MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Maxine Waters

Interview

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HAYES:  Iron law of the Trump era, extend the most basic modicum of the assumption of good faith to anything and you will end up burned to a crisp.  Matt Miller and Frank Figliuzzi, thank you for your time.
 
I`m joined now by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Chair of the House Financial Services Committee.  This is not the purview of your specific committee but you obviously have strong feelings about both the Department of Justice, how its conducted himself, this president, Mr. Barr.  Your reaction to the news that Mr. Mueller objected in writing to the characterization, called Mr. Barr and asked him to release those summaries and none of that was done.
 
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA):  Well, first of all, I am so pleased that our Special Counsel Mr. Mueller not only wrote a letter to Mr. Barr.  But he got on the telephone and he absolutely said to him that what he had done did not capture the context or substance or the nature of his work.
 
And so now that it has been revealed, it helps the American people to know that this administration and all of those who are lined up with the president trying to protect him have obstructed not only justice but obstructed Congress of the United States of America.
 
This is typical of what is going on with this President and this administration.  They do everything that they can to deny information about who this president is and what he has done.  He refused to be interviewed, he fired Comey, he has basically refused to criticize Putin.  He has absolutely obstructed justice.
 
And in that report, what Mueller did was he told Congress of the United States, I`m not exonerating him.  Here are the facts.  Now it`s up to you to deal with them.  And unfortunately, we have not dealt with it.
 
HAYES:  Well, what do you mean by that?  I mean, look, the leadership is basically said -- Nancy Pelosi said impeachment is not worth it.  You are now in the midst of an oversight fight in which the president has gone to sort of a maximalist war footing.
 
Since I have you here, the president is suing Deutsche Bank which is the subject of some of your subpoenas to attempt to legally force them not to comply with the somewhat novel argument, the president`s privacy.  The most public person in the world is being invaded by the subpoenas you`ve issued.  What do you make of that?
 
WATERS:  Well, the fact of the matter is the President said that they would fight every subpoena.  They are brazen, they are disrespectful, they are trying how to stop the Congress of the United States from exercising its constitutional duties and responsibilities.  We have the responsibility for oversight and investigation, but he does not respect that.
 
As a matter of fact it is absolutely, absolutely obstruction of Congress now.  It is not only the obstruction of justice that`s described in the report.  But what they`ve said to Congress is we`re not going to let you do your job.  This is dangerous for the presidency period.  It is dangerous because the next president`s coming in.  If they get away with this then we have lost really what a president should be all about and what that office represents.
 
HAYES:  When you use that -- when you use that term obstruction of Congress.  That`s a term used if I`m not mistaken in articles of impeachment that were issued against Richard Nixon before he resigned.  They were added -- they were not in the original bunch.  Something somewhat similar in the 11th article that was issued against Andrew Johnson about the way that that president treated Congress.  Is that -- is that what you`re referring to when you se that term specifically?
 
WATERS:  Well, everyone knows that I believe that this president should be impeached -- should have been impeached.  And I also understand that the polls are showing that we don`t yet have the public with us.  And that makes it very difficult for the members of Congress who are trying to carry out their duties and responsibilities, and responding to their constituents.
 
And so we`re now our committees that six committees that have oversight responsibilities and investigative responsibilities.  We`re going to carry on with our investigations, with our oversight, and with our issuing of subpoenas.  If they fight us in court, we`re going to fight them back.  The president said he was going to fight us tooth and nail, we`re going to fight him tooth and nail.
 
They won`t just get away with this we`ve got to convince the public that this man is irresponsible, he`s dangerous with no respect for the Constitution or the Congress of the United States.  We have to keep just working at it.
 
HAYES:  Final question for you, and this is about the fate of Bill Barr.  Julian Castro tweeting that Attorney General Barr willfully misled the American people to cover up attempted crimes by Donald Trump.  He should resign his position or face an impeachment inquiry himself immediately.  What do you think of that?
 
WATERS:  `I think that`s correct.  I think that Barr should resign, and if he does not resign, he should be facing impeachment proceedings also.  He has advocated on his responsibility.  He has lied, he has used the very words coming right out of the president`s mouth, no collusion, no collusion, no collusion, and made a decision that despite what the Special Counsel put into that report about obstruction of justice, he said he made the decision that he had not obstructed justice.  It is outrageous and he needs to go.
 
HAYES:  All right Congresswoman Maxine Waters, thank you so much for your time tonight. 
 
WATERS:  You`re welcome.  Thank you.

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