MSNBC "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Joaquin Castro

Interview

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O`DONNELL:  And joining us now is a member of Congress who wrote that resolution against President Trump`s national emergency in the House, Representative Joaquin Castro, Democratic congressman from Texas.  He`s also a member of the Intelligence Committee who will be questioning Michael Cohen later this week. 
 
Congressman, thank you very much for joining us on this important night.  Really appreciate it.
 
REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D), TEXAS:  Thank you for having me, Lawrence. 
 
O`DONNELL:  How did it fall to you to write this resolution?  How were you the lucky one?
 
CASTRO:  Well, about six weeks ago or eight weeks ago when the rumor started that the president might declare a national emergency to pay for his border wall, my staff and I reached out to the legislative counsel to try to figure out a way to give Congress the final say on this issue.  And what we came up with is H.J. Res. 46, which was a privilege resolution which means the House votes and the Senate has to vote on this resolution to terminate President Trump`s national emergency. 
 
And, Lawrence, I believe you worked in the Senate, so you know that this vote is extremely consequential in terms of the administration of powers and the balance of power between the president and the Congress.  And as I said today in my remarks, if the Congress allows this to stand, then I believe the president, President Trump will come back for more perhaps on the border issue but possibly on other issues and future presidents, Republicans and Democrats, will circumvent Congress in the same way. 
 
O`DONNELL:  I just made the point that the reports are that the Republicans are not whipping the vote as the phrase goes in the United States Senate, but how could they when we just saw Republican Mitch McConnell not able to say whether he thinks that the emergency is legal. 
 
CASTRO:  Yes, that`s amazing, I had not heard that clip.  But that`s amazing that the Senate majority leader would stand behind an emergency declaration when he can`t even look the American people in the eye and say that he believes this is a legal or was a legal declaration.  I just find that incredible. 
 
And as I said also, you know, how am I supposed to tell a future president that thousands of gun deaths and thousands of opioid deaths and the threat of climate change, that these aren`t national emergencies in two years or four years or whenever you may have a president that wants to declare a national emergency for those things?
 
O`DONNELL:  You`re the only member of Congress we have in this hour, so I`ve got to ask you about this breaking news story about Congressman Gaetz tweeting what clearly appears to be a threat to Michael Cohen about his testimony tomorrow.  One of your Democratic colleagues, Congressman Bill Pascrell of New Jersey tweeted a response to that, saying that it appears to him to be grossly unethical and probably illegal.  He says House Ethics must investigate this disgrace and stain. 
 
Do you believe at a minimum the House committee has to investigate this? 
 
CASTRO:  Yes, I do think they have to take a look at it.  I do think Matt Gaetz is mostly immature, unfortunately.  But yes, I think they should take a look at it.  I mean, it`s almost an attempt at witness tampering. 
 
O`DONNELL:  What do you expect from tomorrow`s hearing, the public hearing with Michael Cohen?  And then the closed door hearing that you on the intelligence committee will have?
 
CASTRO:  Well, you know, he was obviously with the Senate for hours, where and I suspect the public hearing tomorrow and our hearing on the Intel Committee will go the same way.  What I want to know most of all is whether President Trump directly asked him to lie to Congress regarding the Stormy Daniels payments or any other issues. 
 
And also, Michael Cohen was not just the president`s lawyer.  Remember this was basically one of his buddies. This was a confidant for him.  So I think he`s got something to tell us on each of these lines of inquiry, obviously on the payments, about also on perhaps obstruction of justice issues, on money laundering issues.  So we`re going to have a lot to talk about.
 
The first interview, I co-led that for Democrats with Adam Schiff who`s now our chairman.  And so there`s gaps of information that we`re going to try to figure out in our interview on Thursday.
 
O`DONNELL:  Congressman Joaquin Castro, the big winner in the House of Representatives today on that vote, thank you very much for joining us tonight.  I really appreciate it.
 
CASTRO:  Thank you.
 
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