MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Mike Quigley
Interview
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HAYES: There is right now a clearly credible case of obstruction of justice against the President of the United States. Do you agree?
REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D), ILLINOIS: Yes, I think it`s a pattern of behavior. Rarely in these sort of prosecutions you have one big bombshell act typically especially post Enron when we beefed up the laws allowing for this sort of prosecution, they understood that it was going to be a pattern of behavior, actions, activities. Clearly, the President not just in his tweets but you know the talk of pardons of people like who are on trial right now implying that if they -- if they didn`t go along and cooperate with the investigation, they could possibly be pardoned.
I think the sheriff`s pardon in Arizona was a clear intent to tell other folks that you don`t have to abide by lawfully subpoena -- lawful subpoenas so it`s a concern there. But obviously add the other things to it firing Comey, asking for his loyalty, threatening to fire Mueller previous time, you put all that together I think we`ve already met the burden. Unfortunately, this investigation is going to take much longer. We need to be patient.
HAYES: You know, there`s two ways I think of looking at these present statements. One is this sort of like frog boiling in the water right, where he sort of he`s testing his limits. The other is that it`s a sign of how impotent he is. This is someone who`s whining because he knows that he can`t actually take the steps to fire Rosenstein or Mueller because that would be a kind of political cataclysm.
QUIGLEY: I think the legal term is he`s actually freaking out right? His campaign chairman is on trial, his National Security Adviser has already pled guilty and is cooperating and his personal attorney, a person who was so important. Why do we know Cohen was important? Because President Trump thought he was important. He gave him as you know his most sensitive task and right now there`s a possibility, a very real possibility that he`s going to follow Flynn and cooperate.
HAYES: You know, you`re on the House Intelligence Committee and you guys had the investigation that was I think editorialized, prematurely cut short by the majority. There was reports issued on both sides. Is it your sense -- I mean, I always think to myself, do people on Capitol Hill feel confident they know what the President did and what will come out and are they walking around if you`re on the Republican side with the sort of -- sort of (INAUDIBLE) over your head?
QUIGLEY: I think some of my Republican colleagues wish it would go away. I think they`re sort of repulsed by the President`s activities. I think others are co-conspirators in a sense including many of my colleagues and the Chairman of the Intel Committee. What exactly did they do? They tanked the investigation and they shut it down. They work hand in glove with the President of the United States to obstruct this investigation.
HAYES: Do you think that is going in when you guys get back from recess in the fall and it`ll be week you know within months of the midterms. Do you expect more pressure on that front?
QUIGLEY: It depends entirely upon what Mr. Mueller does in August. I can`t -- as you say we look at this investigation through a straw. I think the Mueller investigation has been very careful about leaks and they`ve
been very careful to stay away from our investigation and vice versa. But knowing the type of person he is, my assumption is if he doesn`t do something pretty soon, he`s probably going to put off anything until after
the election.
HAYES: Because of that sort of window of interfering with the election.
QUIGLEY: Sure. What we learned from Comey all too well before the Presidential Election `16.
HAYES: Do you -- what do you -- you`re back in your district now.
QUIGLEY: Yes.
HAYES: You guys are on recess and I just wonder what your conversations on this topic are back in the district or whether it comes up.
QUIGLEY: It comes up all the time. I get stopped in coffee shops, riding my bike, walking my dog, most people say please continue this, find some way to find out what took place. It is clearly on people`s minds being on programs like this reminding them on the Intel Committee and all I can tell them is we`re doing the very best we can, given the fact that the Republicans shut down their side of the investigation. I think most people recognize for what it is. This is more important than Watergate and more complicated.
HAYES: More important -- why is it more important than Watergate?
QUIGLEY: Because it involves a foreign adversary and the very real possibility that our President conspired with them to attack our democracy.
HAYES: You assess that is a very real possibility.
QUIGLEY: I do.
HAYES: Congressman Mike Quigley, thanks for being here tonight.
QUIGLEY: Thank you.
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