ICYMI: Here's what you missed on Sunday's "Face the Nation", October 6, 2019
This past cycle brought Washington into yet another week of fallout over President Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during which he urged Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. Now, all eyes are on the Trump White House as it continues to play defense against Democrats' slow march toward an impeachment trial.
Here's the big takeaways from Sunday's episode of "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan
Roy Blunt: Don't take Trump's threats "too seriously"
- Missouri Republican Roy Blunt suggested that threats of Ukraine probing former Biden at Mr. Trump's direction was just talk, saying he did it to "bait" the press at the White House
- What Blunt said: "I don't know what the president was thinking," Blunt said on Sunday. "But I do know he loves to bait the press and he does that almost every day."
- Why that matters: Should the press now not take Mr. Trump's informal press briefings at the White House lawn seriously?
Democrats say they have the votes for impeachment
- With House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally launching an impeachment inquiry, Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said lawmakers now have enough support to authorize an impeachment inquiry of Mr. Trump if such a resolution were to be brought up for a vote on the House floor, as some Republicans have demanded.
- What Himes said: "If Speaker Pelosi did in fact move forward with a floor vote on actually proceeding with an investigation — which as you point out is not required here — there's no question in my mind that she would have the votes,"
- Why that matters: The Democrats appear poised and ready to take on the White House, which is expected to send Congress a letter this week saying it will not recognize the impeachment inquiry until there is a floor vote to authorize it.
White House impeachment strategy: "A war room of one"
- Veteran journalists who have reported their fair share of impeachment proceedings, The Washington Post's Bob Woodward and New York Times' Peter Baker, shared their insights into how the Trump White House is viewing the impeachment fallout
- What they said: "I think you have a war room of one right now, one man and an iPhone basically or whatever smartphone he's using. And there is no other structure around him that has been set up in a coherent way," Baker explained.
- What that matters: Both Woodward and Baker say Trump's response is in stark contrast to the Clinton impeachment response, a clear sign there might be some struggle inside the White House as to just who is in charge of playing defense. But for the moment, Mr. Trump appears to be his best defender.
How to watch "Face the Nation"
Find the full episode, transcripts, and excerpts from this episode on FaceTheNation.com. "Face the Nation" airs Sunday mornings on CBS. Check your local listings.
