MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Gwen Moore

Interview

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MADDOW:  Today, the Democratic chairs of the Intelligence Committee and the Financial Services Committee, Congressman Adam Schiff and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, announced that their committees will pursue a joint investigation into Deutsche Bank and its involvement in Russian money laundering and its financial relationships with the president and his businesses. 
 
Deutsche Bank today confirmed they`ve received an inquiry from those committees on their ties to President Donald Trump.  The bank had previously received inquiries from Democrats on the Financial Services Committee when they were in the minority but Republicans had refused to issue subpoenas and the bank decided they didn`t need to respond.  Now, of course, the Democrats are in charge and they can issue their own subpoenas if need be. 
 
Joining us now is Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin who has focused on this for a long time.  She actually brought this to our attention late last year as something we should have a heads up on in terms of congressional responsibilities here. 
 
Congresswoman Moore, thank you so much for being here. 
 
REP. GWEN MOORE (D), WISCONSIN:  Oh, I`m so excited to be here, Rachel, finally, to try to get some answers. 
 
MADDOW:  Well, tell me why this is something you`ve been so interested in, what you think needs investigating here?
 
MOORE:  Well, let me tell you.  Low I.Q. Maxine Waters has been on this since March of 2017.  And we could see that Deutsche Bank, you know, just follow the money and Deutsche Bank was involved in this. 
 
Your setup was really beautiful when you described the unusual lending activity of Deutsche Bank.  But it came full circle for me this week when the Russian oligarch Deripaska and the Treasury Department lifted sanctions, relieved him of sanctions.  And the money that is going to go right back into the Laundromat, this VTB Bank which is connected to Deutsche Bank, is where the proceeds from this oligarch will go. 
 
And so I`m trying to hurry up, Rachel, because I realize you`re short on time.  I just want to get right to the point.  We see it`s gone full circle.  Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, all of them have benefited from loans from Deutsche Bank.  
 
And this week, this Russian oligarch has been relieved, given sanction relief, and those proceeds will go right back to VTB, which is associated with Deutsche Bank. 
 
MADDOW:  And VTB, of course, is said to have been the bank that was lined up to be the financing organization for the Trump Tower Moscow project, which ended up --
 
MOORE:  Exactly. 
 
MADDOW:  Let me just ask you.  I`m reading a lot today into the fact that the financial services committee, Congresswoman Maxine Waters` committee, and the Intelligence Committee, that one which is now run by Adam Schiff, I`m reading a lot into the fact that they`ve decided to do this as a joint operation, that they don`t see this as just a banking concern or just an intelligence concern.  I see this as they`re look for the nexus here. 
 
Do you think that`s fair for me to read it that way? 
 
MOORE:  That is very fair, because there very clearly is a nexus.  When you think about it, think about Paul Manafort and what we know about him.  He was very, very indebted to this Russian oligarch, Deripaska.  Very indebted to him. 
 
And he in fact is connected to VTB, which, again, is one of these sort of boutique banks that process Deutsche Bank funding.  So when you think about Paul Manafort and the whole question of whether or not there was collusion with the Russians to deliver the White House to Donald Trump and you think about the indebtedness of Donald Trump to Russian oligarchs, the indebtedness of Paul Manafort and the involvement of these banks, it`s the kind of thing that makes you go hmm. 
 
MADDOW:  Congresswoman Gwen Moore of the great state of Wisconsin, thank you for contacting us late last year when these things came together to say watch for congressional oversight on this.  It really activated some work on our part and helped us get our heads around it.  But thank you for talking to us about it tonight, too. 
 
MOORE:  And as Rachel Maddow would say, watch this space. 
 
MADDOW:  Watch this space.
 
(LAUGHTER)
 
MADDOW:  Thank you, Congresswoman. 

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