MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Ro Khanna

Interview

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VELSHI:  The White House is now denying the request from the chair of the House Oversight Committee to hear testimony from senior adviser Stephen Miller about the administration`s immigration actions.  Miller you might recall was also all over the Mueller report just one week ago -- that was released just one week ago.
 
The President says he is fighting all House subpoenas right now and he`s suing the Oversight Chairman to block a subpoena of his financial records.  And while Trump stonewalls any form of congressional oversight, he`s also trying to deny one of the key parts of the Mueller report, the detailed account of how he asked his then-White House Counsel to fire the Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
 
The president tweeting today "I never told then-White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Robert Mueller.  Here to talk about what happens now, one of the Congressman who sits on the key House Oversight Committee, so named because it is intended for oversight, Democrat Ro Khanna of California.  Congress Khanna, good to see you.
 
I am at a loss for where to start but I`m going to start with Stephen Miller because he has been subpoenaed to testify about immigration policy, not the Mueller report and the president isn`t even allowing that to happen.
 
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA):  Well, it`s important, Ali, to understand that this is unprecedented.  Elijah Cummings articulated that the Clinton chief of staff testified, White House counsels have testified, numerous White House aides before in both parties have come and testified, so it is just factually false when the White House says that White House aides haven`t appeared before the committee.
 
And you`ll remember in the Obama case, Solyndra and Benghazi, and all those bogus investigations, well, the Obama White House was producing documents.
 
VELSHI:  I`m not really understanding what the prohibition should be on Stephen Miller who everybody acknowledges is the heart and soul of the Trump administration immigration policy.  What`s at issue here?
 
KHANNA:  Well, this has nothing to do frankly even with the president.  It`s all about policy.  I mean Stephen Miller is the person who allegedly is saying that Department of Homeland Security people should be fired and replaced.  He`s the one who`s the architect of the policy to separate babies from their parents.  He`s the one who`s the architect of the policies on the border wall.
 
And this is the Congress saying you have some accountability to the elected people to explain why you`re doing what you`re doing.  I mean it`s the -- goes to the essence of separation of powers and the role of Congress that this president is defying.
 
VELSHI:  This tweet about Don McGahn saying I didn`t tell them to fire Robert Mueller, the interesting part about that is Don McGahn is a lawyer.  He`s not just a lawyer.  He was the White House Counsel.  He`s not just the White House Counsel, he was the guy who was preparing the president for the
* as part of the investigation who said under oath in cooperation with the Mueller investigation what he said.
 
So the President is basically not just saying he didn`t say something, he`s accusing the White House Counsel -- former White House Counsel of lying under oath which of course would be a criminal offense.
 
KHANNA:  Well, it just shows that the President has learned nothing from this Mueller a probe or report.  You would think he`d actually be thanking Don McGahn and thanking the aides who saved him from further embarrassment.  I mean, the report basically says that the president attempted to obstruct justice and he was inept at doing it because of the insubordination of people like Don McGahn.
 
But what the president really fears is Don McGahn going before Congress on television telling his story.  He isn`t as concerned about the written report but he knows the power of television and he`s petrified of that.
 
VELSHI:  Yesterday our reporter Vaughn Hilliard caught up with the Vice President to ask him in the wake of the Mueller report whether he would actually not use stolen information from a foreign government, an adversarial government in an election.  Let`s listen to the exchange.
 
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
 
VAUGHN HILLIARD, MSNBC REPORTER:  Do you regret using e-mails stolen by Russian intelligence officers during that campaign, and do you pledge to not do so in this upcoming presidential campaign?
 
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  The United States is taking strong action against the Founder of WikiLeaks.  We`re seeking extradition and we`ll be holding him accountable for his actions on compromising American secrets.
 
(END VIDEO CLIP)
 
VELSHI:  That was an interesting answer that had nothing to do with the question that was asked.  That went on for a long time by the way.  We showed you a shortened version of it, but at no point in an almost two- minute answer did the Vice President say no, I actually won`t.  We won`t take that sort of stuff.
 
One of your colleague Sheila Jackson Lee has tweeted today that she`s filed a bill called H.R. 2353, duty to refuse and report foreign interference in American elections act of 2019 which imposes a duty to refuse an offer of campaign assistance from a foreign entity and a duty to report the overture to the FBI which congressman Khanna you would think would be the normal response.
 
KHANNA:  Well, Ali, it`s said that we`re at a state in this country where even these questions have to be asked.  I mean, how difficult is it for the Vice President or anyone to say I will not in any way accept any assistance from a foreign power.
 
VELSHI:  Right.
 
KHANNA:  That should be self-evident.  And the Mueller report concluded -- this is important for people to realize.  It concluded that the Trump campaign had an expectation to benefit from the Russians.  So it`s very concerning to me that the Vice President is unwilling to just flat-out say that they do not want any help from any foreign country.
 
And I support Sheila Jackson Lee`s bill which would simply require any notification to the FBI if there is foreign interference or attempts for foreign assistance to a campaign.
 
VELSHI:  Remarkable that you need bills filed to do the things that most Americans would think are just normal things to do when you see a crime in commission.  Congressman, good to see you as always.  Thank you for joining me.
 
KHANNA:  Thanks for having me.

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