Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi

Interview

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BARTIROMO: We know that that's a priority for you.

Republican Doug Collins there.

We want to get the reaction from the other side of the aisle right now.

Illinois Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is with me. He joins us for an exclusive interview. He sits on the House Oversight Committee.

Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.

REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI, D-ILL.: Hey, thanks for having me.

BARTIROMO: So, your reaction to what Jim Comey said? Let's get how you see it.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Sure. Well, thanks. Thanks again for having me.

Yesterday, or day before, I was in the interview for about six-and-a-half- hours. He answered about 1,000 questions. I thought that he came across as consistent, compelling and careful in his answers.

I do think that the majority had a chance to ask him exhaustively about the Clinton e-mail investigation. I don't think anything new was learned about that.

But I think that given that he knows a lot about how to protect our democracy from further Russian meddling, I hope he comes back in the next Congress to talk about that.

BARTIROMO: Congressman, he said, 71 times "I don't know," 166 times "I don't remember." Well, 166 times, "I don't know," 71 times "I don't remember," "I don't recall" another eight times.

Did he really give you any information? Come on.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I think so.

We estimate that he answered almost 1,000 questions in total, so his batting average was between .700 and .800. As a Cubs fan, I think that's pretty good.

(LAUGHTER)

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I think that he could not answer certain questions because he is a material witness in the Mueller investigation. And so the DOJ and FBI, understandably, didn't want him to answer questions about an ongoing investigation.

BARTIROMO: Right.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Secondly, there were certain questions that pertained to classified material, and so he could not possibly in this setting answer those particular questions.

BARTIROMO: I thought you chose this setting because he could answer all the questions.

We were debating private vs. public. This -- the reason that you chose this setting was because -- in private, behind closed doors, so that he could answer the questions. I mean, it's just the runaround.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I personally wanted it to be a complete open session, so that you and the whole world could actually see him answer the questions real time.

BARTIROMO: Right.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: But this is how the setting was designated.

And it -- I think that he was able to answer the vast majority of questions, but certain ones, he could not.

BARTIROMO: What do you think?

I mean, why did he have an investigation with Hillary Clinton where we know that there was real wrongdoing, and yet he wrote the exoneration letter even before interviewing her, while at the same time coming out with this Russia collusion story around President Trump, then candidate Trump, which there's no evidence of any collusion?

So what's your reaction to that?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Let's take the first part of your question, ma'am.

With regard to the Clinton e-mail investigation, I believe that he formed a viewpoint on this particular issue, according to his testimony, after dozens and dozens of interviews and an exhaustive search.

BARTIROMO: Right. Yes.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: And, basically, he said that it was -- the e-mails were handled very carelessly.

BARTIROMO: Hold that thought. Hold that thought, Congressman.

We have got to slip in this break. Hold that thought.

Back in a minute.

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BARTIROMO: Welcome back. And I'm back with Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.

And, Congressman, you were in the middle of a thought in terms of your reaction to Jim Comey's behavior dealing with these two investigations, on the one hand, the Clinton investigation, where there were no charges, and Donald Trump potential collusion, where there's been no evidence of it, but they sure are investigating him up and down the street.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Yes, so I was just going to say that, as the I.G. report detailed exhaustively, there was no political bias in the handling of the e-mail investigation.

You should know that Democrats were very upset about the investigation, because, on the one hand, he said that Hillary Clinton was exonerated on -- in July of 2016, and then he came back on October 28 of the same year and reopened it. And a lot of people thought that that actually threw the election to Donald Trump.

With regard to the collusion investigation or the Russia investigation, that began in July of 2016...

BARTIROMO: That's right.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: ... according to his testimony, based on the testimony or based on information from a person named George Papadopoulos.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: And that then continued until now, pretty much.

He was fired in May of 2017. He wasn't able to conclude it, as you know.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

Is it possible that Jim Comey could actually say with a straight face there was no abuse to the FISA court?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, as you know, the Papadopoulos testimony was what caused the investigation to start.

Now, I know that the FISA warrant issue with regard to Carter Page is somewhat controversial. However, as we have learned from other information, the FISA warrant was based on multiple sources of material, not just the dossier, which I know that my colleagues on the other side like to talk about.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: No, but it was unverified. It was unverified. And they used it to spy on an American citizen. I mean, everybody knows what went on.

Real quick, Congressman, let me ask you about your agenda, what you would like to prioritize in the new Congress.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I think that we were hired to take the majority to get two things done, one, actually to deliver on promises to help working families become more prosperous.

So that means, for instance, working on an infrastructure package with the majority -- with the Republican side...

BARTIROMO: OK.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: ... working on prescription drug price reform and so forth.

And then the second big agenda item is, of course, trying to clean up some corruption and self-dealing and so forth at the agencies.

BARTIROMO: Well, you had that chance with Jim Comey, but he didn't answer any questions.

Congressman, it's good to see you, sir. Thanks so much.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Same here, Maria. Thank you.

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