MARIA: WELCOME BACK. WELL, HUNTER BIDEN'S PLEA DEAL COLLAPSES YESTERDAY AS HE ENDS UP PLEADING NOT GUILTY TO TAX EVASION. THE JUDGE BALKING AND THE IMMUNITY THE TEAM WANTED FOR EVERYTHING AS IT WAS REVEALED THAT HE IS IN FACT UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS OF ACTING AS A FOREIGN AGENT. THE JUDGE IS ALSO TELLING THE FIRST SON TO LOOK FOR A JOB, NOT POSSESS ANY WEAPONS, AVOID DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AND SUBMIT TO DRUG TESTING BEFORE HIS HEARING ON AUGUST 25th OR FACE JAIL. JOINING ME IS NEW YORK CONGRESSWOMAN, ELISE STEFANIK, A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE FOREIGN SERVICES AND INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. >> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. MARIA: GIVE US YOUR REACTION TO WHAT APPEARED TO BE REFRESHING HONESTY FROM THE JUDGE YESTERDAY. >> IT WAS REFRESHING HONESTY FROM THE JUDGE. LET'S TAKE A STEP BACK, WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST 48 HOURS. LAWYERS FOR HUNTER BIDEN PRETENDED TO BE WAYS AND MEANS REPUBLICAN STAFFERS AND DEMANDED THAT THE IRS WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY BE TAKEN OFF THE DOCKET, BECAUSE OF THIS JUDGE SHE WAS PAYING VERY CLOSE ATTENTION, SHE WAS ABLE TO FIND OUT THAT THEY WERE PRETENDING AND I BELIEVE THAT IS WORTHY OF BEING DISBARRED, THE FACT THAT THESE LAWYERS WOULD PRETEND TO BE REPUBLICAN STAFFERS TO TRY TO HIDE THAT INFORMATION FROM HER. SHE WAS CORRECT TO DEMAND A RESPONSE FROM THE HUNTER BIDEN LAWYERS BUT SHE WAS ALSO CORRECT TO FIND THAT SWEETHEART IMMUNITY PLEA DEALS SLIPPED INTO THIS AGREEMENT GIVING HUNTER BIDEN A SWEETHEART DEAL WHEREAS EVERY OTHER AMERICAN HAS TO LIVE BY A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SET OF RULES. THIS WOULD HAVE PROTECTED HUNTER BIDEN FROM ANY FUTURE PROSECUTIONS, MULTIPLE FEDERAL CRIMES HE HAS COMMITTED. THAT'S UNACA ACCEPTABLE. IT'S UNAMERICAN. I CREDIT THE JUDGE FOR HER DECISION. MARIA: IN OTHER WORDS, HUNTER BIDEN'S LAWYERS WALKED IN THERE, THINKING THAT ONCE HE PLEADS GUILTY TO TAX EVASION, HE WOULD BE IMMUNE FROM ANYTHING ELSE INCLUDING ALL THE MONEY HE'S TAKEN IN FROM FOREIGN ADVERSARIES AND FOREIGN NATIONALS? >> THAT IS CORRECT. MARIA: THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE. WHAT ARROGANCE TO WALK IN AND EXPECT THAT KIND OF IMMUNITY. >> IT'S ARROGANCE AND IT IS LIVING BY A DIFFERENT SET OF RULES IF YOUR LAST NAME IS BIDEN. IT'S FUNDAMENTALLY UNAMERICAN. THAT'S WHY HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL CONTINUE OUR OVERRIGHT WORK. IT'S BECAUSE OF OUR INVESTIGATIONS THAT WE UNCOVERED ALL OF THIS. THIS WAS PARTIALLY UNCOVERED BECAUSE IT WAS REPUBLICANS ON THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE WHO SHARED THE IRS WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY WITH THIS JUDGE. THE LAWYERS FOR HUNTER BIDEN TRIED TO TAKE THAT DOWN AND PRETEND IT TO BE A STAFFER FOR THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE. IT IS JUST SO CHILLING, IT IS UNPRECEDENTED BUT AGAIN, THIS JUDGE NEEDS TO BE CREDITED FOR MAKING SURE WE ARE A NATION BASED UPON THE RULE OF LAW, EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW. MARIA: YOU MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, THE FACT THAT THEY TRIED TO LIE, MAKE BELIEVE THEY WERE FROM THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE. THIS IS PRETTY STUNNING. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS? IT. .>> IT IS STUNNING. WE KNOW THE HUNTER BIDEN STORY IS A JOE BIDEN STORY. YOU HAVE THE WHITE HOUSE CHANGING ITS LANGUAGE IN AN EFFORT TO DISTANCE THE PRESIDENT FROM HIS SON'S FOREIGN BUSINESS DEALINGS. NOW, SOME REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE HAVE FLOATED A POTENTIAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO JOE BIDEN OVER THIS ISSUE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD SUPPORT? >> OH, ABSOLUTELY. I'M IN CONVERSATIONS WITH SPEAKER McCARTHY AND ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND THE IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY IS THAT ENSURES THAT THE HOUSE IS AT THE APECKS OF ITS POWER -- APEX OF ITS POWER AND OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITY. IT MEANS OUR SUBPOENAS HAVE THE MOST POWER POSSIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO LITIGATING THIS OUT IN COURT BECAUSE WE KNOW GETTING THE FACTS IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY. WE KNOW THAT THIS WHITE HOUSE, THIS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THEY ARE TRYING TO COVER UP FOR HUNTER BIDEN AND ULTIMATELY JOE BIDEN AND WHAT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR STATEMENT IS THE WHITE HOUSE IS TRYING TO QUIETLY CHANGE ITS LANGUAGE. FIRST IT SAID THAT JOE BIDEN NEVER SPOKE TO HIS SON, HUNTER BIDEN, ABOUT HUNTER'S BUSINESS DEALINGS. THEY HAVE CHANGED THAT LANGUAGE TO NOW SAY JOE BIDEN HAS NEVER BEEN IN BUSINESS WITH HUNTER BIDEN'S BUSINESS OPERATIONS. THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE AND THE FACT THAT THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY LIED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SAY OH, NO IT'S THE SAME POSITION WE'VE ALWAYS HAD, IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS THAT WE DISCOVERED THE DOZENS OF LLCs WHICH IS ILLEGAL MONEY LAUNDERING, THE FACT THAT NEARLY 20 BIDEN FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE PROFITED ILLEGALLY. I BELIEVE THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE SMART. THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THE BIG GUY IS JOE BIDEN. BUT HAVING THAT IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY ALLOWS US TO GET ALL THE FACTS AND HAVE THE MOST CONSTITUTIONALLY RECOGNIZED POWER FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. MARIA: WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, HOW MANY FACTS DO YOU NEED, YOU AND JAMES COMER, JASON SMITH, SENT A LETTER TO THE WHITE HOUSE DEMANDING ANSWERS ON THE WHITE HOUSE SHIFTING THE ROLE ON HUNTER'S BUSINESS. BUT WE ALREADY HAVE BANK RECORDS, WE HAVE WITNESS TESTIMONY. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOING TO IMPEACH, GET MOVING ALREADY. >> WELL, MARIA, I'VE BEEN ONE OF THE MOST FORWARD LEANING IN SAYING WE NEED TO LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED AND ULTIMATELY I BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO FIND MORE LLCs. I BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO FIND LLCs THAT GO STRAIGHT TO JOE BIDEN HIMSELF AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE TO KNOW THAT. THEY DESERVE TO HAVE ALL OF THE FACTS AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT. AND I BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE'VE UNCOVERED JUST IN SEVEN MONTHS ALONE IS STUNNING, IT IS CHILL, IT IS THE BIGGEST POLITICAL SCANDAL OF MY LIFETIME AND PERHAPS THE LAST CENTURY, PERHAPS EVER. I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ALL THE EVIDENCE POSSIBLE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE NOTHING LESS ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE SEEING JOE BIDEN, HIS WEAK POLICIES BUT THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF CORRUPTION THAT IT GOES STRAIGHT TO THE TOP. MARIA: I MEAN, WITHOUT THE REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE, AMERICAN PEOPLE WOULD HAVE NO IDEA OF ANY OF THIS. YOU'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB IN TERMS OF GETTING TO THE NUGGETS OF INFORMATION. PRESS SECRETARY KARINE JEAN-PIERRE REACTED TO ALL OF THIS YESTERDAY. HERE'S WHAT SHE SAID. WATCH. >> I WANT TO CLEAR THIS UP ONCE AND FOR ALL. THE PRESIDENT HAS PREVIOUSLY SAID THAT HE HAS NEVER DISCUSSED OVERSEAS BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH HIS SON BUT THE WHITE HOUSE NOW SAYS THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS NEVER BEEN IN BUSINESS WITH HIS SON. SO WHY THE UPDATED LANGUAGE? WHICH STATEMENT IS TRUE YOU? OR IS THIS SEMANTICS AND THEY'RE BOTH TRUE? >> AS I STATED ON THE DATE WHEN I WAS ASKED THIS QUESTION MULTIPLE TIMES. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. NOTHING HAS CHANGED ON THIS. NOTHING HAS CHANGED ON THIS. AND SO YOU COULD ASK ME A MILLION DLIFORT WAYS -- DIFFERENT WAYS ON THIS QUESTION, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. MARIA: NOTHING HAS CHANGED, CONGRESSWOMAN, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY. >> NOT ONLY IS THAT FACTUALLY INACCURATE, IT'S CONNED SENDING TO -- CONSISTENT DEP SENDING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT JOE BIDEN HAS SPOKEN TO HUNTER BIDEN ABOUT HIS OVERSEAS BUSINESS DEALINGS. WHAT'S WORSE, HE DID SO AND I BELIEVE WAS INTIMATELY INVOLVED WHEN HE WAS THE SITTING VICE PRESIDENT. NOW HE'S INVOLVED IN FORCING THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO COVER UP AND PROTECT THE BIDEN FAMILY, TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE RULE OF LAW AND PROSECUTION. THAT'S FUNDAMENTALLY UNAMERICAN AND AS I SAID, IT IS OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO ROOT OUT CORRUPTION IN EVERY AGENCY AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS AND I'VE BEEN PROUD STANDING IN SOME OF THE TOUGHEST FIGHTS WE'VE HAD RELATING TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL IMPEACHMENT UNDER THE DEMOCRATS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR SUBPOENAS AND REQUESTS FOR DOCUMENTS HAVE THE MOST UNDERSTANDING AND THAT THE JUDGES RULE IN FAVOR OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WHEN IT COMES TO OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY OF OVERSIGHT. MARIA: I MEAN, I CAN UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, GIVEN THE CORRUPTION ON ONE HAND AND THE INEPTITUDE ON POLL COIN THE OTHER HAND. WHO DO YOU IMPEACH FIRST? DO YOU IMPEACH JOE BIDEN FOR CORRUPTION, TAKING ALL OF THIS MONEY OR DO YOU IMPEACH ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS FOR INEPTITUDE AND DERELICTION OF DUTY AT THE BORDER OR DO YOU IMPEACH MERRICK GARLAND FOR INTERFERING IN AN INVESTIGATION AND LYING UNDER OATH? I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT LOTS OF CHOICES HERE. I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION JANET YELLEN TELLING US INFLATION WAS TRANSITORY AND THE ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM NOT REALLY KNOWING HOW MUCH ENERGY AND OIL WE NEED. >> WELL, CERTAINLY WE'RE DOING MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS ON HOMELAND, IT IS CLEAR THAT SECRETARY MAYORKAS HAS BEEN DERELICT OF HIS DUTY. NOT JUST SECRETARY MAYORKAS, IT'S JOE BIDEN'S ADMINISTRATION. THIS IS JOE BIDEN'S BORDER POLICIES THAT HAVE FAILED AND I THINK WE NEED TO HOLD THEM ALL ACCOUNTABLE, WHEN IT COMES TO ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND IT WAS MY QUESTIONS THAT REVEALED THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SOLICITED THE LETTER IT USED TO GO AFTER PARENTS AS TERRORISTS, BASED UPON MY QUESTIONS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO UNVEIL THAT AND THEN THE DOCUMENT REQUEST WE DID SUBSEQUENT TO THOSE QUESTIONS SO, YES, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE AND CERTAINLY THERE'S A LOT OF OFFICIALS TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE. WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED. I WILL TELL YOU, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE TRANSPARENCY FROM THIS REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN CONGRESS WHEREAS IF WE WERE NOT IN THE MAJORITY, NOUN THESE FACTS WOULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT. MARIA: THAT'S
