MSNBC "The Beat with Ari Melber" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

Interview

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MELBER: Well put and something to think about. Ambassador Ginsberg, thanks for joining us.

Neera, stick around, I want to ask you about another development later in  the show.

And now as promised, let`s turn to another guest of ours, current member of  Congress, Hakeem Jeffries, representing New York.

Thanks for being here during a difficult time for New York and a lot of  parts of the country.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Thanks for having me.

MELBER: Your view of how the president is conducting himself and what is  the nature of the threat as you see it in these attacks.

JEFFRIES: Well, it`s a serious attack that has targeted two senior  presidents, high-ranking government officials and public figures who have  been very critical of the president. That`s a very troubling pattern that  suggests that there was provocation based on the politics of the moment  that we`re in.

Words matter, leadership is important. It starts at the top, and the  president has chosen to respond to the chaos, crisis and confusion of the  moment by basically showing depraved indifference to human life. And  that`s been shameful and shocking. And the only way for the American  people to respond through their goodness is going to be through the power  of the ballot that has been given to us by our founding fathers to show  that this is not OK, that we are better than this and to impose a check and  balance on this president on November 6th.

MELBER: So you think he`s making it worse?

JEFFRIES: He absolutely is making it worse. Presidents can either unite  or they can divide. They can either bring people together or they can tear  us apart. And Donald Trump has clearly chosen to tear us apart by showing  indifference at best and definitely provocation at worst in terms of what  has taken place.
It`s not even clear that he has the ability to show human compassion for  what has taken place, and that is perhaps the biggest tragedy of it all.  He`s been on this earth for 70 plus years. It`s clear to us that he is not  going to change.

MELBER: He said yesterday during his more scripted part of this, well, we  have to accept the outcomes of elections. But he was the first modern  nominee of a major party who said at a presidential debate in front of  everyone that he wouldn`t agree in advance to accept any outcome of the  election, he would wait and see until election day, and he happened to win.

I wonder what you think of that contrast and the debate that`s going to  continue I think as long as he`s president about when he comes out and he  says the bare minimum of what it seems to be assigned or what`s on script  and then goes on and acts in a way that`s contra to whatever was written to  him.

JEFFRIES: Well, he`s someone who clearly has authoritarian tendencies.  And when given the chance he always shows us who he is. Initially he`ll  respond based on a script, show some humanity. But then when he`s  unleashed from the script or a teleprompter basically communicate what he  really thinks about the matter. And that is quite unfortunate because this is not a situation where it`s Democrats very Republicans, the left versus the right, progressives or conservatives. This is a life or death matter. 

This is when leadership is really required at the top, and he has failed the American people.

MELBER: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, from New York, a place that knows  these threats well, I appreciate you coming on our coverage tonight.

Coming up we turn to an NBC exclusive. Bob Mueller getting evidence that  Roger Stone`s associate knew in advance possibly about a Russian e-mail  hack. The reporter who broke the story is on THE BEAT.
Later my fact check on Donald Trump`s iPhone security lapse, foreign  countries now spying in his on his conversations. He is doing that which  he accused Hillary Clinton of.
Will anyone care?

And later, a special interview with a Trump whistleblower of sorts, the  former ambassador of Mexico is speaking out about the border and much more.  You`ll want to see that.

But first up next, Tony Schwartz is walking into THE BEAT set right now.  We`re going to talk fear and what he knows about Donald Trump -- Tony, good  to see you -- when we come right back.

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