by july is when barbara jordan was making that speech. remember, republicans on the judiciary committee voted for those articles of impeachment because it was so clear how wrong it was, the abuse of power, obstruction of justice, contempt of congress that was going on at that time. >> there were so many other officials caught up in what happened in watergate. i was thinking this week because of a very good piece in "the new yorker" about john mitchell who was president nixon's attorney general who went to prison for 17 months because of watergate-era abuses exposed through this. he was loyal to nixon to the very end. >> right. >> went to prison himself. other cabinet officials were implicated. right now it seems like both the vice president and the attorney general and the secretary of state, mike pompeo, your successor at the state department, may themselves have been at least aware, if not participants in what the president's going to be impeached for here. as a former cabinet secretary, do you have advice on the right way to comport yo

amy: now we moved to the house judiciary committee with barbara jordan, liz holtzman. what did they do and what did the republicans on the didittee who had -- and how the party shift? when did republicans like trent lott get convinced of richard nixon's guilt? >> some republicans stayed loyal end, butuntil the very most of them -- most republicans began to shift after the first group of nixon's tapes were released. and as a result of with the senate watergate committee and later the house judiciary committee's impeachment inquiry had uncovered about nixon's behavior. 1974, thee july of judiciary committee voted on three articles of impeachment, which were approved and which were then going to be referred to the house which would have almost c certainly impeached nixon. groupfore then, a second of tapes w were released just after the impeachment votes a aa result of legal pressure f from the e special prosecutors and a susupremcourt decision. an those tapes shodd nixon strongly directly ordering watergatcover-up and engaging in sever abuses of presidential power in orde

house democratic caucus, congressman hakeem jeffries, welcome. >> thank you. >> you saw that barbara jordan quote, the house has to be big here. why not follow the precedent and have a formal vote? >> there's no requirement for a cosmetic vote. >> every other presidential impeachment has had it. >> correct. a majority of the house of representatives supports the inquiry. we are in the midst of one. the speaker has made that clear. we'll proceed fairly and comprehensively. the speaker has said it might be considered moving forward. we'll see what happens when we come back from the recess.e th allegations at issue here. the president betrayed his oath of office. he's engaged in serious wrong doing. the administration withheld $391 million in military aid from a vulnerable ukraine. the president then pressured a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 elections and target an american citizen for political gain. that is textbook abuse of power that undermines our national security. that's the issue that we should be dealing with. >> if it is, why not have the vote? >> as i indicated, the speake

continue to do all that i can to live up to the lasting example set for us by former congresswoman barbara jordan when she declared in 1974, my faith in the constitution is whole. it is complete. it is total. and i am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the dim anything and subversion or the destruction of the constitution. ladies and gentlemen, as citizens of a still-great republic, we must be clear, this is our time, and this is our challenge to meet and to overcome. even as americans were forced to rise up to the bad, the threat to our democracy once again demands that we respond. please consider what as a nation we have been experiences. once again, as in our past, our nation is struggling to overcome forces of societal conflict, official inhumanity, calculated distrust that far surpassed anything that we have been forced to endure in the last five decades. once again, there are those in national power who seek to dominate our nation by dividing us from our countrymen and women. i remind you that our diversity is not our problem. our diversity is our promise. once again, the ame

one of the people profiled in the book is barbara jordan, and if you did not know of barbara jordan or maybe hadn't heard of her recently, you can read what we write about her in the book, but go back and read what she said as a first term member of congress, sitting on the judiciary committee during the nixon impeachment as to why she wanted to not only defend the constitution but make very clear that if the constitution in remedy of impeachment did not cover the behavior that was being presented to the committee, then what did it mean? go back -- you can also go -- >> watch it. listen to it. >> you can listen to it and watch her make one of the most powerful speeches in the 20th century. >> we are getting towards the end, not there yet, but because there's so much awfulness that this man has inflicted on us, you just described some of it, but one of the really i think most troubling and upsetting things that about him is this sort of blatant sexism, is that anyone who has watched you to the degree you have been on tend of hateful violent imagery and language, and it is really upsetti

if you did not know a barbara jordan or maybe hadn't heard of her recently you can read what we writeabout her in the book.

team came along but there was surely chisholm there was charlie rangle and there was of course barbara jordan and even now that he's passed on we have still there jim clyburn the number one for number 3 man leader in the house of representatives and behind them we have al green and we have you know we are omar some of the new 19 ques indeed they are very they have buddies they are definitely has been they all that so what are the issues than that you think that. those that are around are taking up the mantle of civil rights for ethnic minorities what are the big issues that continue to to hold the united states still lead to be you might say fought for in the corridors of power in government in the us i think. fair voting is still an important issue with the lingering effects of segregation taken against african-american and that next as we repair for the 2020 vote i think health and health care is still. as the bomber affordable care act goes before the supreme court term i think education is still critical in terms of the cost of education access to education continuing segregation in educa

honored many different people from around the nation including naming it after the honorable barbara jordan, and many others in that time frame, to reinforce the value of voting. john did that in a bipartisan manner. some lesson that we can learn even today. he never promized his principles but he stood for the idea of bipartisanship for justice. the legal services corporation act he was here for, can you imagine that if you were poor 50 years ago you wouldn't have any representation. not in the criminal law system or sense but in the civil system of being evicted or having problems with health care and dealing with your health insurance or having a matter that required legal representation so that you could have justice. legal services corporation was something very near and dear to john conyers. let me move quickly to talk about his work dealing with the patriot act after 9/11. yes, we wanted to be rejecting and protecting ourselves against terrorists, but john conyers was a voice that said that civil liberties of the american people are crucial and we will not trample in this committee t

barbara jordan, in other words, if the outcome isn't what hillary clinton wants, she thinks we shouldap the constitution. oh, probably not a question that concept appeals to michigan congresswoman talib. she said the democratic party is considering ways of arresting members of trump's cabinet, jailing them would be an option. >> we're trying to figure out, no joke, we're trying to figure out, is it the dc police that goes to get them? we don't know? where do we hold them. but i will relay your message. i will tell them they can hold off -- we'll take care of them. and then -- if they show up to the committee hearing -- >> just going to arrest them. that's not third world or anything. arrest the cabinet. you have to give talib credit for honesty, she's not pretending to be prayerful, she's saying what she thinks and she speaks for unfortunately quite a few people in her party. what we're watching here as you watch in that clip is politics itself breaking down. that's not politics. that's not the effort to persuade people, bring them to your side through reason. no, that's something dif

this man has obstructed justice, and he has abused his power and subverted the constitution as barbara jordan said nixon had done and he's done it in spades. >> congressman steve cohen, thanks for joining us. >> and go, nats! >> they are the world series champs. thank you very much. more breaking news coming up. with more historic impeachment vote launching a new phase of the inquiry. the former u.s. attorney preet bharara. he's standing by live. we'll discuss that and more. >>> plus, the hometown hero's return. washington welcomes back baseball's champion washington nationals. expected to land outside of washington at dulles airport momentarily. if you're on medicare, remember, the annual enrollment period is here. the time to choose your medicare coverage... begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so call unitedhealthcare and take advantage of a wide range of plans with a variety of benefits... including an aarp medicare advantage plan from unitedhealthcare. it can combine medicare parts a and b, which is your hospital and doctor coverage... with part d prescription drug coverage, and mo

applause] [cheering] [inaudible] i have one more point, one of the people Ãbif you did not know barbara jordanheard of her recently, you can read what we read about her in the book but go back and read what she said as a first-term member of congress heading on the judiciary committee during the nixon impeachment as to why she wanted to not only defend the constitution but make very clear that if the constitution and the remedy of impeachment did not cover the behavior that was being presented to the committee then what did it mean? you can also go back and google it you can listen to it and you can watch her make one of the most powerful speeches in the 20th century. >> we are getting toward the end not there yet. one of the most troubling and upsetting things about him is this blatant misogyny and sexism and anybody who's been around you and look for you since you been in the national consciousness has watched the degree to which you been on the end of misogynistic hateful violent imagery and language. it's really upsetting. i was thinking about that because so many women in the book have be

. -- and applause] >> now, my foundation comes from congresswoman barbara jordan. she said these words. she said what the people want is very simple. want an america as good as its promise. that's it and that's all. for an america where folks don't die because they have to ration their insulin. we are looking for an america are not frozen in philadelphia. hospitals are frozen all over this country, particularly in rural areas. what the people want is simple. we want clean water, clean air and clean food. that's it. and that's all. we also want, finally, to have a justice system that doesn't gun down black folks in they house. [applause] >> can we get some of that? don't even get me started on that. we have a place in this country you can't breathe while black, sleep while black, do nothing while black. we are going to clean up this criminal injustice system. [applause] >> what the people want is very simple. we need to have truth and reconciliation about the ravages of racism in the united states of america. [applause] >> that's it and that's all. what the people w

foundation comes from congresswoman barbara jordan. she said these words. she said what the people want is very simple. an america as good as promised. [applause] that is it and that is all. americaooking for an where folks don't die because to have to ration out their insulin. we are looking for an america closingspitals are not like one in philadelphia. closing all over this country, particularly in rural areas. what the people want is very simple. airant clean water, clean and clean food. it and that is all. , finally, to have a not gunsystem that does down black folks in their house. [applause] can we get some of that? [applause] don't even get me started on that. country, place in this you can't breathe while black, speak while black, to anything while black. we are going to clean up this injustice system. [applause] what the people want is very simple. truth and have some reconciliation about the racism in the united states of america. [applause] it and that is all. what the people want is very simple. we want a health care system that is fair, that i

if you did not know barbara jordan or had not heard of her recently, you can read what we wrote about her in the boo book, that go back and read what she says as a first-term member of congress sitting on the judiciary committee facing impeachment as why she wanted not only to defend the constitution but make very clear if the constitution with the remedy of impeachment does not cover the behavior presented to the committee then what did it mean? you can also google it or watch it or listen to it and watch her make one of the most powerful speeches in the 20th century. >> there has so much awfulness this man has inflicted on us but one of the really most troubling things is the blatant misogyny and sexism and anybody who has been around you and works for you with that national consciousness has watched the degree of the misogynistic hateful violent imagery and language and it's upsetting. and so many women in the book have been subjected to incredible gender-based violence. it's not that far of a stretch and there is a lot of women in the book who had horrible things done. like the sw

many of us, we look in awe at the speech of barbara jordan during the nixon years. i think in future we will look in awe at the process and the example that congressman cummings laid out for all of us. >> we just saw a shot of two republican members of congressman, mark meadows and jim jordan. mark meadows, of course, notoriously close with congressman cummings, kind of had his back in one of the moments when he defended his friend and colleague against allegations of racism. it's significant and i think it's interesting, the two of them sitting in a row right behind adam schiff. bitter partisan fighting on capitol hill unfolding, but in this church in baltimore, members of both parties are coming together to honor somebody. >> this is the capitol hill that i know. i worked in government for about a decade. i worked alongside people who worked very closely with elijah cummings. and the government i know, the capitol hill i know, it's a family. and even if you have your disagreements in those committee hearings and in the back rooms, you can go out and have a drink a

you had an earlier clip in which you played that segment from the water date hearings when barbara jordanrds give me chills every time i hear them. my faith in the constitution is complete. my faith in the constitution is complete too, but it is only as good and it will only rise to the level that we hope and expect to the extent that our representatives are able to do their job and to assume their oaths. and so no, it's not an argument that is recognized in the constitution. as you know, there are no rules of criminal procedure, civil procedure. this is a very unique proceeding. when the senate is convened for this proceeding, it is convened as a court. it is a court of impeachment. and so they will determine what the rules are and how things unfold. >> clarity, expertise, wisdom. i can't say we get that all day, every day from washington, but we've certainly got it from both of you. thanks to both of you. really appreciate it. >>> when we come back, one more fact you may want to know on impeachment. first, richard engel has this preview of his special coming next hour. >>> we went to uk

very important woman in the story, and this will surprise you, her name was robert jordan -- barbara jordan. she was not prepared to impeach nixon. she was among those who was uncertain. republican andhe southern democrats about this. ultimately she made her decision. part of a small group that rewrote the articles of impeachment. she did not make up her mind until late in the process. the huge burden of making this decision rested on her shoulder. she knew that as a constitutional officer she owed it to the american people not to choose on party but on principle. the rest of this group were men, they were white, and they were from various parts of this country. they were people we necessarily would like for other reasons. for example, one of them was george wallace's campaign manager in the 1968 campaign. his name was walter flowers. i'm not sure we would like his views on a number of issues. the he decided that even though richard nixon was good for his richard nixon is the origin of the dog whistle, richard nixon was undermining the structure of this country. the corns were from belt. an

there used to be rational sane voice on this, barbara jordan of your home state was a true heroine andpatriot, and there isn't one democratic presidential candidate who will stand up and say, you know, we shouldn't have medicare for all illegal aliens. we should put american citizens first. we should really lead in this idea of securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity first. i suppose of all of them, tulsi gabbard has shown some glimmer of of sanity on the issue. but when you have the head of the democratic national convention as someone, thomas perez, who used to head -- the radical fringe has become the center of the democrat party. >> host: i'm glad you pointed that out. i think about the importance of your book right now, the timing of the subject matter. i'm glad you mentioned the medicare for all. milton friedman was once asked i believe in santa for the support open borders. he said absently. keep in mind this is pre-9/11 will but he said absolutely. if you don't have a social law for a state. that's an important point here because of the magnet. it's im

barbara jordan, democrat of texas drew the big applause of the day saying it was the quality of the investigationhat mattered, not the speed. judiciary chairman rodino said let us act so the american people and their children after them will say that was the right course. >> as that process continued the impeachment vote proved unnecessary. president nixon effectively forced out of office by the process. the next time there was an actual floor vote on impeachment was in 1998. the house authorizing the impeachment inquiry into bill clinton. >> today's the day for only the third time in american history, the house of representatives will vote to open impeachment hearings against a sitting president today. >> well, no one here on capitol hill is talking about if. it's about how many as dozens of democrats prepare to abandon the president when the house votes to today to begin impeachment hearings. >> i would suggest by way of friendly advice to the white house, don't tamper with this jury. >> the understated message was don't vote to limit the scope of this message because you don't know what else i

as much as those democrats did want to do that, the seriousness the choked voices, people like barbara jordannd peter rodino and that conveyed to the country how big a deal it was. so i think the next phase for the democrats is to find a way to kind of be the serious people while everyone is like going nuts around them. >> that's why the timing is so important because we've seen the american people become more and more in favor of impeachment, but if that number plateaus, then there is a very finite amount of time for the democrats to actually make their case before some of the republican talking points start to sink in a little bit more, certainly before we get much deeper into the presidential cycle. so, again, with all the flurry of activity it's trying to get the american public focused on what they're doing at a very critical point in time before they start losing support for the process. >> putting up the most recent polling we have here, nbc news 49% of all voters think president trump should be impeached and removed from office, 89% of democrats think that as well. how much do you pay

jordan joins us now from washington d.c. resident what else do we know about the reasons behind the u.s. sending these additional troops to saudi arabia. well barbara they're saying that there's been not just this incident on september 14th where the. oil processing facilities were targeted and damaged partially by these drones and some cruise missiles the u.s. as well as several european intelligence agencies confirmed that this attack had to have been launched from southwestern iran and so they're all holding the government in terre haute responsible but a little bit later on friday we also heard from the special representative for iran brian hook who basically said that the u.s. has been seeing more provocative behaviors coming from tehran in the past 4 weeks or so since that attack and that this is basically trying to make certain that a key defense ally as it were saudi arabia would be better protected and better able to protect itself from iranian or attacks from any other place for that matter do we know the role that these troops would have a do we think initially just than an issue of being at the terran. well they didn't want to get more