Ezra Klein Urges Impeachment of Trump: He’s the Wrong Person for the Job

RUSH TRANSCRIPT BRZEZINSKI We ░░░░░░░░ reported on a new ░░░░░░░░ this morning from President ░░░░░░░░ about north Korea His ░░░░░░░░ of a nuclear arm ░░░░░░░░ led our next guest ░░░░░░░░ dig into a question ░░░░░░░░ louder over recent weeksment ░░░░░░░░ box com Ezra Klein ░░░░░░░░ in a case entitled ░░░░░░░░ case for normalizing impeachment ░░░░░░░░ there are plenty of ░░░░░░░░ who should not be ░░░░░░░░ of a nuclear higherpower ░░░░░░░░ is one of them ░░░░░░░░ is a truth known ░░░░░░░░ his staff known by ░░░░░░░░ in Congress and known ░░░░░░░░ most of the country ░░░░░░░░ so few feel able ░░░░░░░░ suggest even doing the ░░░░░░░░ thing and replacing him ░░░░░░░░ another Republican who is ░░░░░░░░ suited to the single ░░░░░░░░ important job in the ░░░░░░░░ is bizarre We have ░░░░░░░░ too afraid of the ░░░░░░░░ of impeachment and too ░░░░░░░░ play September about the ░░░░░░░░ of leaving an unfit ░░░░░░░░ in office SCARBOROUGH Let ░░░░░░░░ bring in Ezra Klein ░░░░░░░░ that s a very ░░░░░░░░ summary of the first ░░░░░░░░ hours of our show ░░░░░░░░ morning KLEIN Thank you ░░░░░░░░ setting me up SCARBOROUGH ░░░░░░░░ asking the question if ░░░░░░░░ is not the time ░░░░░░░░ people to step in ░░░░░░░░ the middle of a ░░░░░░░░ crisis the New York ░░░░░░░░ News and several others ░░░░░░░░ is mentally unfit to ░░░░░░░░ presidentof the United States ░░░░░░░░ is KLEIN This is ░░░░░░░░ led me to begin ░░░░░░░░ about this piece I ░░░░░░░░ historians 25 years from ░░░░░░░░ in the aftermath of ░░░░░░░░ calamitous Trump presidency they ░░░░░░░░ look back and look ░░░░░░░░ on what he was ░░░░░░░░ look back on what ░░░░░░░░ was tweeting on what ░░░░░░░░ were saying about him ░░░░░░░░ realtime Senator corker saying ░░░░░░░░ will create world were ░░░░░░░░ They re going to ░░░░░░░░ what were you doing ░░░░░░░░ knew everything you needed ░░░░░░░░ know This guy was ░░░░░░░░ him little rocket man ░░░░░░░░ and fat tweeting these ░░░░░░░░ provocations that were not ░░░░░░░░ his own administration s ░░░░░░░░ at arguably the singularly ░░░░░░░░ irrational and dangerous regime ░░░░░░░░ the world why did ░░░░░░░░ let this go on ░░░░░░░░ ll go on and ░░░░░░░░ well impeachment seemed like ░░░░░░░░ big deal When you ░░░░░░░░ to look at it ░░░░░░░░ is where my mind ░░░░░░░░ I initially thought impeachment ░░░░░░░░ too profound to look ░░░░░░░░ When you look at ░░░░░░░░ it begins to look ░░░░░░░░ SCARBOROUGH Mike Barnicle BARNICLE ░░░░░░░░ prior toward any action ░░░░░░░░ impeachment do you wonder ░░░░░░░░ some of us do ░░░░░░░░ this particular president surrounded ░░░░░░░░ so many people at ░░░░░░░░ upper level who have ░░░░░░░░ their lives to the ░░░░░░░░ to the service of ░░░░░░░░ country I m talking ░░░░░░░░ Generals Mattis and Kelly ░░░░░░░░ McMaster why they have ░░░░░░░░ stood up one as ░░░░░░░░ individual or perhaps as ░░░░░░░░ group to say enough ░░░░░░░░ enough we re out ░░░░░░░░ here unless you change ░░░░░░░░ do it publicly But ░░░░░░░░ has said anything So ░░░░░░░░ president now seems even ░░░░░░░░ talk of impeachment seems ░░░░░░░░ be operating every day ░░░░░░░░ no boundaries whatsoever KLEIN ░░░░░░░░ sense of reporting on ░░░░░░░░ White House is that ░░░░░░░░ all believe that if ░░░░░░░░ leave nothing will change ░░░░░░░░ they will be replaced ░░░░░░░░ people who are not ░░░░░░░░ good at controlling Donald ░░░░░░░░ They feel a sense ░░░░░░░░ duty and a number ░░░░░░░░ them by the way ░░░░░░░░ in their own sort ░░░░░░░░ weird ways begun to ░░░░░░░░ him publicly I mean ░░░░░░░░ was a very strange ░░░░░░░░ conference for instance that ░░░░░░░░ gave who said I ░░░░░░░░ t respond to the ░░░░░░░░ s tweets That s ░░░░░░░░ the policy we re ░░░░░░░░ We re setting the ░░░░░░░░ we re telling the ░░░░░░░░ what he needs to ░░░░░░░░ Organizational dynamics are complex ░░░░░░░░ the way people slowly ░░░░░░░░ to rationalize terrible actions ░░░░░░░░ if they didn t ░░░░░░░░ they would have to ░░░░░░░░ and if they left ░░░░░░░░ worse things can happen ░░░░░░░░ have seen quite a ░░░░░░░░ disasters in history end ░░░░░░░░ that way At some ░░░░░░░░ even if the people ░░░░░░░░ are handpicked to be ░░░░░░░░ him are not going ░░░░░░░░ abandon him there is ░░░░░░░░ rest of us right ░░░░░░░░ s Congress there s ░░░░░░░░ there s a country ░░░░░░░░ what public pressure is ░░░░░░░░ how we think about ░░░░░░░░ and how we talk ░░░░░░░░ it it actually matters ░░░░░░░░ s why I called ░░░░░░░░ argument the case for ░░░░░░░░ impeachment Because I think ░░░░░░░░ s something we need ░░░░░░░░ talk about whether or ░░░░░░░░ it is OK to ░░░░░░░░ a president just for ░░░░░░░░ being somebody who should ░░░░░░░░ president which is traditionally ░░░░░░░░ a way we ve ░░░░░░░░ about it We ve ░░░░░░░░ impeachment we medicalized a ░░░░░░░░ Amendment but we don ░░░░░░░░ really have a language ░░░░░░░░ saying you know we ░░░░░░░░ hired the wrong person ░░░░░░░░ a job But in ░░░░░░░░ other business when you ░░░░░░░░ the wrong person for ░░░░░░░░ job you think about ░░░░░░░░ them GEIST Right KLEIN ░░░░░░░░ idea that the only ░░░░░░░░ where you don t ░░░░░░░░ the most important job ░░░░░░░░ the world I keep ░░░░░░░░ back to this language ░░░░░░░░ it s absurd GEIST ░░░░░░░░ is about as serious ░░░░░░░░ it gets Andrew Johnson ░░░░░░░░ Bill Clinton the only ░░░░░░░░ presidents impeached in the ░░░░░░░░ both later acquitted In ░░░░░░░░ Senate you have to ░░░░░░░░ a charge to impeach ░░░░░░░░ president What would be ░░░░░░░░ specific charge against President ░░░░░░░░ KLEIN There have been ░░░░░░░░ number of impeachment proceedings ░░░░░░░░ against judge pickering with ░░░░░░░░ huge range of charges ░░░░░░░░ ll forget the exact ░░░░░░░░ charges simply of dishonoring ░░░░░░░░ office Pickering himself and ░░░░░░░░ think this is an ░░░░░░░░ example I talked about ░░░░░░░░ in the piece He ░░░░░░░░ removed because he was ░░░░░░░░ unfit for the bench ░░░░░░░░ was ranting at people ░░░░░░░░ was an alcoholic might ░░░░░░░░ been suffering from early ░░░░░░░░ dementia We looked at ░░░░░░░░ GEIST How do you ░░░░░░░░ that stuff Ezra It ░░░░░░░░ one thing to say ░░░░░░░░ guy is crazy How ░░░░░░░░ you peach it KLEIN ░░░░░░░░ is a political remedy ░░░░░░░░ s no prove it ░░░░░░░░ need a majority of ░░░░░░░░ house and two thirds ░░░░░░░░ of the Senate A ░░░░░░░░ needs to be made ░░░░░░░░ is not a case ░░░░░░░░ reasonabledoubt There s not ░░░░░░░░ standard of evidence High ░░░░░░░░ and misdemeanors is never ░░░░░░░░ in the Constitution It ░░░░░░░░ something we have to ░░░░░░░░ a decision on politically ░░░░░░░░ is something somebody does ░░░░░░░░ BRZEZINSKI You make a ░░░░░░░░ to see what you ░░░░░░░░ and act on it ░░░░░░░░ do the right thing ░░░░░░░░ Klein thank you so ░░░░░░░░ We ll be reading ░░░░░░░░ piece on vox com ░░░░░░░░ next why Republicans on ░░░░░░░░ Hill continue to stand ░░░░░░░░ the president as he ░░░░░░░░ deeper into conspiracies and ░░░░░░░░ falsehoods lies and don ░░░░░░░░ say we didn t ░░░░░░░░ you clip starts BRZEZINSKI ░░░░░░░░ nine days after Donald ░░░░░░░░ was declared the presumptive ░░░░░░░░ nominee he has finally ░░░░░░░░ the vote of the ░░░░░░░░ s top member in ░░░░░░░░ Paul he s not ░░░░░░░░ to do anything for ░░░░░░░░ because you did this ░░░░░░░░ s not going to ░░░░░░░░ you back It s ░░░░░░░░ He sold out I ░░░░░░░░ sorry He did have ░░░░░░░░ choice and he made ░░░░░░░░ that was weak clip ░░░░░░░░