CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. John Garamendi

Interview

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BLITZER: He's already getting involved.

All right, Kaitlan, thank you very much.

Joining us now, Democratic Congressman John Garamendi. He serves on the Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, thanks very much for joining us.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D), CALIFORNIA: Good to be with you.

BLITZER: Let's get to the breaking news, Rod Rosenstein making it official, announcing his resignation effective May 11.

How do you judge his legacy?

GARAMENDI: Questionable. It's questionable.

Obviously, he had a great reputation coming into the job. He had a role. But his first effort out was to try to define why Comey should be fired. And then we go on from there on the Mueller report, the rollout of the Mueller report. What role did he have in all of that?

So let's see where it goes. But I would use the word questionable.

BLITZER: You would like him to testify before House committees.

GARAMENDI: Oh, absolutely.

All of these folks should testify. This is a very, very important issue, the Mueller report, all of the issues, the way in which the Trump campaign worked or at least encouraged the Russians to be involved, and then, of course, the question of obstruction of justice.

BLITZER: Speaking about testifying, the attorney general, Bill Barr, is now threatening not to appear before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday morning, because Jerry Nadler, the committee chairman, wants at the end 30 minutes of Republican staff lawyers and 30 minutes of Democratic staff lawyers, an hour, after the members...

GARAMENDI: Right.

BLITZER: ... each get five minutes, to ask specific questions. And he thinks that's inappropriate.

GARAMENDI: Why would that be inappropriate? What is he fearful? Why does he fear an attorney, staff attorney for the Republicans and the Democrats ask him a question? What does he fear here?

He should come before Congress, answer all the questions. Staff attorney questions are not always asked, but they should be and could be. Let's get forward here. He has some questions to answer.

BLITZER: Because Chairman Nadler is threatening a subpoena. But the question is, can he enforce a subpoena against the attorney general, if he decides not to appear Thursday morning?

GARAMENDI: I don't think he wants to find out whether the huffing and puffing really has authority.

Congress has enormous authority over many, many aspects of what this Justice Department and really what Mr. Barr has the opportunity to do, not the least of which is money.

BLITZER: Let's talk about the vice president, the former vice president, Joe Biden. He hit the campaign trail, his first rally today, speaking a lot about the president and the economy, saying that the tax cuts that were implemented really only affect the top, top, top 1 percent of the American people, big business as well.

How strong of a case do you think that Vice -- former Vice President Biden is making moving towards 2020?

GARAMENDI: I think he's going to be very, very strong.

He's got a lot of experience. He knows America. He's campaigned throughout America. He's going to be a very, very strong candidate. And, frankly, he's prepared to be president, should it come to that.

BLITZER: He's also making a major issue in an introductory video, and today once again, saying that soul of the nation, soul of America is at stake.

And he's really going after President Trump for the way he spoke out and behaved after Charlottesville, what was going on there.

Is this an effective strategy for the former vice president?

GARAMENDI: I think it is. But, beyond that, the soul of America really is in question.

We're seeing the rise of white nationalism. We're seeing more anti- Semitism. We're seeing all of these things. Why did it -- why is it coming about? Is it just that it's a time of a season? I don't think so. I think we have a president that, when he reads from the teleprompter,

says the right thing, and then, when he goes off-script, his soul is exposed. And, frankly, it is not a very pretty picture.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about another story that's developed over these past few days.

The former U.S. diplomat special envoy to North Korea, Joseph Yun, who helped secure the release of the American hostage...

GARAMENDI: Right.

BLITZER: ... the University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier from North Korea, says that he believes the president personally signed off on his signature, on Yun's signature, that there would be a $2 million payment to North Korea for hospital expenses involving Otto Warmbier.

[18:20:10]

The money was never paid to North Korea. But what's your reaction to this? You're on the Armed Services Committee.

GARAMENDI: Well, we need to know.

This is one more issue where the Congress has the right to know, the right to oversee this. Was money being paid for a hostage, or was money being paid...

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BLITZER: We're told no money was actually paid, even though there was a signature by the ambassador, the envoy, that there would be $2 million.

GARAMENDI: Questions told by whom?

We do know that this administration has a serious problem with the truth. They have hidden the facts. They have lied repeatedly, not just the president, who is a prolific liar, but also the rest of the administration. We can't trust them.

That's why these hearings are critically important. We have got so many issues out there, the issue of classified people -- or getting classification. All of those issues are out there. We need to know, the American public needs to know, were laws broken? We don't know.

BLITZER: What Congress does is oversight. That's one of its responsibilities.

GARAMENDI: That's oversight. That's our job.

BLITZER: All right, thanks very much for coming in.

GARAMENDI: Always.

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