CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Elissa Slotkin
Interview
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[14:30:00] REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): You've seen some interesting things. I think that there's a misperception that everyone wants wholesale restructuring of our culture, of our society. I just don't think that's the case.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Yes.
SLOTKIN: At least for my voters. People want the middle class to have a chance at prosperity and dignity.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SLOTKIN: That is what we want. It's not overly complicated. It's the most American thing in the world. They're looking for that, not for wholesale change.
BALDWIN: Speaking of dignity, Flint, Michigan. There are people still in line, years after that water crisis.
SLOTKIN: Yes.
BALDWIN: Still in line for water. That water is still contaminated. Why is that still happening.
SLOTKIN: I live 15 minutes from Flint. It was an apocalyptic poisoning of an American city.
Unfortunately, in Michigan right now, we have over 80 communities with higher lead levels than Flint. And we another chemical, called PFAs, which if you haven't heard of it, you soon will. Michigan has the highest number of sites in the country.
Michigan is going to be the state that sort of feels this existential question of whether clean water out of your tap is a right or a privilege. Do we get that, as taxpaying Americans, or do only certain communities, wealthy communities get clean water?
I believe it is a right. And the fact that the Great Lake state, 90 percent of the fresh water is here in our state and, yet, we're struggling to provide clean drinking water for people is an abomination. And people feel it.
So the whole thing for me is environmental security is Homeland Security. You can't give your kid a glass of water without thinking they'll get a learning disability. That is a threat to your family. It is not some crunchy left-wing thing. It is environmental security, Homeland Security.
BALDWIN: On security, you were in the CIA. You've done tours in Iraq, Pentagon, worked in defense, in your previous chapter of your life. And I wanted to ask you, based on your own experience, your thoughts on this potential director of National Intelligence, Congressman John Ratcliffe.
Let me play this clip first. This is what the president said about him this morning.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: John Ratcliffe is a brilliant man. He is a wonderful person. I spoke to him long before about this, long, before, months ago. I spoke to him long before the Mueller fiasco. That was a fiasco. I think probably nobody in the history of Capitol Hill has embarrassed themselves like what Mueller did to himself and to the Democrats.
But John Ratcliffe, I spoke to him about this for a long time. He's a very talented guy. He's a strong man. It's what we need in that position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Is he who you need in that position?
SLOTKIN: I'm going to try to give him the benefit of the doubt. The most important thing at the CIA, at the DNI's office is you need intellectual integrity. You need to be able to see what's happening in the intelligence and then portray that to the president honestly. That's hard sometimes. It's often not what the president wants to hear, but it's the responsibility of a cabinet-level secretary.
I don't know this gentleman very well, even though we served for a short time.
BALDWIN: Yes.
SLOTKIN: To me, we'll be able to know quickly. The senior staff is going to be looking, is this guy going to defend the intelligence community, stand up for them and represent what the truth is, or is he going to try to manipulate it? You'll know pretty quickly.
BALDWIN: I can still hear Robert Mueller's words from last week, Russia is still meddling as we speak.
SLOTKIN: Yes. They are. And to me -- I started a task force, the first bipartisan task force on protecting ourselves in 2020. We haven't actually changed the laws so that we're more protected. Things like, if someone offers you information on your opponent, is it right to take that?
BALDWIN: Right. No. It's not.
Congresswoman Slotkin, thank you so much for coming on.
SLOTKIN: Thank you.
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