MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show - Transcript: "Top intelligence chief to step down."

Interview

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REID: And joining us now is Congresswoman Dina Titus from the great state of Nevada. And, Congresswoman Titus, thanks very much for joining us. So, you are now off the fence and you say it was Robert Mueller`s testimony that moved you in that direction. Was it solely on the question of lying, potentially, to the FBI, or were there other aspects of what you heard from Robert Mueller that moved you to where you are now?

TITUS: Well, that was certainly one of the factors, but it`s been accumulation of things that really led me to this point, the fact that they have not answered our questions. They have not provided information. They won`t come and testify, hiding behind executive privilege, all of that in addition to the Mueller testimony. And also, I`m trying to conduct a study on the emoluments violation with the hotel and they just stonewalled us as well. And the people who are calling me here in my district in Las Vegas since the Mueller television investigation have just increased in number and intensity in favor of this moving forward with this impeachment inquiry.

REID: And you got to a question I wanted to ask you. So before Robert Mueller testified, did you hear a lot from your constituents about impeachment? Did it increase after Mueller spoke?

TITUS: Well, I`ve heard kind of a consistent drumbeat, but it certainly increased after the investigation. I think one of the reason that people are paying attention here in Nevada is that we are the first in the West with the caucus, so a lot of the presidential candidates have been coming, they`re paying closer attention to the issue here. And that has gotten them more and more stirred up.

REID: And there`s been this sort of meme, the reason not to impeach, what people are saying to their representatives that they just want to hear about -- they don`t want this done. That`s kind of been the perception that Democrats believe that the public doesn`t want it. You`re saying that`s not true.

TITUS: I don`t think it`s true in my district and I think as people get more information as we do an inquiry, it will be less and less the case. They want us to get things done. We`ve always said we need to legislate as well as investigate. The frustration should really be with the Senate because we have passed some major legislation out of the House in terms of election protection, gun violence, Medicare, protecting our health care issues, and so, I think they need to focus on the Senate. That`s where the frustration should be.

REID: Yes. And as far as the impeachment inquiry as it stands now, do you believe, as you said you want to look more into the emoluments clause violations, et cetera.

TITUS: Yes.

REID: That with an impeachment inquiry, or what`s been called an impeachment investigation, do you believe Congress will have more power to get testimony and documents? Is it your understanding that this is the same as an impeachment inquiry that gives Congress more power in terms of issuing demands for testimony and documents?

TITUS: I believe it will. It will have more gravitas if it`s an official impeachment inquiry. It will be more focused. There will be more pressure on the executive to comply and we will have more information in a consolidated way. I think it will give us more authority to get some of that information that they just don`t want to give us. Makes you wonder what they`re trying to hide.

REID: And do you worry that as this moves forward with Donald Trump, you know, I`m sure he will not be pleased with this happening and may try to impede the investigations even further, are you concerned that he`s got one William Barr in place to potentially wreak havoc even though as you said, an impeachment inquiry supposed to give Congress more power?

TITUS: Well, certainly, he`s got some of his henchmen surrounding him in key positions, but we do still have the courts and I want to put some faith in the Supreme Court. And that executive privilege that he likes to claim is not an absolute privilege in the Constitution. It`s interpreted over time. It doesn`t apply for criminal investigations. And I think some of his activities, whether it`s paying off the women that`s a campaign violation, or the emoluments clause violations are illegal and worth pursuing on the criminal level.

REID: All right. Well, Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada, thank you so much. We really appreciate you joining me tonight.

TITUS: Thank you for having me.

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