CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Dean

Interview

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BURNETT: All right, Laura, thank you very much. And I want to go now to a member of the House Judiciary Committee who was there today, grilling the acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, the Democratic Congresswoman, Madeleine Dean, and I appreciate your time, Congresswoman Dean. What was your reaction? When Whitaker refused to say the Mueller investigation is not a witch hunt.

REP. MADELEINE DEAN, D-PENNSYLVANIA: Well, there were an awful lot of things that the acting Attorney General refused to speak about and deflected and delayed and stalled. I was really baffled by all of that.

I'm pleased that had we had the opportunity to have the acting Attorney General in front of us, but you saw in question after question the refusal to answer questions honestly and openly the attempt to answer question that was not asked. I tried to focus on the issue that you just mentioned which was recusal and we got very inconsistent answers.

BURNETT: Right, as to why he chose to remain overseeing it, when, obviously, there were ethical questions raised by the Ethics Committee. I mean, as Laura just was talking about, Congresswoman, Whitaker contradicted himself.

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BURNETT: He talked about his conversations with the President, right? Sometimes he said, "Oh, they're privileged. I shouldn't have to answer questions about them." And other times, talking about them.

DEAN: And yet, you know, he never -- the Committee was very thoughtful in preparing for today. Sent the acting Attorney General a whole host of questions so that he would have the absolute opportunity to work the administration to make sure that he was in the clear to answer questions and he said today under oath, he never bothered to share those questions. So he cannot assume a possible privilege. He never talked to the administration, according to his own testimony.

BURNETT: So do you think he was forthcoming with Congress today?

DEAN: No. That was what was disappointing. He was not forthcoming. I focused in on the area of recusal. And so I asked him, I said, "You actually had information from the Ethics folks within the department to say should you recuse," and then he contrasted that with four folks, friends of his or teammates of his who said, "No, you'll be all right."

And he said to us, I set the tone for this important department. It is in the honor of my lifetime. And when given the choice, when he is given ethics advice, "Recuse yourself because of the past statements you have made as a private citizen," he chose to set the tone, of "I'll take the conflict of interest and move forward."

BURNETT: And that was a strange moment. And I am also curious what you made just about his -- whether he really was forthright and honest in this because one of the other exchanges, one of the most bizarre moments, frankly, I thought Congresswoman Dean, was another one with you when you asked him how he got the job of his life. He said, this is great honor of his life. This is the most important and impressive job he's ever had. You asked him, how did you find out about it? How did you find out you got the job? Did the President call you or did you find out another way? I want to play the exchange.

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BURNETT: So this is the job of your life, you can't remember whether the President is the one who called you and told you, you got it. That's strange.

DEAN: I have to tell you, Erin, I have recently earned the job of a lifetime and I remember exactly how it took place. So it just stretches credulity that either he was hired by tweet, notified by tweet or he actually got a phone call from the President, I would remember a phone call from President hiring me for a job so that made no sense.

There was another area I had hoped to investigate if you don't mind and I had a chance to speak to the acting Attorney General after our conversation, after the time within the hearing, would it be all right if I talk about that?

BURNETT: Yes, of course.

DEAN: The other area -- and some of my colleagues very ably talked about the very pressing issue of the child separation policy. They called it zero tolerance as one of my colleagues calls it, zero humanity. I had the opportunity after the hearing to just walk back into the back offices of the Judiciary Committee and met with, I just spoke briefly with one of his counsel, but also then introduced myself. I wanted to introduce myself to the acting Attorney General show that respect.

And I talked to him and I said, "You know what, it is your predecessor who put in place the separation of families at the border. You have five or six days. You've said it over and over again. You have five or six days to go. Why not make your legacy ending this inhumane policy?"

BURNETT: What did he say?

DEAN: He thought it was interesting.

BURNETT: Well, we'll see what he does. I have one question before we go, I want to ask you, just to be clear here because he has been overseeing the Mueller investigation. He has all the facts. He knows everything he wants to know about it. Do you think the acting Attorney General has interfered in the Mueller investigation at all, Congresswoman Dean?

DEAN: I absolutely have no idea. What I find puzzling is the lack of forthrightness. That he was briefed on it. He had no clarity as to whether the information that he learned, and another one of his deputies, sitting in on that briefing was ever conveyed to the White House. That was so unclear. So I have no idea. That's why we're asking these questions.

BURNETT: Right, of course, that's exactly what you would have hoped to get the idea from in, in a hearing like this. But some really puzzling moments. Thank you so very much, Congresswoman Dean.

DEAN: Thank you, Erin for having me.

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