Quigley Joins Poppy Harlow on CNN to Discuss Conversations Surrounding Impeachment

HARLOW: Let's talk more about this. Congressman Mike Quigley, Democrat of Illinois, member of the House Intelligence Committee is here with us this morning. Good morning, thanks for joining us bright and early.

QUIGLEY: Thank you.

HARLOW: I guess the first question here, Congressman, is why take this off the table before the Mueller report even comes out?

QUIGLEY: Well, I think there are those who jumped the gun on both sides. Look, on the far right, they shut down the investigation after they tanked it and they tried to get rid of the Mueller investigation. Some of my friends farther to the left filed articles a long time ago before they knew anything about Manafort and Cohen's explosive revelations. So, I think you wait ‘til the Mueller report is complete. Obviously, there's some criminal investigations, of great note, that we should take into consideration, and the House investigation is just now open again. So, let's see where these go. Obviously, in my mind, it's not whether the president is "worth it." It's whether impeachment is merited, and I don't know that you wait to see if Republicans will ever all be on board because I don't know if they ever will. But I don't think you jump the gun on the other side.

HARLOW: So, Congressman, then, given what you just said, did Speaker Pelosi jump the gun by taking impeachment off the table?

QUIGLEY: You know, I think, the way I took what the Speaker said was, let's find out just how explosive these findings are. I think there's another issue right now that's going to be far more important for us to consider, and that's whether or not the Mueller report gets to the House or the Senate because that's the real danger, right? The fact that the Department of Justice has said a seated president cannot be indicted. Well, if the documents that would prove or disprove whether the president should be charged or has done some criminal wrongdoing is in the hands of the president's own department. That's an attack on the rule of law because if no one can challenge the president, and whether or not he's done anything illegally, and you take it away from the only body that conceivably could, this goes beyond a cover-up. This is an attack on the rule of law.

HARLOW: So, Congressman, I wonder if you agree more this morning, then, at least with the wording of and reasoning for taking impeachment off the table with, for example, Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat in Congress who says, "Whether or not the president is worth it is not the question. The question is whether the republic is worth it." Versus Nancy Pelosi, whose reasoning is "the president's not worth it."

QUIGLEY: Look, I think in the final analysis, the Speaker is going to move forward on impeachment if it is merited. I think the mistake some Democrats might be making is making it the only issue that we address. There's a whole world of things that we have to work on, and we can't give the public the impression that this is our fixation. In the end, it's a balance and in the final analysis, if impeachment is warranted, it should go forward.

HARLOW: And of course impeachment…if used, if articles of impeachment are filed, it's a political tool. And it's the tool that Congress has, but I wonder if you are recalling the Clinton Presidency and what happened to President Clinton's approval rating shooting up to 73%, the highest he saw during the impeachment process. Is that a warning sign – a blinking red light for Democrats here?

QUIGLEY: Obviously, impeachment is an extraordinary measure that can't be taken lightly, and that's why I've pushed back those who wanted to do it a year and a half ago. Let's find out exactly what took place. We don't have the special counsel's report. The results of these criminal investigations, that we are aware of. And, clearly, the House hasn't completed its investigation. Everyone should take a deep breath, do their normal jobs, and let's move forward and find out exactly what took place and see if impeachment is warranted.

HARLOW: So finally, Congressman, this hour we are going to see the former vice president also formerly a presidential candidate, Joe Biden. He's going to be speaking to an association of firefighters, and there's a whole lot of reporting around the clock on whether or not he's going to jump into this race. And when you look at where the party, your party, is going, I think the numbers out of Gallup are really important and interesting. What did it show? A majority of Democrats identify themselves now as liberal, for the first time – 51%. A plurality support medicare for all in full and a Green New Deal. A majority, 41%, will even be mostly satisfied with a nominee who thinks this country should be more socialist. Is that a Democratic Party that is best served by Joe Biden as its nominee for president.

QUIGLEY: Look, what we learned when we won the House this year is that it's a big test, and there's a wide, wide range of views. Even on the issues you particularly talk about, a lot of times it's exactly how you describe those terms. So, within the full range, there's plenty of room for former Vice President Biden to enter the race. And the campaign should include people with a wide range of views. I think the mistake Democrats might make is to say, "We're only going to take one person on one extreme or another." Let's hear it out. It's a long campaign.

HARLOW: It is a long road. Congressman Mike Quigley, it's really nice to have you this morning. Thanks for joining us.

QUIGLEY: Anytime. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: He seems open to impeachment as a possibility.

HARLOW: Totally.