CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Congressman Gregory Meeks

Interview

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REP. GREGORY MEEKS, (D) NEW YORK: Good being with you this morning.

PAUL: Thank you. You tweeted out recently, "Israel is our strongest ally and I support its right to defend itself. Still we have to deescalate the tensions in the Middle East lest we ca careen toward another conflict." Hearing what we're hearing today from this commander of the Iranian army that they will speed up the annihilation of Israel, what's your reaction to this, and what can the U.S. do?

MEEKS: Well, I'm really concerned about what's taking place now in the Middle East. And clearly Israel has the right to defend itself. They are our closest ally and significant and most important ally in the region. So that is unequivocal.

However, we don't need to do things that's going to cause further turbulence in the area. And by pulling out of the JCPOA, I think we've done just that. Everybody, all of our allies, everyone that was a partner to the agreement agrees that Iran had not violated anything in the JCPOA. So that should -- and its sole focus and purpose was to prevent them from having a nuclear weapon. What we should have been doing and should have done then to now to come up with another agreement to confront Iran on some of its other aggressions not dealing with the JCPOA. But by just pulling out, leaving our allies on their own causing the kind of unrest that we're seeing starting to take place now in the Middle East, I'm hopeful that we can get back to the table.

There's no plan b that this administration has put out in regards to what replaces the JCPOA, and how do we make sure we have a scenario that doesn't spiral out of control.

PAUL: Congressman, I want you to take a look at a German magazine "Der Spiegel," at the cover that they have right now there. And what we know about what's happening with Iran, with Israel. What is your -- what do you think this says about the opinion of the U.S. around the world, and what is your main concern at this point?

MEEKS: My main concern is that we are isolated ourselves, whether you talk to friend or foe. We talk -- look at the appeal that our allies, we had the French and U.K., the United Kingdom, they all came to the president saying it's a bad move to pull out. When you look at not only the JCPOA, you look at climate control, you look at talk with reference to multilateral institutions, you look at TPP. So all of it is that what the rest of the world is looking at us saying that we've got to look at other alternatives to the United States. So what the president's policies of America first or America only, whatever that is, is also a policy that would isolate us from the rest of the world and we will lose our leadership that we should have as far as leading the world in an ever smaller global economy, et cetera.

PAUL: On Monday, they will be opening the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. we know. There is a plaque on the new embassy that says Jerusalem, Israel. Can the administration, you think, still claim that the policies are unchanged in that region with that on the front of the embassy?

MEEKS: Yes. Look, it's -- I think -- I don't think that we need to put a poke at someone or anything of that nature. I think that we still are not talking about a two-state solution which everyone had agreed upon before. So what is coming into question now is whether or not this administration agrees with a two-state solution to ultimately have some real peace in the Middle East. The objectives should be for both the -- definitely for the Israelis and the Palestinians that we have some real peace in the Middle East and not have a scenario where we are continuing in spiraling into violence, et cetera.

[10:25:13] So now you have you this scenario. You have the Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russians who are also in Syria. It's just a combustion that if we just looked at almost hopefully not bringing uproot that's ready to burst like a volcano. So I'm hopeful that there should be some reason and dialogue and conversations that can deescalate. I'm waiting to hear this president talk about another plan, a plan b to the JCPOA. I haven't heard that yet. And what will happen with our allies, sanctions on them also? I don't know. The president has sort of left this big void.

PAUL: Real quickly, you heard Rudy Giuliani speak several times, contradicting the president in the last week here, making news again this morning. Do you believe Rudy Giuliani is really misspeaking or is there something else going on here?

MEEKS: Well, I think that Rudy Giuliani is in private meetings. He hears what's going on. He knows what the facts are. Then he goes out and he articulates them. And then he is pulled back. It's a diversion to a degree. But I also think Giuliani has always liked the limelight for himself also. He did that as the mayor of the city of New York. I think that he might have been fired already but for the fact that the president is losing lawyers left and right and can't get anyone else to come in. I would like to know who is paying him, whether it's the government or whether the president is paying him personally.

PAUL: Congressman, real quickly, though, do you believe that he's hearing correctly what he says and then comes back and backtracks, or do you think Rudy Giuliani, who is adroit in front of the camera, is really making these kind of mistakes?

MEEKS: I think he's saying what the administration is saying behind the scenes, but when he gets in front of the cameras he doesn't realize he shouldn't say. But the truth is the president stopped the AT&T agreement. The president likes those kinds of things. That doesn't surprise me. But they don't want that to be acknowledged publicly.

PAUL: Congressman Meeks, I'm sorry, we ran out of time. I so appreciate you being here. Thank you for taking the time for us today.

MEEKS: Thank you for having me.

PAUL: Absolutely.

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