CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Elissa Slotkin

Interview

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HILL: That last lawmaker who you just saw there is with us now, good to have you with us today.

SLOTKIN: Thanks for having me.

HILL: In that questioning, Secretary Nielsen was asked about the number of children separated from their parents, a number she said she had but not with her. Did it surprise you at all that those numbers were not readily available?

SLOTKIN: It did. I'm someone who spent a lot of time testifying in front of Congress before I became a Congresswoman and I assumed she knew she would ask that question so I was a bit surprised she didn't have the number at hand.

[14:10:03] HILL: At one point the secretary was also asked about the sexual abuse that is happening during the journey for some of these folks and she said that DHS gives a pregnancy test to every girl over the age of 10 once they are in custody. Can you tell us any more about that and why they are giving pregnancy tests to girls 10 and over?

SLOTKIN: Yes. She talked at length about the horrible situation we're in with the trip from these Central American countries all the way up to our border and how much risk there is to young girls, really heavy reports of sexual violence against women and girls, so they've taken this decision as a precaution, I guess. No one disagrees that it's a perilous journey to go from these countries and that's what she was emphasizing.

HILL: As you said, no one disagreed it was a perilous journey, do you agree the pregnancy tests are necessary?

SLOTKIN: I don't know. It surprised me. I think that they're probably just trying to make sure that if people are coming to the border, particularly given how much focus there is on the medical situation with these folks, that they just do everything to make sure they know what's going on.

HILL: Were you satisfied over all this morning with the answers you were getting?

SLOTKIN: I got to tell you, you know, I'm a former CIA officer and Pentagon official, I've worked on preventing homeland attacks my entire life, I'm a big believer in border security but the issue of separation of families at the border of young kids being taken away from their parents, it's just a moral issue that we as American -- we don't want representing us and I was not satisfied that she got it, that she understood that people, no matter what the policy was, no matter what the law was, that we don't put kids in cages. I found that lacking and I just feel like as a country we can't accept that.

HILL: There's been a lot of talk about the most recent numbers and as you point out, you have a lot of experience when it comes to what is happening at the borders with security. CPB reporting that 76,000 people were apprehended crossing illegally or without papers in February. That's the highest number over the last dozen years or so. What are you attributing that increase to you?

SLOTKIN: I was really surprised. All the media focused on the border would deter people from coming and the fact that the numbers are up is really disturbing. I think part of that has to do with what's going on in their home country. They're just fleeing, they're leaving terrible situations, they want hope and they see us where hopefully they can have a life for their kids but I was really surprised by that. I'm from Michigan so we're a non-border state and it's just something we're all paying attention to figure out why it's happening. We don't know yet.

HILL: As you're trying to understand all of these things, as you're trying to get everybody on the same page about what needs to be done, is the focus in the right place at this point in terms of the conversation that is happening in Washington?

SLOTKIN: Well, listen, I think it's unfortunately become a hot potato. Again, I was trying to direct the secretary to focus on the northern border not just the southern border. There's way more people on the watch list coming through our northern border. I think the focus on the southern border has met that we've taken our eye off the ball in other places where we're doing extremely important work and I think it's taken an issue that should be front and center, the security of our country, and made it too political.

HILL: I do want to just get your take on this as well. Your colleague in the House, Congresswoman Tlaib Is planning to impeach the President, do you support that?

SLOTKIN: I don't. She's from my home state of Michigan and I have always said that I did not get elected to spend the next 18 months on a political process of impeachment. I want to know that if we're going to go through this as a nation that it's because we have real substantial proof that we're basing that off of. I'm going to wait for the Mueller report. I'm a big believer in Robert Mueller. He was the FBI director when I was a baby CIA analyst. I really believe in him. I'll read every page of that report and act accordingly. I don't think it's time to do that.

HILL: Appreciate your time, thank you.

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