MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: "RTrump refers to critics as "human scum.""

Interview

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VELSHI: Congressman Jimmy Gomez of California is a member of the House Oversight Committee. I want to bring in Senator Mazie Hirono Democrat of Hawaii and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Aloha, Senator.

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D-HI): Aloha.

VELSHI: I understand that you and a number of other senators have written a letter that is being delivered to the Attorney General asking him to recuse himself from what? Tell me about the letter and what you`re asking?

HIRONO: All of the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have signed a letter asking Attorney General Barr who by the way is the President`s lawyer not the people`s lawyer, to recuse themselves from anything having to do with Ukraine. Because note, his name, the Attorney General Barr`s name was mentioned several times by the President in his infamous chat, telephone call with the Ukrainian president. So he`s in a major conflict and he should recuse himself. And I`m glad to know that there are other people of conscience including the New York City Bar Association that sent a letter saying that Bar should recuse himself from these matters.

VELSHI: Let me ask you just so we understand. This letter has been signed by the Democratic senators on the committee. Where is it? Do you know if it`s been delivered? Do you know -- is there -- has somebody received it?

HIRONO: I think your people have received it. I believe I send a copy of the letter to you folks. But basically, it`s very simple. It says Mr. Barr, you are in a major conflict. Recuse yourself. That`s what should be happening. But I have a feeling he`s not going to do it because he`s the President`s lawyer, not the people`s lawyer. So that`s a whole another sideshow that he`s running around trying to -- base on a conspiracy theory of what happened in 2016. And so it`s very much on a par with what the President wants. And meanwhile, you know, I don`t know what the Republicans who by the way they got nothing, that`s why they`re engaging in these antics and what I call the gaggle of goofballs in the House who storm this hearing like what is this, animal house? And so that`s what they`re left with to try and distract us because the American people know, Ali, that it is not OK for the president of our country to ask the president of another country to get dirt on the president -- on Trump`s opponents. So it`s obviously for his own political ends. The American people know that is not OK.

VELSHI: Senator, the White House sent out a message to Republicans on the Hill that the President would like more defenders, louder defenders. And the folks from Congress seemed have been saying well, we need some kind of message to fight back on. So today your colleague Senator Lindsey Graham came out and made a presentation about what these impeachment processes look like in the past. Tell me what you think Lindsey Graham is up to and how the Senate needs to handle this.

HIRONO: What Lindsey is up to is defending the President. And in Lindsey, the President has somebody who`s pretty much going to stand with them no matter what. What is noteworthy about this latest posture by Lindsey is the seven Republican senators who refused to go along with this. And as I say, soon enough, the House which is by the way engaged in an orderly process of their impeachment inquiry to get to the facts, unlike the brain that functions in the President`s mind which is chaos. They`re engaging in all the ordering process and soon enough they`re going to get to public hearings. And I don`t know what the Republicans are going to do when that happens but I`m sure they`ll manufacture some other argument to confuse the public and distract the public.

VELSHI: Senator, always good to talk to you. Thank you for joining us. Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, thank you for your time tonight.

HIRONO: Sure.

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