If you have spent any time at all listening to “Impeachment Comadre” Sylvia Garcia, (D-Texas), either during her depositions before Congress last week, or at her media rounds on the nation´s Hispanic networks, you will have witnessed the extent to which she forcibly rehashes the Democrats’ talking points regarding the whole impeachment charade.
In this softball interview by Nicole Suarez and Rashel Diaz, hostesses of Un Nuevo Dia, Telemundo´s daily morning show, we see how far she will go to plug an agenda - regardless of how absurd it may be- by calling President Trump a dictator like Maduro and Castro, with no push-back at all from the so called “journalists”:
SYLVIA GARCIA: This country is a democracy; it is not a country that has a king or a dictator. And if we don't do this, if we don't make a good case that the Senate can determine that he's guilty, then Trump is no different from Maduro, he's no more different from Castro, then he's a dictator or he's a king. And we don't have that here in this country.
The Texas Democrat, the only Latino member of the House of Representatives appointed as an impeachment manager, was asked by Rashel Diaz to explain her role, “so that the public understands.” Her answer: “to represent all the people because this president abused his power and also obstructed Congress.”
After calling President Trump a king or dictator, the full-frontal attack with today’s talking points took center stage: John Bolton. Diaz framed the issue by asking Garcia: “Congresswoman, former national security adviser John Bolton, according to information leaked this weekend to the New York Times, states in a new book that the President allegedly told him he intended to continue blocking military aid to Ukraine until that the country would help them with the investigations against the Democrats. What impact do you think this new information will have on the trial?”
Garcia’s rehearsed answer went to the core of why she's making the rounds at the U.S. Latino networks’ studios: “We've said this throughout this trial- that we need witnesses, we need documents, we need everything from them, so that the senators can hear everything, right?” Oh, but if just seconds before Garcia had told the audience that the Democrats had presented a very strong case, why the need for more witnesses or documents?
To her detriment, Garcia proceeded to make up a conversation, in the style of her colleague Adam Schiff, describing the President ́s phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky: “When he (President Trump) made the call and said, well, we ́ll give you the funds but you have to make the investigation for my election, of Biden, to help me personally, that's what he did wrong.”)
However, the most draconian comment from the Congresswoman sounded like this: “We (the Democrats) are not interested in the election or what impact it (the impeachment) will have on the election.”
No wonder Garcia couldn't stop grimacing and blinking all the while on camera. The forced talking points were just too much to bear, even for her.
Click "expand" to read the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on Telemundo's Un Nuevo Día, on Monday, January 27, 2020:
RASHEL DIAZ: As you know, the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump begins a crucial week in the Senate and to learn more about what is happening in Washington we are accompanied live by Representative Sylvia Garcia.
NICOLE SUAREZ: Well, Rashel, she's the Texas Democrat and the only Latino lawmaker appointed as one of the House of Representatives managers in this historic process. Good morning.
SILVIA GARCIA, (D): Good morning.
SUAREZ: Thanks for joining us. Congresswoman, so that the public understands. What is your role as a Democratic-appointed prosecutor?
GARCIA: First of all, it is an honor for me to serve as a prosecutor in this impeachment trial, a very historic moment to be there at the table with all the other prosecutors representing our community and our people. And the role of mine is the, with the whole team, all together presenting the case that we presented last week, and being there to represent all the people because this president abused his power and also obstructed Congress. This country is a democracy; it is not a country that has a king or a dictator. And if we don't do this, if we don't make a good case that the Senate can determine that he's guilty, then Trump is no different from Maduro, he's no more different from Castro, then he's a dictator or he's a king. And we don't have that here in this country.
DIAZ: Congresswoman, former national security adviser John Bolton, according to information leaked this weekend to the New York Times, assures in a new book that the President allegedly told him he intended to continue blocking military aid to Ukraine until that the country would help them with the investigations against the Democrats. What impact do you think this new information will have on the trial?
GARCIA: Well, that's explosive, that's a tremendous thing to have that information, but we need him to come for trial as a witness. That´s why we've said this throughout this trial that we need witnesses, we need documents, we need everything from them, so that the senators can hear everything, right? Um, everyone knows that a trial has witnesses, has documents, has evidence, so we have to do it and this is a good example of why we need witnesses in this trial.
DIAZ: There are people who think that while withholding aid to Ukraine may have been wrong, what President Trump's administration did doesn't reach the level of it being a crime. What would you say to these people?
GARCIA: No, look, this... Our country works as a democracy. We have laws that are very important not just for us, but for the president and everyone, because no one is above the law. When he made the call and said, well, we´ll give you the funds but you have to make the investigation for my election, of Biden, to help me personally, that's what he did wrong. Because he, as president, must be there for the interests of our country, not for his personal interests, or for him, for politics. So that was the abuse of power and then the cover-up. He never sent any witnesses, he told all the people not to show up, no document, he did everything he could to cover up everything, so that we could not face our case. So that's all an abuse of power and it is obstruction of Congress and he doesn't deserve to be in the White House. They need to find him guilty and get him out of the White House.
DIAZ: Congresswoman, last week you and six other democratic party members presented evidence against President Trump. What impact do you think you had on the senate?
GARCIA: We presented a very strong case. There were many witnesses who said that they were working at the president's command and that he told them or gave them the impression that they did not have to give the funds to Ukraine. So we have a lot of witnesses, we have a lot of people who were on the call, who heard what was said. We also have a lot of evidence, well, he did everything he could do, so that we wouldn't have the witness documents. This president thinks he's on above the law, and nobody's above the law in this country.
SUAREZ: And tell us: How could the outcome of the impeachment influence the immediate future of the Democratic party for the November election?
GARCIA: Well we are doing everything in this case to defend our democracy, to defend our constitution. We are not interested in the election or what impact it will have on the election. The impact it can have on elections is that this president, as he did before, is going to be a cheat, right? in this election, because that's why he called Ukraine to help him then have more control of the election as he called for help from Russia last time in 2016. So that's why the danger is there. It's because we know that Russia is still interfering in our elections and we still have the election coming in 2020 which is going to be very important. And we don't want anyone coming to our country to interfere with the election here in the United States.
DIAZ: So that they don't interfere... Thank you very much, of course, to Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvia Garcia for joining us, and for politely answering each of our questions. Have a great day.
SUAREZ: Thank you very much.
GARCIA: Thank you.
