CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

Interview

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ACOSTA: Let's continue to talk about this. Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. He its on the House Judiciary Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

As you know, there is real pain on the streets of the United States right now. What needs to be done to fix policing and restore trust with the community? It just doesn't seem to be there right now.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): It's a very painful week, but that comes on top of a painful time in America dealing with all of the suffering and death connected to the pandemic, the economic pain, and, of course, the shocking images that we continue to be flooded with of police interactions gone wrong, resulting in the tragic killings, death and harassment of racial profiling of people of color.

The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the most transformational forward-looking police reform bill in the history of the Congress, both last year and last month.

Now we need the Senate to act. There are ongoing discussions that are taking place between the House and the Senate as I understand it between Cory booker and Tim Scott. And it falls upon my Republican colleagues in the Senate to say when is enough enough? That moment is now and we need to do something decisively or we're going to have to reexamine the rules of the Senate.

ACOSTA: And speaking of Republican, conservative televangelist Pat Roberts did not mince words this week when he was asked the current state of policing in this country. I'm sure you've seen it, but let's watch it and I'll get your reaction to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT ROBERTSON, TELEVANGELIST: I am pro-police, folks. I think we need the police. We need their service and they do a good job, but if they don't stop this onslaught, they cannot do this.

To Derek Chauvin, I mean, they ought to put him in jail. He has caused so much trouble by kneeling on the death of George Floyd, it's just -- on his neck. It's just terrible what's happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Congressman, did you ever think you would be on the same side of an issue as Pat Robertson? The fact that he's this frustrated. What does that tell you about where this country is right now?

JEFFRIES: I did not, but it's a pleasant surprise that he's telling the truth based on what we've all seen. And police violence, police brutality, the excessive use of police force has been an ongoing phenomenon. Not month after month or year after year, but century after century in America as it relates to the interaction between the police and communities of color.

That's not to say that a significant number of police officers aren't there to protect and serve. They are, the once I interact with, but we have this persistent problem. It's going to require decisive and transformational action in order to turn things around.

We need police officers who have a guardian mentality as it relates to our communities, not a warrior mentality, because when you have a warrior mentality, you tend to view communities of color like enemy combatants and can be treated in ways we have seen resulting in tragic consequences.

ACOSTA: And, Congressman, you know it's not police violence that we're grappling with right now. By CNN's count, there have been 45 mass shooting in the U.S. in just the last month, 147 mass shootings since the start of the year. I mean, that is just a staggering toll. How much more can this country bear?

JEFFRIES: We can't bear much more. I mean, this is a great country. We have risen to the occasion in the past.

American defeated fascism in Germany. We defeated communism in the Soviet Union. We defeated al Qaeda in the aftermath of September 11th.

Why can't we deal with gun violence in America? It's shameful.

And we've got some people in Washington, Republicans, on the other side of the aisle in both the House and the Senate, who function like wholly owned subsidiaries of the NRA. Ands that's unfortunate.

And hopefully, their constituents are going to push them to change, so that we can enact common sense gun safety measures such as universal criminal background check legislation, and other steps that we can take to protect the safety, health and well-being of the American people.

Mass shootings impact everyone. Day-to-day violence such as that that I experienced back here at home in Brooklyn, as well as what people experience in rural America and small-town America. It's not a Democratic issue or Republican issue, it's an American issue, and Congress needs to step up and tackle this issue.

And by Congress, I mean Republicans in the United States Senate.

ACOSTA: And, Congressman, I want to ask you about one of your Republican colleagues, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Apparently, she's now scrapped the launch of a new caucus that would have reportedly promoted what was described in a memo as common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions.

She got some blowback for that idea from House Leader Kevin McCarthy. He came out and said it's not the party of nativist dog whistles.

What's your reaction to all of this?

JEFFRIES: Well, the GOP has become the party of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Steve King and, of course, Matt Gaetz. And that's problematic. They are no longer the party of Lincoln. They are not even the part of Reagan or John McCain.

And this is a big difference between what the Republicans are in Washington, D.C., and the Democrats led by Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer, where we are trying to solve problems on behalf of the American people such as passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, and we're working on the American jobs plan, where we will create I believe at least 15 million good paying jobs.

[17:10:03]

And so, hopefully, these plans to create the Jim Crow caucus are really going to be abandoned, but this is a persistent challenge until Republicans of goodwill across the country step up and crush this extremist aspect of their political base once and for all.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, we'll see if that happens. Thanks so much for your time. Appreciate you coming on. Hope to have you back. We appreciate it.

JEFFRIES: Thank you and Happy Birthday, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Thanks, Congressman. Appreciate it.

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