Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. John Ratcliffe
Interview
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BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
The partial government shutdown continues this morning, with the battle over the border wall funding being a bone of contention between President Trump and the Democrats.
Joining me right now in an exclusive interview is Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe, member of the House Judiciary Committee and House Homeland Security Committee. He's also a former federal prosecutor.
Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.
REP. JOHN RATCLIFFE, R-TX: Morning, Maria.
BARTIROMO: How far are you and your colleagues willing to go on this, do you think, in terms of the border wall? What can you tell us about the current negotiations and how close the Republicans are with the Democrats to actually getting the funding to open the government?
RATCLIFFE: Maria, I think it's important for people to remember the primary reason that we have a federal government is to provide for the common defense.
And part of that is securing the sovereignty and integrity of our territorial borders. That's why Donald Trump made it his number one campaign promise and why Republicans are united behind him and voted to support the construction of a border wall this week by voting for $5 billion towards that.
So it's very important. It's what we told people we would do. I think we need to take it as far as we can, until we don't control the House anymore. So I support the president with respect to this. I have heard your prior guest.
With all due respect, they keep saying they're for border security, but they keep voting against it. And so I hope that that changes, because the American people are suffering as a result of this shut -- the longer this shutdown goes.
BARTIROMO: What about the idea that, like David Cameron just said, drones and more technology and more border agents?
They're basically saying, the wall, in and of itself, is ineffective.
RATCLIFFE: Well, he's right about a layered approach. I mean, it's not just a wall everywhere. We do need to take advantage of technologies.
But they have -- they have made this a political issue, to say that a wall is immoral and that they won't support it. As you pointed out, Maria, we have proven that it works. The wall between San Diego and Tijuana is incredibly important with respect to enforcing our immigration laws in this country.
So, the bottom line is this. He keep -- Congressman Cicilline kept bringing up they were willing to spend $1.6 billion. As you pointed out, Maria, last week, 234 out of 237 Democrats in the House and the Senate voted to spend $867 billion on a farm bill. And, this week, $5 billion is too much to spend for the number one priority of the federal government, border security.
BARTIROMO: That is a really important point that you make.
And the farm bill was really debated throughout business and politicos, because there's welfare in that bill as well. It's not just helping the farmers.
But let me move on to another big issue on your plate. And that is, last week, you came face to face with Jim Comey. You have been investigating the DOJ and the FBI for more than a year now over their activity and behavior in the 2016 election.
I want to show your tweet that you put out after you spoke with Jim Comey. And you basically said: "Yes, this is the real transcript of my exchange with Jim Comey. No, I didn't make this up."
What are you trying to say here?
RATCLIFFE: Well, Maria, first of all, I have to probably confess to your viewers that, when it comes to Jim Comey, I have probably lost my objectivity, because I was one of the folks that was defending him two years ago.
But exchanges like this, this transcript, really demonstrate that Jim Comey's FBI, the disparity and the dichotomy with which he treated two different presidential candidates, folks that were associated with Hillary Clinton benefited from departures from FBI policies and procedures, and folks associated with Donald Trump had those departures work to their disadvantage.
The words on the paper make very clear that when, for instance, folks associated with Hillary Clinton lied to the FBI, they weren't prosecuted, they were given immunity, whereas we have seen this week what happened to General Flynn for lying to the FBI.
Lying to the FBI is a serious crime. You should be prosecuted. But folks on both sides of the aisle should be prosecuted the same way. We saw repeatedly that Jim Comey wasn't willing to do that.
BARTIROMO: Right.
And so what you wrote in your tweet is: "OK, so I guess as I try to summarize what I have heard here today, Hillary Clinton mishandled classified information more than 100 times. She made false statements about it. The FBI was aware that at least one of her aides also mishandled classified information, and one of the folks employed on behalf of Secretary Clinton intentionally destroyed evidence known to be subject to a congressional subpoena and preservation order, and lied to the FBI about it."
You go on then and say: "And then on July 5, 2016, you stood before the American people and said that neither you nor any reasonable prosecutor would bring any charges in this fact pattern. Is that accurate?"
And he answers you to say: "Yes, I believed it then, and I believe it now."
RATCLIFFE: Yes, Maria.
You have folks come on the show and try and spin things. The reason I put that out there is, that's the actual transcript. That's really what he said in response to my question.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
RATCLIFFE: And the American people have a hard time reading that and believing it. And why they're so upset with the disparity in how folks are being treated.
BARTIROMO: But they're upset because we still -- we still haven't seen accountability.
I will ask you again. And I know that I have asked you a lot this year. Will there be accountability to those people who've actually tried to change the vote of the American people?
RATCLIFFE: Well, Maria, when I was a federal prosecutor, I had the ability to get subpoenas issued and bring people before a grand jury and try and seek indictments.
I can't do that as a member of Congress. What I can do is what's reflected in that tweet, create a transcript, create a record for the prosecutors to follow up there.
There is enough there for people at the Department of Justice to follow up here and hold folks accountable. We have done what we can. Yes, the Democrats are about to take control of the House, but they can't make these transcripts go away.
That's why Congressman Gowdy and myself and others have worked so hard to create a record that hopefully folks at the Department of Justice can use to provide that accountability. There's more than enough there for them to accomplish that.
BARTIROMO: Well, either that, or the president has to declassify.
We will -- we will see what the...
RATCLIFFE: And he should.
BARTIROMO: Yes. And we will see what the incoming A.G. does, the attorney general.
Thank you so much. Good to see you, Congressman. Thank you.
RATCLIFFE: Merry Christmas, Maria.
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