CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Steve Cohen"

Interview

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SCIUTTO: In a minor setback for House Democrats, a federal judge says they will have to wait for a judgment on whether or not the IRS can be forced to release the president's tax returns. The ruling does not stop the lawsuit, we should note, but the Democrats leading the House Ways and Means committee were trying to fast track their release. It is one of several ongoing court cases Democrats are pursuing to try to get the president's financial documents, while the White House fights their release at every turn.

Joining me now, Congressman Steve Cohen, he's a Democrat of Tennessee, he's a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.

[10:20:00]

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): Nice to be with you.

SCIUTTO: So let's start with the court decision. Now, what is the most likely timeline for the release of these returns? For folks at home, they've probably been following every moment of this, but is it going to happen? Will it happen before the election?

COHEN: I think it will happen. I mean, The Trump administration wants to put it off as much as possible, because, obviously, there's something in there that the president is embarrassed about or will cause him great political shame.

He first claimed that he was under audit and he couldn't release it because he was under audit. Well, there's no reason being under audit, whether he was or wasn't, is a reason you cannot disclose your tax returns. And every president for 50, 60, 70 years has released their tax returns.

Now, he's just fighting it in the law, and the law is clear that the committee has a right to see those upon request. Eventually, the courts will show us those tax returns. It's possible we'll see them through the Deutsche Bank action that's in New York State where Deutsche Bank has its tax returns. And it's possible that the New York State authorities who have passed a statute to release his state tax returns, we'll get them and Mr. Neal will accept them.

But, eventually, the people will know and whatever it is will be known by the American public, as it should be.

SCIUTTO: When you speak to your constituents back in Tennessee, do you sense any exhaustion from them at all with the whole range of investigations? Do you sense them turning to say, hey, let's look to November 2020, let's forget all this other stuff?

COHEN: A few people tell me that. Most people tell me don't let up. Don't stop. They want him gone.

Now, my district is predominantly Democratic, African-American district. That is a demographic that is very much against Trump and feels his racism in a very personal way. But my district in it -- but it's not just my African-Americans constituents. It's my Caucasian constituents as well, my Hispanic constituents. They encourage me to continue to go after Trump. They find him to be one of the most miserable .people ever to live, that Keith Olbermann should comeback and declare him the worst person in the universe.

SCIUTTO: Goodness. Well, let me ask about a decision, a policy decision made by this administration. That is the president blocking military assistance to Ukraine, essential, because Ukraine has been invaded by Russia. And it's not clear what the justification is for this. But particularly following the president backing Russia's position on the G7 during the summit against the wishes of his allies, do you have an explanation for this? And why this consistent effort by this president to make moves that seem to be to Russia's benefit?

COHEN: You don't know for a hundred percent, but you have to connect the dots and it's pretty obvious that the Russians and Trump have had relations in the past, whether it's political with the 2016 election, which I believe it is, or whether it's financial through his loans, which I believe one of the sons said they have plenty of money from Russia. There's a connection with his commerce secretary, who was a co-chair of a bank in Cypress that the other co-chair was a friend of Putin's and a Russian, and it's a bank known for laundering money. There's just too many dots to connect to not see that this man is under the influence of Russia.

And the Ukrainians are democracy that has split off from the Soviet Union. They have had the Russians attack them. Russia shot down an airplane, which they denied and denied and denied. But the United Nations and every report that's been made on that says they did. It's clear they did and they killed hundreds of people, innocent people. The Russians deny it and then they took Crimea too.

So, yes, we should be supporting the Ukrainians, we should continue sanctions on the Russians and they should not be in the G7 or the G8 because they violated the norms of the group. They are not a friendly country. They are a despotic, autocratic nation that is just still interested in having an empire like the soviet Union. And as long as they do, Ukraine and the Baltic nations, and the Balkan nations, for that matter, are not safe.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And it's good you mentioned the MH17 shoot-down, 298 people killed, many of them children killed with a Russian missile.

Let me ask you a final question. You have a primary challenger in the Democratic primary in your district. He announced he was running earlier this month. He applauds your focus on the president, but he says the following. He says that more needs to be done for the economy and jobs in your district. It gets back to a question I asked you earlier in the interview. Is there a risk, a political risk for you in focusing too much on the president and not giving constituents the change that they're demanding?

COHEN: No. I think we would like to have more jobs and that's an important issue in Memphis and other places.

[10:25:03]

But it's not the job of the congressman. The governor and the mayor have the power to give works, training programs, to give road programs, to give tax incentives. That's who the folks are that can get industry to move to your city. There are 435 congressmen and there's not one that can influence an industry to come to their city. So I'm not concerned about that.

And regardless of that, I'm going to do what I think is right and that's why the people like me, because I speak my mind, I speak truth to power and I represent the feelings of the average Memphian.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Steve Cohen, thanks so much for taking the time.

COHEN: You're welcome, Jim. Be good.

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