CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries"

Interview

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BLITZER: That's a very good point.

All right, Jim Acosta at the White House, stand by.

I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. He serves on the Judiciary Committee. He's also a leader. He's chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

Congressman, thanks very much for joining us.

Let me get your quick reaction. You listened to every word that the president said during that Q&A. What jumps out at you?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Well, the president continues to talk the talk in terms of dealing with our nation's gun violence epidemic, but there's no evidence that he's willing to walk the walk.

This is very simple. The House passed universal criminal background check legislation in February. It's been languishing in the Senate for almost 200 days. Mitch McConnell refuses to act, yet there are massacres that are taking place and Americans are being slaughtered on our streets, not in Baghdad, not over in Afghanistan, but in Dayton and in El Paso and in Brooklyn and in South Central Los Angeles and in South side of Chicago and all points in between. And so we need action.

We want to close the gun show loophole. We want to close the internet sale loophole. We want to close the private transaction loophole. And guess what, Wolf, so do approximately 90 percent of the American people, including a majority of Republicans, a majority of gun owners, a majority of independents. The president needs to get Mitch McConnell to act.

BLITZER: But if the president were willing to accept at least some of what you want, would you be willing to deal with it?

JEFFRIES: Well, I think we always are willing to try to find common ground. But this is an issue where the floor should be universal criminal background check legislation. We need to do much more. Every step that we can take to save a life is a step worth taking.

BLITZER: Let me get your thoughts on what happened in the House Judiciary Committee. Because you've been sort of skeptical, but today, after the House Judiciary Committee voted, you tweeted this. House Judiciary Committee just adopted a resolution for impeachment investigation, all in caps, voted yes. No one is above the law. So where does this stand now?

JEFFRIES: Well, the House Democratic Caucus has been clear in terms of our perspective as it relates to the role that we should play as a separate and co-equal branch of government. We don't work for Donald Trump. We don't work for any president. We work for the American people.

And we have a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check and balance on an out of control executive branch. We won't overreach. We won't overpoliticize. We won't overinvestigate. But we do need to move forward, follow the facts, as Speaker Pelosi has said, apply the law and be guided by Constitution.

And so the Judiciary Committee took a step as it relates to our jurisdictional area of responsibility, and that is to explore whether they are high crimes and misdemeanors that were engaged in by this president and whether we should recommend articles of impeachment to the full House at some point in the future (ph).

BLITZER: This vote today in the Judiciary Committee, you're a member of the Judiciary Committee, does it give you more authority, more legal ability to get documents, testimonies, stuff like that, that you would need in an impeachment investigation.

JEFFRIES: That's quite possible. The administration has engaged in extraordinary stonewalling as it relates to complying with lawful, congressional subpoenas. They have refused to produce documents and refused to allow witnesses to testify. All we want to do is bring the truth to light for the American people who deserve to know whether or not the president is a crook.

And so we're going to explore the abuse of power, the culture of corruption as well as the obstruction of justice. Certainly, that was documented in the Mueller report in an exhaustive fashion. BLITZER: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, as usual, thanks very much for coming in.

JEFFRIES: Thank you, Wolf.

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