MSNBC "The Beat with Ari Melber" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Joaquin Castro

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

HAYES: -- and Harry Litman, tank you both.

I want to bring in the member of the House Intelligence Committee  Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas. What do you make of what  happen today?

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTE: You know, for years  Michael Cohen was Donald Trump's fixer, and today he became America's fixer  by letting us know in court that we have an unindicted co-conspirator of a  federal crime sitting in the Oval Office. And now the question is, what  will U.S. Congress do about that? I believe that the Judiciary Committee  in both the House and the Senate should open an investigation tomorrow  morning.

HAYES: What would be the nature of that investigation into the crime --  into the possibility of criminal action taken by the President as sworn in  federal court today by Michael Cohen?

CASTRO: It would be absolutely that. There would be the allegations made,  sworn testimony by Michael Cohen in court.

HAYES: There was some reporting today that people inside the White House  were telling reporters that, well, you can't indict a President. What's  your response to that?

CASTRO: Well, I think the law is unclear about that. I don't think that  there's a definitive answer to that. But putting that aside, the Congress  has an obligation to act. Now, I realize that for good reason, millions of  Americans have basically lost faith in the Republican Majority taking any  kind of action against this President. But we have to do everything that  we can to press them to take action.

HAYES: There's a question here now, seems to be a profound one, which is  that if individual one has named in this indictment were just a citizen,  they would be exposed to real criminal threat. And can it be the case that  just happening to be the person who did those things having one office and  sitting the White House insulates you from any possible recrimination for  those actions?

CASTRO: I think that that is a very important question, Chris. Do you  become basically immune from prosecution simply because you won the  election? You committed a crime that helped you win the election. You've  now become President and so now you have basically won immunity as well as  an election. That's why I say that the issue of prosecution is not  necessarily off the table. I don't know that with something like this, a  crime like this that you should be able to cheat, win the election because  you cheat and therefore have immunity.

HAYES: Have you been in -- you know, today there are so many stories that  come out of the Trump White House, Trump administration. We follow this,  of course, at the end of the day (ph). Today it struck me when someone who  follows us for a living is a remarkably significant day, I mean, a  different kind of category of thing happen today. Are you talking with  other members of your caucus, other people about what happened today and do  they have seemed either that sense?

CASTRO: I have had some conversations and I think you kind of felt this  momentum growing throughout the day that started with the question of  whether there would be a verdict in the Manafort trial and then of course 
moving on to the news of Michael Cohen. So, yes, folks are having more conversations about it. I think, in a sense, the President has lucked out that you have one chamber of Congress, the House of Representative that is out of session until September 4th.

So that's what allows Paul Ryan to basically give an answer in part, give  an answer saying, well, I need more information before I do anything. And,  you know, and basically, by the way, my folks aren't here anywhere. The  Senate, I think is in session so they should act immediately.

HAYES: All right, Congressman Joaquin Castro, thank you very much.

CASTRO: Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source