CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries"
Interview
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BLITZER: Boris Sanchez, thank you very much.
Joining us now, Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee. He is also one of the top leaders in the House Democratic Caucus. He is the chairman.
Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Great to be with you, Wolf.
BLITZER: So, the White House says this resolution that was just introduced confirms that the House impeachment inquiry has been an illegitimate sham from the start -- that's in the White House statement -- and that this still doesn't grant the president his due process rights.
How do you respond?
JEFFRIES: We have been proceeding in a serious and solemn and sober fashion, consistent with our constitutional responsibilities, and we will continue to do that.
This impeachment inquiry from the very beginning is simply about following the facts, applying the law, being guided by the United States Constitution, and presenting the truth to the American people.
And the resolution that we will be voting on, on Thursday is consistent with that direction.
BLITZER: Any doubts whether or not it will pass? Do you have the 218 votes for sure that you need?
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JEFFRIES: It is my expectation that the overwhelming majority of the House Democratic Caucus will support our effort to continue to move forward to this next phase of the impeachment inquiry, which will allow for the public presentation of evidence, as well as give the president the opportunity to present any exculpatory information that he may have, which, by the way, Wolf, has yet to be forthcoming.
And Americans should be asking the question, if the president has nothing to hide, why does he continue to hide documents, hide evidence, try to prevent witnesses from coming forward?
It is because, to the extent that they do, it will further confirm the serious wrongdoing that took place in connection with the Trump- Ukraine scandal.
BLITZER: You recently said -- and I'm quoting you now from an interview earlier in the month -- "There is no requirement for a cosmetic procedural vote."
So is this new vote on Thursday a concession to Republicans?
JEFFRIES: Not at all.
This is an important step forward in the context of laying out the process by which information that has been collected, with great leadership from Chairman Schiff and members of the Intel Committee and others, to be able to transfer that information to the Judiciary Committee, to the extent there is a recommendation to potentially consider articles of impeachment.
It will also allow for the information that has been collected through the deposition process to be released, considering the fact that there may need to be some redactions for national security purposes.
But, fundamentally, we're going to continue to keep the focus on the fact that the president, by pressuring a foreign government to target an American citizen for political gain, abused his power and solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election.
That undermines our national security and the integrity of our democracy, and that is what this impeachment inquiry fundamentally is all about.
BLITZER: Do you expect to get any Republican votes on Thursday?
JEFFRIES: We will see.
You know, the Republicans haven't been very cooperative as it relates to what we have been trying to do in the context of presenting the truth to the American people, but we're going to continue to move forward. We're going to continue to try and drive down the high cost of lifesaving prescription drugs.
We pay more for prescription drugs here in this country, Wolf, as you know, than any other developed country in the world. That's a shame. We want to change that. We want do give Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices.
We're going to try to do that in a bipartisan way, and we want to proceed in this Capitol by continuing to seek common ground with our colleagues, with the administration, and with the Senate.
BLITZER: Your colleagues in the House, they heard for the first time today from someone who was actually on that controversial July phone call between the president and the Ukrainian president.
We are talking about Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman. How important is that corroboration that he presented?
JEFFRIES: Well, it is particularly important, in that he is the first witness who both currently works in the White House and was on the July 25 phone call, where the president's own words, "Do us a favor, though," confirm that there was something illegitimate that took place in the context of trying to pressure the Ukrainian president and at the same time withhold $391 million in military aid that had been allocated on a bipartisan basis.
The lieutenant colonel, who is a patriot, who is a war veteran, a decorated hero of this country, has made it clear that this is a national security issue as it relates to the behavior that the president engaged in and the abuse of power.
BLITZER: Well, what is your reaction to these attacks on Lieutenant Colonel Vindman's patriotism by some of the president's allies?
JEFFRIES: Well, the attacks on the lieutenant colonel are disgusting and disgraceful and disingenuous.
And my Republican colleagues and those conservative commentators who have criticized him should cut it out. Let's focus on the fact that there's real concern as to whether the president of the United States betrayed his oath of office, the Constitution and the American people.
The challenge that we have here, Wolf, is that some of my Republican colleagues, in what I often refer to as the cover-up caucus, seem more concerned with defending the indefensible than it is with gathering the facts, applying the law and trying to present the truth to the American people. But that is what we will continue to do.
BLITZER: Yes, the attacks on Lieutenant Colonel Vindman by some of these commentators are disgusting. I think it is a fair statement.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, thanks very much for joining us.
JEFFRIES: Thank you, Wolf.
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