CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Raskin
Interview
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TAPPER: All right, everyone, stick around. I want to bring in right now Democratic congressman, Jamie Raskin, of Maryland. He serves on the House Oversight Committee. He will be among those questioning Michael Cohen very soon.
Congressman Raskin, thanks for joining us. First of all, what do you think is most significant in Cohen's prepared testimony?
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D), OVERSIGHT AND REFORM COMMITTEE: Well, he's given us a specific documentation and recitation of the president's involvement in criminal activity that he has had pled guilty to. So we're going to want to nail down the details very specifically about the president's involvement in the hush money payoffs to the various women which constituted illegal campaign, contributions and expenditures at the same time.
So there is clearly a conspiracy to circumvent the law of the United States there . That's pretty significant. But there are hints and glimpses of a lot of other things that the committee would want to follow during the questioning period of his discussion. But, you know, obviously, this is a man who is burdening himself and he's called the president a racist, a conman and a cheat.
But we also want to know, you know, tell us some things that we don't know. So there's going to be a lot of -- you know a lot of fruitful paths of inquiry here today.
TAPPER: It does seem as though Michael Cohen is really just opening Donald Trump's closet and spilling out as many skeletons as he can. We have information in here about -- in the Cohen's testimony about his Vietnam deferments, President Trump's Vietnam deferments about how much his network actually is.
I mean, it's kind of like a greatest hits if you will of everything the president doesn't like to talk about. I don't know how legally significant these details are and I wonder if you are concerned at all that it will come off as Michael Cohen just trying to get revenge.
RASKIN: Well, some are significant and some are not. And obviously that's going to be the job of the Oversight Committee and other committees in Congress to determine -- you know, well, what are significant issues that go to basic policy questions and basic questions of the character of our government.
[09:10:14] I mean, the big story in my mind is that we have a president who has turned the government of the United States of America into a money-making operation for himself, for his family, for business and for his friends. And nowhere is there any mention in any of these documents about the president asking what's best for the American people, what's best for the public interest. It's all about how much money he can make and what kind of inside deals he can accomplish.
And so we want to try to get the best, the most fine grain portrait we can of what's taking place within the Trump operation and to nail down the illegality and then we've got to start to ask the question about whether this is a president who is an actual threat to the character of our republic.
TAPPER: Congressman Raskin, the head Republican on your committee, Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, has pointed out that Democrats have called Michael Cohen to testify before Congress and then in May, Michael Cohen is going to go in prison partly because he had previously lied to Congress.
How do you square the circle there? How do you know that he's going to be telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when he has already lied to Congress?
RASKIN: Well, this is a president who, at least by the accounting of the "Washington Post," just told more than 8,000 lies and he's surrounded by a team of liars and purveyor --
TAPPER: Not under oath, though. I'm not defending it but there is a difference between --
RASKIN: Yes, yes -- well, no.
TAPPER: lies to the public.
RASKIN: But the point --
TAPPER: And lies under oath.
RASKIN: Yes. The point I'm making is that lying is the modus operandi of the Trump White House. So what do you expect the refugee from the Trump's axis to be. I mean, it's somebody who's obviously very familiar with lying. But look, my Republican colleagues, let's be clear, they're not upset because Michael Cohen is lying. They're upset because he stopped lying. That's the difference. He's somebody who's going to jail for having told these lies but he's coming clean now.
But we have a president who obviously is still up to his neck in the lies of his administration. So we're trying to get into the truth here. Obviously he's under oath today and obviously we're looking for documentation for the things that he's saying. But this is one of the problems when you try to penetrate the fog of propaganda and lies which are the Trump White House.
TAPPER: Congressman Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, thank you so much. Appreciate your time today, sir.
RASKIN: Delighted to be with you.
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