MSNBC "All In with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: "House votes to condemn Trump's racist tweets."
Interview
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HAYES: And Congressman Al Green of Texas joins me now. Congressman, my understanding of the articles that you talked about today, they are new and in response to the tweets themselves. Is that right?
GREEN: Well, thank you for having me on, Mr. Hayes. Yes, they are new in the sense that we took on the condemnation resolution. We believe that the resolution condemning the president is in tandem with our articles of impeachment. I think this is -- the condemnation was a first step, impeachment is the next step. And I trust that my colleagues will find the same reasons to vote to impeach that they found to condemn.
HAYES: Well, so I guess let me ask this -- I mean, Andrew Johnson was the first presidential impeachment. There was an article of impeachment, among many, that talked about intemperate things he said -- he had talked about hanging members of congress angrily. He was an out and avowed racist as well. Do you think presidential words, racist invective like he has dealt itself constitutes a high crime demeanor worthy of impeachment?
GREEN: Well, Andrew Johnson was impeached for a high misdemeanor in Article 10 of the articles impeachment against him in 1868. I think the president does more than speak words. These words are very harmful. Your previous guest was quite accurate in assessing the harm that can be caused. You might recall in Charlottesville that a lady lost her life at the hands of bigotry. She was there protesting lawfully. And she was killed, murdered, in fact, in my opinion. So I think that the president is sowing the seeds of discord, but he is also sowing the seeds of anger to the extent that people are being harmed, and we have no way of knowing to the extent that people have been harmed.
HAYES: OK. But I guess let me just return to that question, like as just a constitutional matter, and this president has said lots of things I think that are blatantly racist and bigoted, I think you and I would agree on that, does that itself, to you, constitute an impeachable offense? Is that the kind of thing you think the president should be impeached for?
GREEN: I think that the president`s words are more than simply condemning, the president incites and his words are insightful to the extent that they cause others to act. And sometimes these actions have been harmful. I have been accosted by people. In my office now when you walk in, the first thing you see is a person with a gun. We never had this problem before the president started his rants. I believe that we must check him now or we will find someone being harmed, perhaps a member of congress.
HAYES: There was an article today about members of congress who favor impeachment, but who are worried about, quote, your rogue go at it. This is something you`ve been out front about impeachment. You`ve drafted articles. You`ve talked about privileged resolutions to get them to the floor, et cetera. Do you have response to concerns of others in your caucus who actually support the eventual goal, but think it has to be done in a more managed process that begins with an inquiry formally to do fact-finding?
GREEN: Well, the framers of the constitution did not require this. This outsourcing of impeachment is something that we decided to do. The Justice Department should not be the agency to investigate the executive branch of government. We decided to do this. So managing it through the Justice Department, which is an agent of the executive branch, allows the president to do exactly what he has done, to deny us access to witnesses, to demand that people not appear, to make sure that we can`t even get Mr. Mueller to cooperate with us to the extent that we`d like to, in my opinion. So my belief is that each member has this right. I have only done what the constitution allows. And my hope is that members will understand that it`s not about me, it`s about democracy, it`s about the republic, it`s about maintaining liberty and justice for all, and this president`s words are stoking the fuels, the fires, the flames of confusion such that people are at risk.
HAYES: Do you think that in your caucus -- I mean, it seemed for a while there was a kind of growing groundswell, and the leadership was working very hard to tamp that down. I`ve seen a few new members come out in favor I think in the last day or two. Where is the caucus in terms of momentum? What direction do you see it moving at in terms of support for immigration (sic)?
GREEN: Well, my hope is that this vote to condemn him is an indication that the caucus is willing to take the next step. We voted to condemn. Those same votes can be used to impeach. There will be no appeal of the impeachment votes. There is no standard that has been imposed upon us. Each member decides based upon his or her conscience and casts that vote If 218 members decide, assuming that 435 are voting, then the president will be impeached, only a majority of those voting is required.
HAYES: All right. Congressman Al Green, thank you for making some time tonight.
GREEN: Thank you.
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