if you look over the road you are able to stay in line.

these other things are sideshows. bring up border security. democrats agree with that, but do not let the word "wall" come up because then it is trump's wall and they are divided. everyone wants immigration control. we need to have responsible leaders in washington who can build a consensus. , also think of this saying when my people turn away from their wicked ways and humble themselves, i will bless them. host: you are working on a guestworker program. guest: i appreciate that opportunity. you cannot talk immigration because the republicans are accused of wanting to depart everyone in the democrats are accused of giving amnesty. what we are focusing on is doing

program-- guestworker mainly for agriculture to allow people to come in to the country prescreened and stay five years on a permit. i have to work 75% of the time. they are dedicated to ag. it allows temporary workers to come in on the h2 a program. workers. the seasonal for so many agricultural sectors, whether it is the nursery, the dairy industry, those are year-round industries that need year-round help we cannot fulfill domestically. the other thing it does is it takes that group of people who are here illegally, and we know they are here working on farms, it allows them to apply to this program. background checks are done and

if they get accepted, they are here for five years at a time. there is a $2500 fee. fine for the500 person who came in illegally. that is acknowledging they came in and broke our law, but once the background check is in they get a five-year permit that allows them to drive in this country. host: what happens after five years? guest: they can renew for another five years. they are applying under the premise that we are here to get you to a legal point where you can work in this country legally, come out of the shadows. you will get issued a 15 digit identification number, tax number. they are paying into our system. while that family or the person a family if he has

that came in illegally, while he applies that family is protected from deportation. once he gets accepted his family is protected five years at a time. host: how do you define family? guest: mother and children. host: is there an eventual way to become a citizen? guest: no, it is a pathway to work legally. to become a citizen they go through the citizen channels. host: is this something the white house supports? guest: we have shared it and they are interested. we have done workshops around the country with industry, and from every ag sector that you can think of. everybody tells us this is the most common sense reform they have seen. host: fred in jessup, maryland, republican. caller: why are there double

standards in the congress and senate? that seems like republicans are held accountable immediately. steve king, when he made a remark, he resigned real quick. i remember ralph northam, the governor of virginia with pictures of him in blackface laughing it up. his lieutenant governor is accused of rape and nothing is said. why are republicans held accountable and the other side is not? host: steve king is still a member of congress. guest: that is a great question and that is some of the frustration that goes on. it is a double standard. elections have consequences. you cannot vote somebody out of another party because you are not that member. american people are fed up with the double standards, and we need to hold everybody to the same standards and accountability. when we do that, things will be better off. the democrats circle the wagons

around their members. republicans stand up and say, if you did this wrong, you need to get out. .teve king was treated unfairly he has said some contentious things, but i know steve's heart. host: sterling, virginia, paul, democrat. caller: thank you for c-span. just a couple questions. how do you feel about president trump saying the phony emoluments clause? how do you feel about mick mulvaney's statements the other ,ay admitting to quid pro quo and donald trump asking china to investigate the bidens on the white house lawn? you have all this evidence in front of you, and these are just a few examples. we could go on and on and hold a whole segment about everything this inquiry is -- impeachment

inquiry is about. it started with one whistleblower and it is up to three or four now. guest: the whistleblowers are accusations. they are going through the research process one sidedly, so it is not open and transparent. until we have open and transparency on the investigation of the whistleblowers, it is not a valid point. as far as president trump and the emollient clause, it is in the constitution and we need to hold people accountable. president trump backed off of doral and i'm glad he did. i listened to mick mulvaney and don lemon said it was clear there was quid pro quo. when i listened to the interview i came away saying there was absolutely no quid pro quo and he never said they were holding up this money. ,e talked about the corruption

and i stand with president trump . i stood with him when he pulled funding out of central america, because these are corrupt areas. as you know, the money was never held up. they got their money. we need to hold these foreign countries accountable when it comes to corruption and american taxpayers' money. that is why we passed the reform last congress. our goal is to get countries from aid to trade as soon as possible and if they do not follow the metrics, the money gets cut off. the united states international development finance corporation, so things will change. we will not get another president in this situation. host: is the international development finance corporation something that will be funded in

2020? we are coming up to the fiscal 2020 situation. his funding in danger? guest: it got short-term funding. adam boler is the new ceo. the funding will come next year. this is a very strategic tool that america has not had. one will counter china's belts, one road initiative. this is talked about around the world and it will be interesting watching this rolled out. my bet is the funding will be ande because both democrats republicans understand the significance of the development finance corporation as a foreign policy tool. host: when do we start seeing the results of that? is it still being stood up? guest: it is being stood up but implemented. the goal is to invest in

infrastructure development in ofntries, and development infrastructure leads to developing economies, which leads to jobs and more trade. by doing that, we have stronger national security. host: when you talk about loan that, is this a we will get paid back for? guest: in the past, we would give out grants. we would give out loans that never got repaid. in this, we can take what we call an equity stake. the best way i heard this explained is if i give you a grant and you build a road, that is the end of the process. if we build a road and make it a tollroad, we get paid back. that country develops an economy based on that infrastructure so you get more investment from other businesses in countries. you can grow an economy bigger

by the bigger investment we do in infrastructure. on top of that, we can lend in foreign currency and receive payment, whereas before you current -- couldn't, so you lost money in exchange rates. we can partner with other countries, something we have not had the capability of doing. host: does that make the united states a shareholder in projects around the world and we get a voice and what those projects are doing? guest: i don't want a voice as much as i want good infrastructure. we build on the opec model. 2016, itample is in was allocated $69 million and returned 200 million dollars to the american taxpayers. and usen do foreign aid taxpayers' money but get a positive return, every american

says we should be doing that. host: bill, alexandria, virginia, independent. caller: i saw where you were a veterinarian before you came to congress. guest: i will always be a veterinarian. this only job only lasts two years at a time. caller: what could you tell me about that big disease -- pig disease going through china? guest: that is an awesome question. i am a large animal veterinarian and i practiced for 30 years. it is african swine fever. it started off in africa, went to the balkan, cut across russia into asia. it has caused china to lose over population.r pig over 300 million sows have died. the word we heard is half a

billion. it has a high mortality rate of about 96%. it is a stable virus that can be transported in feed and products that come from asian countries. , thateople buy pig's ears can harbor african swine fever that comes into this country. we know it is going to spread. we want to do every safeguard we can, and the american consumers have a big hold on this. they can really participate by not buying stuff that comes from an asian country. my sister-in-law bought some dog food that proudly said made in america but under that it said from ingredients all over the world, and it was not cooked, it was frozen. african swine fever can survive in a frozen environment.

if the american consumer will be diligent and make sure they do not buy this stuff until the grocery stores they do not want the product, we can prevent that from coming in. i appreciate you bringing that question up because if we get african swine fever or foot and mouth disease, that is a national security risk because it is a food security risk. that is something we need to be vigilant about. host: is congress putting more funding toward it? guest: it is. we started an initiative in 2014 to create a fmd bank, foot and mouth disease, but we are putting an emphasis on african swine fever. countries are doing the research. ofis a collective movement animal researchers, drug vaxxing., and creative

the other is to prevent feedstock coming in from asian countries, to make sure it is inspected before it comes in. that is why the brazilian beef was such a concern, because they have foot and mouth disease and we do not need that beef. that virus can live in fresh, cool beef that might have chunks of bone. this is a national security risk, food security risk, and something we need to be vigilant, not just as people in government but as consumers. host: congressman ted yoho, always appreciate your time. guest: thank you, john. host: we will talk to georgetown university law professor jonathan galatzer about the impeachment inquiry. er about thegeltz

impeachment inquiry. ♪ >> our c-span campaign 2020 bus team is traveling across the country, visiting key battleground states in the 2020 presidential race, asking voters what issues they want presidential candidates to address during the campaign. >> an issue to me that is by far the most important in the 2020 election as the climate crisis. emergency, so as to express the urgency of the matter. report,g to the famous we have only 11 years to deal with this issue and we need to understand that 11 years is not a ton of time.

this is absolutely an emergency. we have to deal with this right now, today. >> something i want presidential candidates to talk about is the second amendment. i agree with the whole gun control thing, but his stuff is being brought on the black market, why do they want to take our guns away? why do they want to take away from the civilians of this country? why do they want to disarm us? >> i would like the candidates revive about how to international solidarity and trade borders. also, the former president of brazil. >> our kids are being left education, the

government tells you you have to do this and do that but no funding available. the taxpayers have to come up with it. >> voices from the campaign trail, part of c-span's battleground states tour. "washington journal" continues. host: joshua geltzer is back at our desk. theutive director at institute for constitutional advocacy at georgetown law. explain what the institute does. guest: thanks for the invitation to be here. we are dedicated to using the power of the courts to defend constitutional values. we bring litigation on issues ranging from the separation of powers to freedom of speech to battling immigration policies that we feel cross constitutional lines. host: when it comes to the impeachment inquiry, the

response from the white house has been one of noncooperation because they say the impeachment inquiry is denying the president's constitutional right to due process. is there such thing as due process when it comes to impeachment? guest: there is a process that is due, but not what the white house is saying. of thet encapsulation position as the memo that the white house counsel released publicly earlier this month. that memo says a couple of things. it confuses the phases of impeachment. impeachment begins in the house. think of that like an indictment, charges being brought. if charges are brought, it continues in the senate which is more of a trial. inc. of that moving from a grand jury -- think of that thing from a grand jury to a jury. there may be certain rights

attached to the later stage, but the memo does seemingly a deliberate job of mixing those up. the memo basically assumes the legal conclusion that the president has done no wrong and works backwards. it says because the president's ukraine phone call was fine and everything he does is fine, this impeachment inquiry is inherently illegitimate and the white house will not cooperate. that is at odds with the constitution. host: in the senate and the trial process, the chief justice oversees the trial. in the house during the indictment side, who decides what is fair, what is proper in that process? guest: the house does. the house is given a lot of leeway to figure out how it wants to determine whether articles of impeachment should be referred to the senate. now we have a couple of things

going on. inquiries are being made of a wide range of officials. our top diplomat of ukraine will testify in a closed door session on the hill. that is well within the house's prerogative to have those conversations in a way the house feels will elicit the information they need to refer articles of impeachment. host: executive privilege has come up. where does executive privilege and the right to conduct this investigation begin? guest: executive privilege is a real doctrine that protects certain conversations and communications between the president of the united states and high level advisors. it is a generalized statement of what might be within the scope of executive privilege, but i privilege is not absolute and

there are various ways privilege yields two other things. in the context of watergate, the court found any claim of executive call -- privilege by nixon as a yield to the criminal inquiry. .rivilege can be waived if some conversation i have had is otherwise privileged, yet i talk about it with you, it would have generally considered to have been given away or waived. many of the topics the houses interested in, the president tweets about, talks about, goes on about it at great length. we saw it at a bizarre cabinet meeting yesterday. even claims of privilege can yield you prerogatives of congress -- yield to prerogatives of congress. host: a conversation about the impeachment inquiry, joshua

.eltzer our guest phone lines as usual, republicans, (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independents, (202) 748-8002. if you have questions about impeachment, now is a good time to call in. can you talk about the need for a vote on the house floor to begin an impeachment inquiry? is that necessary? we have gone back and forth. guest: it is not necessary. it is something the trump white house and republicans on the and claiminging up the impeachment is illegitimate. they point to the past practice where there has been a formal vote to open impeachment. there is nothing in the

constitution that says that is required. the constitution gives to the house the prerogative to consider how to pursue and impeachment inquiry, and the house feels it has done what it needs to do. it authorized certain committees to go ahead and do the work we see them doing, issuing subpoenas, calling witnesses, and gathering the information to inform a vote. host: if impeachment is a political process, why not take that step out of an abundance of an effort to be fair? guest: i genuinely do not know because it is a political question. as a legal matter, it is not required. as a political matter, i am sure there is a calculation being weighed for the pros and cons of taking that vote. the sensibility has been to avoid it, but as a legal matter it is not a necessity to pursue and impeachment inquiry. springs,ry in york

republican. what is your question? caller: i have a question. i would like to know why they are talking about impeachment. what about the governors and of theand judges sanctuary cities? being caught up in impeachment? they are breaking the laws. guest: impeachment is a process that is reserved for federal officials. when the president has suggested that certain members of congress should be impeached, that is not something the constitution makes available. it does make it available for judges. why are people interested? people feel there has been or may have been the sort of impropriety that the founders worried about when they put

impeachment as a process into the u.s. constitution. alexander hamilton was one of the most vocal advocates of a strong presidency. he was one of the most vocal advocates of a robust impeachment process to ensure the strong president hamilton imagined could not use public office for private gain. that is the allegation about what trump has done, in conversations like the one with the ukrainian leaders a linsky, and that is what the -- zelensky and that is what the house is talking about. host: you are involved in litigation against the white house. what can you say? tost: we are honored represent the u.s. house of representatives in one piece of legislation connected to the conversation we are having today , the lawsuit filed against don mcgahn, the former white house counsel, seeking to enforce the congressional subpoena served on

him. host: why did you get involved? guest: this fits within our mandate. the courts are a place where some of the partisanship we see in public dialogue and in the white house does not stop legal arguments from being made and heard. whether it is a case like that one or other cases, we still get a fair shake in making legal arguments about the constitution and statutes in front of judges. this fits within our mandate. host: where does that case stand? guest: there has been extensive briefing. you can find our latest filing on my twitter feed. we and the house lawyers will be in court next week, halloween, arguing that case. jgeltzn twitter, it is er. marianne is a democrat. caller: good morning, how are

you? host: good. go ahead. caller: i have a question about the subpoenas. does not the congress have a right to arrest these people? there is about 15 people that ignoring theletely congressional subpoenas. host: let's take that up. guest: in general, there are three ways in which one can imagine the house and the particular circumstances of the moment trying to enforce the subpoenas. one is to go to court. is -- the mcgann case is the leading example of the house doing that. thewould be to refer to u.s. justice department for criminal investigation and prosecution, noncompliance. that has a practical problem.

it is the same u.s. justice department resisting this impeachment inquiry and has to report to donald trump. as a practical matter, that seems a nonstarter. that has led people to explore what the caller suggests, the inherent contempt authority of congress. there are a number of instances in our nation's history in which congress has gone out and detained somebody, whether at the capital or a holding place in the district of columbia, under this inherent authority. about a century ago, the supreme court upheld that authority, but it has its downsides. it is not clear the current supreme court would give as much leeway as some of the advocates might imagine. one could see that authority being abused. congress is a political body and to have a political body detaining americans for what

that body regards as noncompliance, especially if there were minimal judicial review, has the potential to become worrisome. i share the caller's animated concern. congress is issuing subpoenas and those are not optional. they should be complied with. host: who would be the one doing the arresting, the capitol police force charged with patrolling the congressional offices? guest: in short, yes. that is the police force congress has at its disposal and it would be a remarkable thing to see someone from that piece , arrestovernment go out somebody and detain someone. i suspect that person would quickly go to court and we would be back in the federal courts arguing about the legitimacy. host: waldorf, maryland, james, independent. caller: i was a republican.

now i am an independent. i just cannot understand why the facts no longer matter. that is my statement. i have a question. my question would be a litmus test basically. that come all guests on c-span with a simple question -- have you or do you think the president has ever lied? do you think donald trump has ever lied or willingly deceived the american people on any issue? so.t: i do think i will call to mind just yesterday when the president referred to the phony emoluments clause of the constitution. if he was suggesting there was not an emoluments clause, that is not true. there are two, domestic and foreign. both designed to guard against

someone enriching themselves by holding public office. that is a fiduciary duty and should not be used for personal gain. it is just the latest incident of the president giving rise to where he began, two different universes of facts. it makes it hard to have reasonable conversation and reasoned disagreement when we have in america splitting into two camps and their sense of what the truth is. host: a question from our text service -- do you think we are in a constitutional crisis? guest: that phrase is tempting to use and hard to pin down. i have seen how frequently at has been used in the past few years. the peak usage was from donald announcement by jim, he would not pursue -- jim

comey he would not pursue criminal charges against hillary clinton. we are sidling up to what merit -- what might merit that phase. it is one thing to disagree on policy and another thing on law, but when you have a letter from the white house counsel saying this impeachment inquiry will be resisted because we disagree with the conclusion that it is your congress'to consider and potentially reach, namely whether the president involved in wrongdoing. therefore, we will tell witnesses not to show up and not share documents. that stops the pieces of our government from playing a role in our system and it looks like a constitutional crisis. from this october 8 letter the white house counsel to the united states congress and the committees investigating president trump. marlon in kansas city, missouri, a democrat. caller: how are you doing?

i have called in before and i peoplenow why you have -- what happened with the and not with melania bullying people? we have the biggest bully in the world. he bullies every day. republicans -- not all of but he does things that disrupt this country and ask like he can get away with it, -- acts like he can get away with it with no problem. he is just a bully president. do you have a question about the impeachment inquiry

process? caller: i think that the senate should act on it. host: the senate should act. do you want to talk about when the senate will act? fort: the first stage is the house to continue its process of considering which if which ifles of any articles of impeachment the house wants to refer to the senate. there was a sense that would happen relatively quickly. there is reporting this morning but that case may slow a bit for the sake of public education so the public can understand why it is that some in the house believe it appropriate to send articles of impeachment to the u.s. senate. i guess we will see that play out not just in the house with testimony like i mentioned earlier, but in the court of public opinion as people talk through what the house has uncovered. host: in terms of how this process has worked, we are waiting to see high-profile testimony today.

it is behind closed doors, but bill taylor, the top u.s. democrat in ukraine testifying today. after these testimonies take place, members of congress will saidout and hear what was behind closed doors, or there will be anonymous statements. is that a good way to conduct this process and communicate with the american people about what is being said in this investigative phase? guest: it does have its downside. what the house has been going on process issed door to avoid a political spectacle and engage in a genuine investigation. they have elicited some interesting testimony from kurt volker and fiona hell and bill and bill fiona hill taylor presumably today.

there is the strange feel of, this happens behind closed doors, and we get little bits of it becoming public. it would seem there might be a more systematic way at the end of that sort of gathering, trying to figure out an official statement of what pieces can be made public and making them public, rather than having members share what they think is public. host: bill taylor expected on capitol hill this morning. if we get a shot of him on the c-span cameras we have set up in the hallway outside the deposition room, we will show you. we continue to take your phone calls. carla, republican, st. petersburg, florida. caller: thank you for taking me. i am79 years old and appalled at what is happening in washington, d.c. the democrats are using all

these talking points, the impeachment and the news media to brainwash everybody to think that trump is a bad president. they never report on what is good that he has done and how well he has done what the country. i am really more of an independent, to the right a little bit, but i cannot understand how the news media does not report the good things. as far as the impeachment goes, it should be out in the open for us to know about and to hear about. the only reason they are not doing it in the house is because they don't want to be subpoenaed by the republicans. host: that is carla in florida. any thoughts on the news media? guest: there are pieces that are very much out in the open that allow americans to assess for themselves whether they think this president has, regardless of impeachment or legal standards, violated public trust.

i have in mind the publicly released call memorandum of trump's call with zielinski in minds he does something that appears at least improper. he seems to want a foreign leader, in exchange for the provision of u.s. defense, to dig up dirt on trump political rivals in the united states. that is why you hear that referred to as in citing foreign election interference. there are those that think that violates the law, particularly election law that criminalizes trying to solicit from a foreigner anything of value, those are the words in the u.s.te, related to a election, federal, state or local as well. there are others who think that that may reach an impeachment standard. but the most important part is that the call memorandum is out in the open and i encourage all americans to read it and see if it seems like an appropriate use

of the oval office. cindybrooks -- host: brooks asks in her text message -- committees do have the ability to issue subpoenas and we have seen very at -- seen various committees issue them. right now what you see is judiciary at the center of this, given the impeachment context. but you also see the intelligence committee and the foreign affairs committee playing a role. ultimately some of the questions being asked our broader than impeachment. congress has a role in conducting oversight activity more generally and has a role in assessing whether we need new laws as a country to prevent things from occurring that may be deemed inappropriate. so, there is a broader job of the house and senate to do in this context. host: the oversight committee,

which just lost its chairman in the last couple of days, elijah cummings, his funeral is in baltimore on thursday. he will be lying in state on thursday morning. john, baker, louisiana. republican, you're next. caller: hello? host: go ahead, john. caller: i had a question i was going to ask. impeachment started whenever they said trump was trying to dig up hurt against his opponent. well, biden isn't really his opponent right now. it's the other 12 candidates trying to get the democratic nomination to be his opponent. not officially his opponent, is he? he is at least a opponent. polls been leading in the in that primary race that

continues. i think the point is this, for trump to dig up dirt through a foreign government in exchange for u.s. defense on any political opponent, whether it is one who happens to be number one in the democratic primary race, number two, or even number 10, the question is whether that is an abuse of power. whether that is something that shouldn't be done by a president for personal gain. of course, the president has to conduct personal affairs for the good of the country and many republicans on the hill think that providing the missile system to ukraine was very much for the good of the country. but that that is what should motivate a president, not trying to boost stature by digging up third on any political enemy. host: just a few minutes left this morning with joshua geltzer . reposecummings, lying in on thursday, the funeral is scheduled for friday.

this is rick, boston, massachusetts. democratic line, good morning. how many things he have to do to be impeached? the just say something, here. this guy saying he didn't do nothing and 10 seconds later he said he did send those people over here? what more does he need to be impeached? the guy hasn't shut his mouth since he's been in the white house. that's rick in massachusetts. his thoughts on what it takes to be impeached. it's a useful point. the ukraine phone call we were just talking about wasn't just a bad call or a bad day or a misspoken few words. was a lot of context that goes all the way back to when donald trump was

not the president, but just a candidate, and famously said "russia, if you are listening, try to dig up the missing hillary emails." ance then there has been pretty clear trajectory of this president welcoming foreigners eager to meddle in u.s. elections. protecting our democracy should be a sacred thing for all americans, especially presidential candidates and the president of the united states. one in a series of incidents in which the president appears to break with that faith to invite foreign election interference and i think that is at the heart of what those involved in the impeachment inquiry are concerned about. republican,sin, good morning. caller: good morning. well, i got a question. why do the democrats keep having behind doors testimonies done

when they should be sharing everything with the public? i am a combat veteran and i want everything to be transparent for everyone to see across the board. i watch this stuff every day. this country is so divided by this, hiding things behind doors is not helping the division of this country. guest: a couple of thoughts on that. as i mentioned, there are pieces of the them cory not at all behind closed doors. the presidential call memorandum, complaints by the missile -- whistleblower, there is a lot that americans can read and grapple with the terms of what they think of the president's behavior. it's also helpful to remember the stages of an impeachment process. if you think of the house of representatives peace as the grand jury peace, the grand jury does meet in secret.

but then if charges are indeed brought and a trial follows from there, the trial generally happens out in the open and we generally saw, in the early days of c-span, president clinton's .roceedings in the u.s. senate i remember finding that a formative experience in terms of understanding american politics. there is a piece of this that if it continues down this road will be very much in the open and for folks to see. right now the house is exercising its prerogative to gather information and i gather that it is finding that is accomplished better in part in quiet session. host: a text from brett in wisconsin -- not been ine contact. the only role that i have played, as i mentioned, was to be a part of the legal team helping the house on the behalf of the judiciary committee, trying to enforce the subpoena served on don mcgahn. host: former amicus briefs and

that sort of thing question mark guest: -- thing? cocounsel, we were honored to represent the house on a couple of matters. this one was directly relevant to our conversation today. georgetown website, you can read more about their work. we have time for one or two more cap phone calls -- more phone calls. independent line. caller: i would like your best to comment on three things i was interested in. it seems to me that any agreement of aid would have conditions in it. you can call that a quid pro quo , but i wish you would comment on the take care provision in article one of the constitution. the president has the duty to see that the laws are enforced. it was a public scandal in the ukraine, about that firm that joe biden's son was with.

the second point is, i'm sorry, the gentleman who said before that no one can know who is going to be the eventual nobody is he's right, a psychic. the way to get immunity is to declare for the presidency. this is the biggest point. somehow we have lost our way and become a parliamentary system, senseless as england, where parties have willful blindness to the wrongdoing on their own side. there has essentially been opposition since trump was unelected and this is a vote of no-confidence. all americans need to go back to what the founding fathers said, a democratic republic where each person is responsible for their honor and their vote. host: i've got about two minutes left to take those questions. thet: let's start with first one, the idea that conditions can be placed on u.s.

assistance, foreign aid, foreign military equipment even to another government. that is of course true. thoseestion is, are conditions to the benefit of the united states of america or to the benefit of one man? times it is very much to the benefit of the united states to impose those conditions. we will share intelligence if that country shares intelligence back. we will help to train soldiers if that country steps up counterterrorism activities against the threat that they in the united states jointly face. but that's not what appears to be happening any ukraine call memorandum, which i urge folks to read for themselves. it's not something of value to the united states, it's something of value to donald trump that he appears to be soliciting. he is asking for dirt on a political opponent. someone he thinks he might stand against as he runs for

reelection in 2020. in general, rooting out foreign corruption is in the interest of the united states, but digging up dirt on a particular american family seems to benefit just donald trump and that's where the concern is. we arend whether becoming a parliamentary system? have foundo seem to our way into pretty entrenched and separate camps. that's unfortunate, there has been a trend in that direction that preceded the trump campaign, but seems to have escalated during his presidency. i hope that we not only find our way back to rule of law and constitutional order, but also a place where at least facts are shared and policies and politics get debated on similar premises and we tackle the very serious challenges in this country that have nothing to do with donald trump, rising inequality, climate change, also its of things we need to come together

to tackle. the: joshua geltzer, of georgetown university law school. we appreciate your time. guest: thank you so much. host: up next we will be joined aaron mehta.ews'" stick around, we will be right back. ♪ at some booksok being published this week. in trump versus china, newt gingrich suggests that china is the greatest threat to the united states. diversity incorporated suggests diversifyres to businesses have failed. iran secret meeting in around world war ii. and "it shouldn't be this hard to serve your country." discusses the

challenges he faced as secretary of veterans affairs. and the settling of the american west in "dreams of el dorado. joel stein says that elitism plays important roles in society in his latest book. look for these titles in bookstores this coming week and watch for many of the authors in the near future on booktv on c-span two. thinking about participating in the c-span studentcam 2020 competition but have never made a documentary film before? no problem, we have resources on our website to get you started. check out the download page on c-span.org. onchers will find resources

the teachers materials page. to help you to introduce studentcam to your students. >> i like that -- i invite , find to speak this year a topic you are truly passionate about and pursue it as much can. >> we are asking middle and high school students to create a short documentary on the issues you would like the presidential candidates to address. there are $20,000 in total cash prizes and a $5,000 grand prize. >> get a camera, get a microphone, go start filming, produce the best video you can possibly produce. >> visit studentcam.org for more information today. >> "washington journal" continues. host: aaron mehta mehta is it --aaron mehta is at our desk. first, things are obviously moving fast when it comes to syria and the rack this morning. this morning.

can you get us up to speed? guest: i will do my best, by the time i finish this segment something else may have changed. as of yesterday, u.s. troops were moving largely out of syria. inmall group will stay syria, despite trump's statement that all troops are coming out. probably about 300 to 500 will be staying in a small garrison to stay and protect an oil field in the area. everyone else is getting out. i saw some pretty shocking videos of u.s. troops being pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables. of those pictures made the front page of "the wall street journal" this morning. fort: and this is an area the u.s. is wildly popular. it's one of the things were you wonder if there will be lasting damage with our partners in the region. today the plan has been to move i --s into iraq and do

anti-isis operations there as needed. they said that they welcome their friends and we are happy to be the way station, but they can't stay here. that seems to throw yet another wrench into the pentagon's plans for how to handle the situation. host: when the secretary of state was talking about anti-isis operations, how did you see that being conducted? what was the green light for troops to come back across the border? guest: that is one of the big questions the pentagon is still sorting out right now. officials have told us that they plan to continue to do reconnaissance operations, essentially flying drones over syria syria, may be keeping an eye on the isis camps that are still active and being protected by the forces there. maybe make sure that we keep an

eye on these things. the thought that it has followed on that they have not confirmed but sources have hinted at is that it may include the right to do airstrikes off of drones. potentially also raids in the area, as we have seen other parts of the world deal with terrorism. it seems like the idea of u.s. forces on the ground and having an actual force to hold territory against isis coming back is done now. it turns out that we can't do that from western iraq, where else could we do that mission from? ofst: there are a couple options. ironically, one of them is turkey. there's a turkish air force base the u.s. operates out of. jordan is one that was mentioned. you know, potentially saudi arabia would welcome more u.s. forces. they clearly want more forces to be there and feel comfortable with that.

there are a lot of u.s. bases in the area. things like small airstrikes, drone strikes, there are options. but the issue the pentagon has been talking about for years now has come to the four. that if we leave right now, we hold theable to territory and if you don't hold the territory, isis may build back up, take control in build something different. hold the don't we currently have thousands of troops stationed in iraq? do they have to go? guest: no, just the troops in syria. host: what are those troops doing? host: training members of the military there, they are primarily focused on making sure that in iraq remains stable. host: talking this morning to aaron mehta, of "defense news." a good person to talk to about

our military forces. we have a line for active and retired members of the military set aside. is that number. otherwise, phone lines as usual, (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 four republicans. looking for from today's meeting between vladimir putin and president erdogan? guest: people have forgotten this, turkey shot down a russian jet in 2013. people forget, it felt like something was about to kick off. putin was comfortable with that. he said that we apologize, he understands where people are can get confused. turkey has now received a russian built air defense

system, which is very concerning to nato. they kicked turkey out of the fighter program. the u.s. said that you can't have an air defense system gathering all sorts of information off the radar's and sensors plug into the jet for the nato future. it sent turkey leaning more towards vladimir putin. host: why could the u.s. not provide a system like that? thet: the u.s. did offer patriot system, but they didn't like the strings that came along with arms sales. in terms of whether they could do their own stuff with it. u.s. arms sales come with more chinesethen russian or sales. usually that works out for the u.s. because u.s. has better equipment. but as chinese and russian equipment improves, it's a concern for the pentagon.

what other constrictions under a russian system? guest: not many, mostly just installationian system. today at 3 p.m. is i believe when the cease-fire is supposed to end. happenhing were to before the cease-fire, some would say that it never really went into effect. but there will be a lot of moving parts today. host: paul, evansville, you are up first. independent line, go ahead. good morning to you both. when the president spoke about getting people out of here there, he talked about 50 people. people.re only 50 and then they turned it over to turkey in these other countries.

do we think that the united states should save every country? you know, they are mad about trump raising the price. we were paying to be in these countries to protect these people. the 50in terms of people, that refers to the 50 special operators who are very close to turkey from the operation began last week and one of the first things the u.s. did was to pull those people out. they were concerned that in the first wave of attacks there was potential they could be at risk. since then the u.s. has coordinated closely with turkey. according to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff -- joint , they give coordinates. there was an incident where turkey fired over several u.s. troops and shells came close. there was some consternation about that. the u.s. quickly responded.

they said hey, cut it out. turkey didn't stop firing. we saw a message from the pentagon saying that the u.s. is allowed to defend itself. turkey is a long-standing nato ally. one of the closest military partners for the u.s.. they operate with nato, they have done nato operations around the world. the idea that they would have to open fire to defend themselves against a nato ally's mom -- mind-boggling. are these all special operations forces? guest: primarily. for: rocky is on the line retired active members of the military. go ahead. caller: good morning, thank you for taking my call. i was wondering how long it takes to train forces. we have been there 18 years. been in afghanistan 19 years. these are the same generals

running the show that ran vietnam. a bunch of losers drawing that paycheck and doing nothing for this country. how long do we need to be there? host: aaron mehta question mark guest: in syria, --aaron mehta? guest: in syria we have been on aeir -- been there from couple of years, but it's a good point. are we going to be there forever providing security because when we try to build up security forces, they haven't worked? the goal is to build them up and get out. we saw it with the rise of isis. an amazing situation where the iraqi military met up with a bunch of isis guys and essentially got routed. following the dry out that obama had pushed through, they responded by surging troops back into iraq. people say this time the

military is better, more cohesive, trained better. there is concern that if the u.s. left again, stability would melt away. do you want to talk about troop drawdown and where we are on that? guest: this is an interesting one. president trump mentioned a couple of times during the campaign, as president, why he doesn't under -- how he doesn't understand why we can't get out of there. mattistime secretary wanted a troop increase. again, it would be a surge and then we would get out. there have been reports recently, i believe cnbc news reported yesterday, the anti-gun is re-upping on plans for an afghanistan withdrawal. the reality is that the president is dictating with little influence from the pentagon in terms of military policy and getting out of somewhere. the pentagon was caught flat-footed.

they are trying not to because quite as flat-footed to be sure. host: dave, ohio, good morning. toler: top of the morning you, sir. i have three inconvenient facts the state. first of all, this is the second time in my lifetime that we have abandoned an ally. the first wasn't my war, vietnam. kurds.ond is the we are condoning the second time turkey is going to commit genocide. the first one was during the world war with the armenians. now they are going to do it with the kurds. the third inconvenient fact is that it seems that this decision has been a very, how can i state it, a very -- [no audio] host: you still with us?

guess we won't hear his third point, but i think we got the idea. guest: i'm going to go ahead and guess that your point was going to be it was uncoordinated. i think that is a fair assessment, you won't get much argument from the state department and others. outyone is trying to figure how to execute it. in terms of allies, i got back to the photo -- director the photo in the paper today. welcomed a region that the u.s., they arrived years ago, throwing fruit and garbage, holding up signs that say we love the american people but president trump has betrayed us. that's not a trust that you will be able to get act easily in the future if policy changes. that is going to be an issue in the future if we go back to them. about sauditalk arabia for a minute.

as you explained the troop deployment there, answer this question from holly in arkansas. guest: i don't think there is a lot of opposition in the pentagon to troop appointments and saudi arabia. deployments in saudi arabia. whether or not you think the u.s. should be defending an oil field or not is a political question as opposed to a strategic one. strategically we saw that it was an important part of the global a company. american companies took a hit weresaudi oil companies attacked. there is a case to be made that the u.s. presence in the region helps. that said, there were a lot of questions about the types of attacks that were launched. the systems that the u.s. are putting in there, we want defend against that. it does not protect weapons used them.t

is this really more just for show than anything else? host: gaithersburg, maryland. good morning. caller: good morning. i'm the same generation as our president. i sure would like to hear what he said on that call to order erdogan. this man does not do anything unless it has something to do with himself. also, everything i have heard about the kurds, from iraq to syria, at 1.i have said that i will go fight with them. they have really, they sound like really good people. i know that supposedly they are irrorists or something, but don't believe that. , i readw many troops something on msn.com, we have 400,000 troops the in different areas, all over.

so, why in the world with this troops, aaw a few small amount of troops from an area where they were really working difference and in intense danger. i don't understand. want to start with worldwide troop deployment? guest: it has been a big issue for the pentagon. the pentagon has put a lot of effort on trying to increase the amount of time troops spend in theres., they feel that has been a lot of burnout, retention has been an issue. in terms of the kurds, for the u.s. the kurds have during different conflicts in the region been a reliable ally, well-trained force, useful ally. at the same time, the turks have groupsimate gripe with

of the kurds. there is a group, the pkk, that has been doing terror attacks in the country, largely from kurdish areas. turkey is again a country that feels under attack i a terrorist group and they want to go in. the u.s. has always said that there is a faction that is a terrorist group but there is a faction that we support. factions, the same but they just switch the hats. it's a complicated situation. in america we can to think of occurred -- of the kurds as the good guys in the region. host: what's the difference between an ally and a partner question mark guest: -- partner? we have a legal obligation to defend them, for them to attend -- defend us. our allies, there are no legal obligations.

quitethe question had a -- the caller had a question about troops being deployed around the world. this is from today's "new york times." troops abroad, some 78,000 of those, the largest number in south korea. at this point it is just hundreds in syria. again, that story is in today's "new york times." winnifred, wyoming. republican, good morning. caller: good morning. host: go ahead, you're on with aaron mehta. i am not a politician, really. i have a lot of knowledge of what's going on in syria. i have complete trust in our president. if he doesn't know about something, he would counsel with

the generals and the people over there that do know. and even though he is a businessman, we need a businessman in this country. look at how we are in debt. think -- figure out a way to get out of debt. i feel that president trump has the people's interest at heart and i feel like with the republicans, if they are turning against him, shame on them. they ought to be behind president trump. host: her point, who the president is talking to, who is his counsel on this question mark troop deployment, with what's happening in iraq, happening underneath a relatively new joint chiefs of staff. how is the newness of the position impacting what they're doing. -- doing?

interesting, there's a man the cayman over the summer, chairman in waiting since last year, he was announced much earlier than usual as the nominee. it's interesting. this is the first crisis he has had to deal with and what we are seeing is a bit of a playing catch-up situation. it has been clear from the pentagon that this is something that they found out about at the same time everyone else did. we have seen certain things. now that there are two -- now instead of two dozen troops there are 500 troops. staying in syria, could the number increase? within a couple of thousand, people come and go. the timing isat interesting. the general assembly was over before they did the operation. the former chairman of the joint chiefs was really seen as a good

representative of the u.s. and was trusted after the 2016 to attempt. coup attempt. dunford left and may have had more of an influence. that turkey would not have done what they had done , they would have likely done it anyways. but the reaction and information flow might have been subtly different. host: washington, good morning. caller: good morning. i just want to, i'm absolutely dumbfounded by the fact that we are constantly in the middle east. i called earlier, -- the gentleman who called earlier about the the allow more. war.e vietnam when will we stop putting our children in debt and start

taking care of the homeless and mentally ill in america. democrats the whole time, they say they don't want war. obama is going to end the wars, and lobbyists. look at what we got. lobbyists. look at what we got. democrats are acting like republicans and this president is making everybody crazy. us in a wants to keep war. the deep state is real, it's their, there is an industrial complex in the military and they love doing that. is anis there, there industrial complex in the military and i love doing this. , my grandfather was there. why does it keep happening? mexico is a war zone. we don't care. us the democrats do is tell about how horrible our president is because he doesn't want our citizens in harms way. fresno, california, good

morning. fresno, california, good morning. guest: i would like to know the status of the nuclear materials that as i understand are being stored in turkey. host: thank you for the question. guest: as part of the american responsibility with nato, we are aswn as -- they are known the nuclear gravity bomb. there are a couple of different countries capable of equipping those. roughly 50 of them are at the air force base in turkey. the turkish ace has a good chunk database has a -- turkish base has a good chunk of it. it made sense, it was strategically smart to have them there. allies could fly in and be prepared.

as the relationship with turkey has degraded a bit, the coup attempt in turkey in 2016 was activated by the turkish air force and as a result, there was a big wiping out of the turkish air force leadership core. host: what do you mean wiping out? were they killed? killed, persons disappeared, quite a few try to find refuge elsewhere. the attempt, they cut up power to the u.s. section of the airbase. there was this thought that there were roughly 50 nukes there and people said -- is their protection? what will happen? it really kicked off the big push. -- the big push to get these things out of turkey. u.s.estingly enough, the always says we don't talk about this, even though it is kind of

an open secret. president trump confirmed for the first time that there are in fact nuclear weapons at the air force base. members of congress, they feel that things are safe at the moment. inside the pentagon they are keeping an eye on these things and i guarantee that they have plans right now, they are coming up with the extradition plan. host: mary ellen, sarasota, go ahead. caller: i support president trump pulling out of the region. for 19 years we have tried nationbuilding, tried to be partners. it is time for us to leave them to settle their own homelands. i feel that the kurds, they are partners, they were fighting on their own home ground. just as an american, if someone invaded my country, i would fight to the death on my own homeland.

i think we have a civilian in charge of the military. that is how we run this country. i do support the president. i don't care what the generals say. or the warmongering demo that's and republicans that want to keep us in eternal war. let saudi arabia and iran handle their own business. everyone else is collateral damage. host: mary ellen with her thoughts. aaron mehta, i will give you the , i will give you the final minute and let us know what you will be covering today after this news coming out of iraq. what: the big question is the plans are for the u.s. troops, where they going, how do they transition? they are not allowed to stay. there is an agreement that could allow them to stay. i believe it was 3 p.m. eastern, is there suddenly a massive push

forward from turkey? are they going to potentially get closer to the american forces inside syria? will the ground forces come in? , president erdogan, this has just a bolstered his poll numbers. he is seen as going after the terrorists that have been attacking. reason to think you will be restrained in what comes next. host: you can see aaron mehta their website.n appreciate you stopping by. for the next 20 minutes before the house comes in, we are getting your thoughts on the impeachment inquiry. phone lines are open for republicans, democrats, and independents, as usual. you can start calling in.

we will be right back. ♪ >> thinking about participating in the 2020 studentcam competition but you have never made a documentary film before? no problem. we have resources on our website. check out studentcam.org for producing information and video links to footage in the c-span library. teachers will find resources on the materials page to help you introduce studentcam to your students. my advice is to find a topic that you are truly passionate about and pursue it as much as you can. >> we are asking middle and high school students to find something to address around the 2020 campaign. there is a $5,000 grand prize. >> get a camera, get a microphone, go start filming and produce the best video that you can possibly produce.

>> visit studentcam.org for more information today. ♪ >> the house will be in order. >> for 40 years c-span has been providing america with unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events from washington, d.c. and around the country. in 1979, c-span is brought to you by your local cable or satellite provider. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. >> "washington journal" continues. host: for the rest of the program today, getting your thoughts on the impeachment the impeachment inquiry, having this conversation during a busy day

on that front. the top diplomats to ukraine testify behind closed doors today. there he is, arriving just minutes ago on capitol hill. bill taylor is his name. we will wait to see what comes from that hearing today. president trump, up and active on twitter with this tweet getting a lot of attention -- host: a lynching is what president trump called it. of the wordts use lynching, getting immediate backlash. that's the headline from "roll call" newspaper this morning. after he called the probe a "what the hell is wrong with you," bobby rush asks

after the tweet. a lot going on. getting your comments about all of it. bob, missouri, independent, good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say that if you take away the misuse of presidential privileges and enforce those congressional subpoenas, let the chips fall where they may and we can start healing the nation. it appears that the republicans don't really want to know. otherwise they would go with this theory. they would let the truth come out. as long as donald trump hiding behind presidential privileges to keep people from testifying and keep documents from being is, is,red, that, that

is what is keeping our country from finding out what's happening. republican say that republicans aren't interested in the truth and what's happening. that is what independence and democrats want -- independents and democrats want. we want the truth. if republicans would go ahead , transfer documents, we could heal the nation. host: here's the schedule. we don't know if every single one of them will show up. we showed you bill taylor showing up today, he's expected to get the most attention this week. also on the list, the acting assistant secretary of state for european and eurasian affairs, philip recur. michael duffy, associate

director of national security program at the office of management and budget, laura cooper -- budget. laura cooper, of the defense department. that is all expected to play out over the course of this week. mary, you are next. i was a democrat, no independent, -- of then independent, no strict the republican -- -- now strict the republican -- host: the call is -- the line is not great. we will try again in a moment. republican line. they are going to nail trump. they are going to nail him to that wall he's building in texas. giuliani, rudy, this man took

half $1 million in hush money and i wonder if he claims it on his taxes. republicans, you made a mistake. we all make them. this man does not have the interests of the country at heart. host: republican line, kirk, michigan, go ahead. john, good morning. thank you for taking the call. i was really hoping to get a hold of your earlier guest, joshua geltzer, i had a couple of questions for him. without him being there, i would like to encourage you, the next time that you have joshua or someone who has that same position on the transcript of the call with the ukrainian president, ask them. during his time on the air he repeatedly asked people to read the transcript. well, i have read the transcript and there is nothing in the transcript that doesn't comply with i believe it is the 1999 treaty with ukraine. i would like someone to answer that question about how that

call of lies to the treaty that we have with ukraine. also, one other thing i wanted to ask joshua, i had hoped to get a hold of him, in the inquiry in the congress if they had held a vote for the impeachment inquiry, that would give republicans a chance to subpoena their own witnesses. without that power, you don't really hear both sides of the issue. host: that fairness issue has been brought up i several republicans -- by several republicans on capitol hill. said hean of ohio, he is attending today's testimony behind closed doors. he was at the cameras outside of that hearing room this morning. he talked about bill taylor testifying today.

also about the president's tweets that used the term lynching that is giving a lot of it -- getting a lot of attention this morning. [video clip] >> if you had to go through what the president has lived through, remember, this started when jim comey opened the investigation, putting the country through three years of this false accusation that somehow the president worked with russia to impact the election. going through that and now this ridiculous charade, you can understand why the president is frustrated. host: getting your thoughts on the impeachment inquiry in this last 10 minutes or so before the house is scheduled to come in for the day. we will of us take you there for live gavel to gavel coverage when it does. until then, ohio, independent, good morning. caller: yes, my question is was

there any inquiry about vice president biden and his son, hunter, of any wrongdoing going on question mark -- on? i hear a lot about trump is about what they had done. saying you want a separate congressional inquiry into that issue? there should be. seems like it's a one-sided thing here going on. certainly, some republican members of congress calling for that as well. her for the republican-controlled senate to take up that issue. russell, houston, texas, good morning. russell, houston, texas, good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i just listened to the republicans. they investigated biden, they found nothing wrong. when obama was in office, he told the republicans in the senate that there was russian

interference in the coming election. the republicans wouldn't do anything about it. , do we have ander bunch of communists in office? i am 72. i remember when nikita invited russians to america to infiltrate our election process. sometimes i wonder if some of that russian behavior of our today, why does trump do favors for the russians? i don't understand that. a text message we received from a few were watching the impeachment process layout. -- play out. in utah.ert republican, good morning. caller: good morning, john.

thank you for taking my call. i have been following the impeachment proceedings. i'm really disinterested. i just don't think there is anything going on there. host: going on there that what, robert? caller: going on there that has any relevance to our system and to the way we do things in this country. i wanted to tell you about you biden incident. my wife and i lived in ukraine for a year and a half. i want to tell you how important natural gas is to those people in ukraine. russia controlled the natural gas at the time we were there. this country is trying to get natural gas to ukraine in a liquid form so that they can get the, the control

.f the russians high fines, the natural gas pipelines went to russia. lines, the natural gas pipelines -- pipe lines, the natural gas height lines went -- natural gas pipelines went to russia. we were in the city. they would turn the heat on in the fall and they would turn it on in the spring. we had nothing to do with it. were you doing in ukraine when you lived there? what was your role? humanitarianrk missionaries for lds charities for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. were trying to help those institutions there that need , well, like things

in hospitals. like heart monitors. to, um, anything to do to help children. we worked with orphanages to get them bed. -- beds. ,e worked to get materials clothing and belongings for when they came into the shelter. we tried to do things that would help them. we put windows into an orphanage. anything that would help them. robert, i appreciate you telling us about it. before you go, as a republican in utah, i wonder what your thoughts are about the criticism we have heard from mitt romney

when it comes to president trump? caller: i would like to start a mitt romney.peach he is not doing what he said he would do. he is not supporting the republican party. i'm very disappointed. i voted for mitt romney, but i'm very disappointed with him. robert out of utah this morning. more reaction to the president's tweet this morning. this from a few minutes ago from congresswoman sheila jackson lee, texas. host: looking for more reaction this morning in a few -- the few minutes before congress comes

in. steve, indianapolis, indiana. go ahead. his tweet this morning is one of the reasons i was calling in. due process is not there? is there.s the inquiry, which everyone seems to be upset about being held behind closed doors, it will be out in the open soon enough. they have a right, as one of your guests just explained to everybody, they have a right to do what they need to do behind closed doors. i just don't understand how these republicans can be so hypocritical. this is the most corrupt president ever. host: jeremy, independent, good morning. >> yes, thank you for c-span. questionnted to ask a

regarding, you keep showing these programs regarding "the deep state." i want different peoples takes takesat that -- peoples' on what that entails. , congress, if congress subpoenas someone, they just have to show up. process, caller, due i'm just not following. if congress subpoenas, according to the constitution someone has to show up. why the process is so obscure, just writing a subpoena, how can a lawyer or anyone else, i just don't understand. got your point, germany. wanted to remind viewers that c-span is making it easier than ever to search our coverage of

the impeachment inquiry. you can go to c-span.org/impeachment anytime for video on demand of all of andcongressional briefings the responses during the impeachment process. making it your way to watch unfiltered coverage of the impeachment inquiry. again, our website, c-span.org. time for maybe one more call if we can get it in before the house comes in. ronald, boston, massachusetts, a republican. youer: i was trying to get on the military. south korea, i'm south korea, vietnam. [indiscernible] we are talking about the impeachment inquiry in this segment. roberta is waiting in san diego, california. we will try to hear from you on another morning. we appreciate you calling in.

the house about two gavel in. we will take you there live for gavel to gavel coverage and we will see you back here tomorrow morning, 7 a.m. eastern, 4 a.m. pacific. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019]