CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) Is Interviewed About The Judge's Federal Decision

Interview

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At the moment, the Democratic leadership is signaling that is not the route they want to go. They want to wrap this up in just a matter of weeks. They don't -- Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee does not want this dragged into court, neither does Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker. So, while they're calling for him to testify there are probably some expectations that it's not going to happen any time soon.

BLITZER: All right, Manu, everybody, stand by, I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee. He's a member of the judiciary committee. Congressman, thanks for joining us. So, this is breaking news. What's your reaction to this federal judge's decision?

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): Well, all of us on the judiciary committee were in favor of the subpoena. We voted for it and we're very happy that the judge ruled the way she did because that's what we all thought she would do.

Chairman Nadler has been our leader and pursue these subpoenas. We've been defied in our attempts to have proper oversight to the constitutional Houses because of this administration's stonewalling.

And so, it's good that the judge agreed with us. It's the law, it's oversight as American as apple pie. It's part of article one, it's part of our job and the judiciary committee has been doing its job and had a proper and appropriate and I appreciated our victory today.

BLITZER: So, remind us, Congressman, what questions you would have for the former White House counsel, Don McGahn, assuming he does show up.

COHEN: Well, if he shows up, of course the questions would be about obstruction of justice and what did President Trump ask him to do in relation to former Attorney General Sessions and did he ask him to contact him and to have him un-recuse himself and get back involved in the Mueller report and try to take over the Mueller investigation? Did he try to ask him to do things to try to get Mueller fired.

What we saw in his testimony to the Mueller report, thus, if he would testify consistently seem to meet all of the elements of the obstruction of justice and the Mueller report was strong.

The problem with the Mueller report was that Bill Barr got the chance to go out in front about a month and a half, or two months, whatever it was, before its release to the public and paint a false picture and say no obstruction and no collusion.

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Well, the fact was there were 11 instances of obstruction of justice and the -- Mueller said he did not in any way whatsoever hold the president harmless and didn't say that the president was not involved in something, and he said that it was up to the Congress and the Congress specifically to deal with it. In essence, saying impeachment, but he left it up to the Congress.

So, Barr painted a picture that then set in the public's mind that there was nothing to it. And then even on the day that he released it he came out with Rosenstein behind him and said that again, similar comments and gave another two hours of false painting.

And then when it finally came out nobody wanted to read 435 pages of legalese. And there then it was a long time before Mueller came before us. And when Mueller came before us he wasn't the same dynamic person that he'd been when he ran the FBI when he fought in Vietnam, and when he was dynamic he was attorney in San Francisco.

BLITZER: He could, McGahn, Don McGahn also shed light on the president's attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation, as you point out. But would you like to see the articles of impeachment that are now being considered include misconduct uncovered during the Mueller investigation? COHEN: Well, we're all working as a team. And Speaker Pelosi has done

a marvelous job of bringing us all together, all the committees and all the chairman and the caucus. And we're going to continue to work as a team. And I'm sure there will be meetings to discuss this, but Chairman Nadler and Chairman Schiff and Speaker Pelosi and others will be talking about that and they'll make those decisions.

BLITZER: We'll see you when you get back to Washington after Thanksgiving. Congressman Steve Cohen, thanks so much for joining us.

COHEN: You're welcome, Wolf. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

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