CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Gregory Meeks
Interview
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HARLOW: Yes, she did. Mark Preston, thank you, my friend.
Let's talk more about this. Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York.
Thank you so much for coming in.
REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): Great to be with you.
HARLOW: A late night for everyone watching that. Thank you so much. So let me just get your fellow member of Congress, Senator Harris. You also served on the Congressional Black Caucus with her. That was the moment, right, her line, that little girl was me, dominated last night. What was your reaction to that exchange?
MEEKS: Well, it did dominate. It made things resonate in my head when I first looked at it. You know, the person -- you know, I thought of Muhammad Ali, to be quite honest with you, who I loved dearly. And I thought about his career. And he wasn't the same at the end of his career than he was at the beginning of his career.
HARLOW: You're talking about Biden?
MEEKS: That's exactly right. And so the question is, so clearly the first round has gone to Kamala Harris. And the question is, there's going to be a second round.
HARLOW: Right.
MEEKS: So is it that he can come back or not? The second round is going to become tremendously important.
HARLOW: So let's talk about -- the second round is on CNN, by the way. It's our debate in about a month in Detroit.
Let's talk about, though, even though you have a second round you can't change the past. You can evolve for sure. Right? Humans evolve. But let me just remind our viewers of the past here. Because he called Kamala Harris' characterization of busing and what he did a mischaracterization. But here's what we have. In 1977 he wrote this. This is a letter from Biden.
"My bill strikes at the heart of injustice of court-ordered busing. I believe there's a growing sentiment in Congress to curb on necessary busing." He also wrote later in 1977 in June to then Senator James Eastland, the fierce opponent of desegregation, quote, "I want you to know I very much appreciate your help during this week's committee meeting attempting to bring my anti-busing legislation to a vote." Are her attacks on Biden over busing fair?
MEEKS: Absolutely.
HARLOW: She's right?
MEEKS: Listen, I can tell you about my own experiences in those senators. I'm older than Senator Harris. I remember I was bused also. I remember traveling with my parents who are from the south, leaving New York, having to change trains in Washington, D.C. and at that time from the back to the front because the front was hotter. And then getting off the train and being instructed by my parents what I can and cannot do.
I remember in my lifetime seeing black and white signs going to the bathroom and water fountains, and my parents grabbing me and telling me where I could and couldn't -- so it's very real and very emotional if you're an African-American.
HARLOW: So what would Vice President Biden have to do or say then in the next debate to make you feel like he has evolved from that 1977 Joe Biden?
MEEKS: He has to say that I have evolved, as many people on other issues, that I now understand that that, and how hurtful and harmful it was.
HARLOW: OK.
MEEKS: I mean, he could have done that last night. It is --
HARLOW: And he didn't.
MEEKS: He did not. That is very -- it is very, very -- you know, even -- it is very hurtful to African-Americans, what took place. It's deep and systemic and still in this society.
HARLOW: Let's pause for a moment. We'll have much more time out of this, to keep talking about this.
[09:10:03] I just want to listen to this moment. This is live. This is Kamala Harris in Homestead, Florida, at the detention facility.
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're here to fight for you. We're going to --
HARRIS: Let me see that face. Look at that. Let me see that smile.
(CROSSTALK)
GILLIBRAND: To make sure that (INAUDIBLE). We make sure that we represent you. We are going to fight against President Trump, who was horrible and harmful, inhumane --
HARLOW: OK, and there you have Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also talking to that woman. We'll try to re-rack and play it for you a little bit later. So after last night then -- because you've been a big supporter for
Vice President Biden through the years as well. Who has more of your support this morning? I'm not asking for an all-out endorsement but honestly.
MEEKS: Well, as I said there's a second round. I'm hoping, you know, this is --
HARLOW: But this morning, who is it?
MEEKS: Well, the first round clearly Biden is on the ropes.
HARLOW: OK.
MEEKS: There's no question. You can get off the ropes. You can get hit in the first round and get off the ropes, but there is no question that he got hit last night and he's on the ropes.
HARLOW: OK. Let's turn to immigration here. Right now we just saw Kamala Harris, Senator Gillibrand, others, at this migrant detention facility in Homestead, Florida. They're holding about 2,000 migrant children right now. As I understand it, we looked back at the votes this week. You did not vote on the House version of the $4.5 billion in proposed aid, most of that to go help these facilities to help improve the deplorable conditions for children.
Then you voted no on the Senate version of the bill. You leave for vacation today and the Office of Refugee Resettlement runs out of money by Sunday. So you didn't vote on the House bill for money for them and you voted no on the Senate bill, so you -- I mean, are you essentially OK with leaving those facilities with no more funds?
MEEKS: The reason why I did not vote before because I was involved in the New York political race for the district attorney of Queens County as the chair of the Queens County Democratic Organization, so I was not in Washington, D.C. doing my responsibilities on this very important race, you know, with criminal justice in New York.
The reason why I voted no yesterday and it was a very hard vote, but when I looked at what ICE was doing, the same yesterday, there was an individual that was picked up in my district by ICE and -- to be deported. The day before there was another individual, a mother who was pregnant who was picked up and separated from the families. And when I look at what this bill was doing and I thought that we should negotiate it more, it's a hard decision. It wasn't easy.
HARLOW: I understand that.
MEEKS: I do not want --
HARLOW: I hear what you're wrestling with. I just - to button it up here, I mean on Wednesday of this week you said on CNN, quote, "We've got to make sure that we give the money that's necessary to the refugee agency before they run out of funding shortly." That shortly is Sunday, and you didn't vote to do that, sir. MEEKS: Well, I conquer in that I thought that the House bill and that
we should have done more negotiating with the Senate to also make sure that we are protecting some of those individuals that are here. My -- you know, I have constituents also, and some of their family members and others that they know are being picked up. And so given that fact, I have to make a very grueling decision yesterday on which way to go.
HARLOW: Understood.
MEEKS: And the fact that I -- you know, I've got to tell you, I just don't trust this president and I don't trust McConnell because they have proven that they don't have immigrants hearts at the forefront.
HARLOW: Congressman Gregory Meeks, we know your time is valuable, and I appreciate it this morning on both these fronts. Thank you very much.
MEEKS: You got it.
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