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Rep. Collins: Nixon, Clinton deserved impeachment scrutiny

The Georgia Republican is Trump's impeachment firewall

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Georgia Republican Congressman Doug Collins is the senior Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. Collins told 11Alive News he thinks congressional Democrats need to wait for the report from special counsel Robert Mueller before launching additional investigations into the Trump campaign and White House. Collins also talked about the committee's impeachment history.

Q: Do you think President Clinton deserved impeachment?

A: According to (independent counsel) Ken Starr he did... He lied under oath. Does that rise to the high crimes and misdemeanors? The Republicans at that time decided it did. They went forward with it. The Senate did not, and you’ve seen the political fallout from it ever since.

Q: Do you think Nixon was a criminal?

A: I think that time has shown that out over time... They began to find information that I think history would look back on, that the president was involved in things that were illegal.

Q: President Nixon was overheard on tape ordering the CIA to stop the FBI's Watergate investigation.  Is that much different than President Trump firing the FBI director saying he wanted him to stop the (Russia) investigation?

A: Well I think we forget a very pertinent fact in the investigation which is (Department of Justice official Rod) Rosenstein actually wrote the memo saying why Comey should be fired... You can't just say this was obstruction because Comey was fired. Let’s look at the whole structure of the DOJ when the DOJ actually wrote the memo saying Comey should be fired.

RELATED: Collusion 'not a crime:' Georgia GOP congressman pushes back

Q: In Nixon’s case it was a spontaneous utterance (in a recorded conversation) that got him in trouble, and in Trump’s case, it was the spontaneous utterance to the NBC news anchor (saying he fired Comey because of Russia)

A: Well I would disagree on Nixon himself. Going back to Nixon, he had a pattern of tapes here, this was something ongoing in the investigation, to the blacklists, the enemies list and everything else that he had... I think comparing the two is something that’s not even applicable at this point. You had an investigation that found the wrongdoing of Nixon. But at this point in time, everything (on Trump) is assumption right now. There’s a race (by Democrats) to find the president guilty of something... I think this goes back to the heart of what I’m saying and that is, let’s let the (Mueller) report come out.

Q: If the report says there was no collusion and that Russiagate did not produce a crime, is that reason to shut down what congress is doing ?

A: From my perspective I would say, well what are you gonna do next?

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