CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Ted Lieu

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. All right. Thank you very much, Evan. Of course, Mueller said as everyone knows, right, that he's only going to talk about what's already in the document. But the whole conversation with Bill Barr when he talked about whether it was misrepresented, what did I feel was misrepresented? Why -- that's an area he could go outside the report, that could be extremely illuminating.

OUTFRONT now, one of the members on the House Judiciary Committee, Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu from California.

Congressman Lieu, I appreciate your time.

So, you were there in the meeting as you were trying to get the strategy together. What was discussed?

REP. TED LIEU (D-CA): Thank you, Erin, for your question.

Let me first say that the Mueller report by itself is very damning. Many Americans have not read it. So, all we need Robert Mueller to do is highlight the main portions of his report to the American people.

We don't need a hole in one here. We just need to not whiff and I think we will accomplish that. And we would obviously like more time, but we believe if Robert Mueller would simply highlight the American people that the Russians interfered in our elections, that the Trump campaign welcomed interference and then president obstructed the investigation numerous times, that would be very useful to the American people.

[19:35:13] BURNETT: OK. So -- so I hear what you are saying. But obviously part of the issue here is, you know, whether you are right about that, right, or whether people need more or dots connected that weren't connected. The other part of course is time and how much time. I know you expressed concern with that. You are looking at about two, two and a half hours with your committee. You've got 41 different members, I know 22 would likely be

questioning. Twenty-two people in about two and a half hours -- if you are not incredibly disciplined and even if you are congressman, it's really hard to imagine getting much there.

LIEU: Right. So, we are going to be incredibly disciplined and coordinated. We're going to know before we walk into the hearing the likely questions we are going to ask. Keep in mind, we are also going to have four total hours right now. So, two for Judiciary committee and then two for Intel Committee in open hearing. I think that's going to be very useful.

BURNETT: And are you coordinating between committees too, one is additive upon the other?

LIEU: Yes. So, Intel Committee will largely focus on volume one of the report, which is the Russian interference into American elections. And the Judiciary Committee will focus on volume two, largely the president's obstruction of justice and the number of times he tried to obstruct an investigation into the Russian interference.

BURNETT: Have you considered at all -- you know, Bob Barr said this would just be a spectacle. And I'm curious as to you know we look back at Brett Kavanaugh and the use of an outside expert how effective that was. You had one person building, building with a heck of a lot of legal expertise. A lot of you guys have that as well, I understand. But you're a lot of different people.

Is that something -- you know, why did you all dismiss that? When people say this is about you getting your moment, your sound bite, what do you say to that?

LIEU: So, what's going to be important at this hearing or not the words of members, it's the words of Robert Mueller. And I find it incredibly interesting that Bill Barr thinks this is going to be a spectacle when Robert Mueller says he is stick together four corners of his report.

The reason Bill Barr doesn't want that to happen is because when Robert Mueller sticks to the four corners of the report. The American people will see that Bill Barr lied to the American people when he misrepresented the report.

BURNETT: Congressman Lieu, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

LIEU: Thank you.

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