CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Carlos Gimenez

Interview

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REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Well, I got to set the record straight, our Leader McCarthy never called me, he never tried to change my vote. That's one of the good things about or one of the great things about our leader. He allows us to vote our conscience.

And so the reason that I voted for it is because when I saw the events of January 6th being the former Mayor of Miami-Dade County, former sheriff, I saw a breakdown in communications. I saw a breakdown in coordination in anticipation and I want to get to the bottom of how our security forces allowed a breach of the people's house, the Capitol.

BURNETT: And just to be clear here, the Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, obviously, we do know he made calls to several of your colleagues, but you're saying he did not actually call you and get you to try to change your vote.

GIMENEZ: That's correct. BURNETT: So let me ask you, we understand that McCarthy was in the

back of the chamber during the vote. He was watching very closely, obviously, leadership was there. They want to know. They want to know who votes which way. We know Trump wants to know who votes which way. He'll be happy to call each of you out individually when that moment comes.

Are you at all afraid? Are you afraid of bucking former President Trump's view, your party's leadership view?

GIMENEZ: No. I mean, look, that's one of the great things about our party and the leader in particular, I've been able to break ranks with my party on a number of issues unlike the Democrats who don't break ranks at all.

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They are the most partisan group that I've seen or I've heard of in my generation. And so they've only had two Democrats actually break ranks in the five months that we've been here. And so apparently, Nancy Pelosi doesn't like any of her Democrats to break ranks with her.

My leader, on the other hand, allows us to have free independent thought. And so I really admire him for that.

BURNETT: Liz Cheney may beg to differ with you.

GIMENEZ: Well, I guess you do, but I'm inside and you're not. And so I know what goes on inside my party, you don't.

BURNETT: No, I didn't say I did.

GIMENEZ: OK.

BURNETT: I said Liz Cheney was kicked out of leadership for her points of view on calling the election for being lie.

GIMENEZ: No. No, not actually.

BURNETT: Yes, she was.

GIMENEZ: No.

BURNETT: Yes, she was.

GIMENEZ: No, she wasn't. No, she was not. She was actually called out because she kept talking about it. We need to talk about what's going on right now with the Biden administration, the inflation, the high gas price, the $6 trillion

BURNETT: But I thought you voted for this because you did want to talk about what happened on January 6th and gets to the bottom of it.

GIMENEZ: I do. I absolutely - well, I want the commission to find out what were the security breakdowns of what happened on January 6th and it should never happen again. We should never have the security breaks down that we had on January 6th that caused the people's house to be breached. That's what I'm looking for.

And I'm also very happy that our ranking member, Katko, was able to do a bipartisan and get some concessions from the Democrats. That's why I voted for this, because it is a split (inaudible) ...

BURNETT: Are you disappointed in your leadership though for not wanting to get to the bottom of this like you do for not wanting answers like you do?

GIMENEZ: Look, that's the great thing about our party, we have differences of opinion. My leader has his own opinion. He allows us to have ours and so no I'm not disappointed in him at all. I think he's a great leader. I think he's going to be a great speaker of the House in about a year and a half.

BURNETT: So Trump as you now made January 6th, Congressman, all about overturning the election. And his lie, because that's what it is, his lie that Biden was not the legitimate winner. You just have to hear him from his very own mouth talk about that day, that vote and what he thought that vote to certify the election clearly signified. Here he is.

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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people.

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BURNETT: So don't certify, he becomes the president. I know on that day, Congressman, you voted against certifying the results of the election in two states.

GIMENEZ: In two states.

BURNETT: Now, those two states would not have changed the ultimate outcome of the election.

GIMENEZ: That's correct.

BURNETT: You have said Biden is the legitimate president of this country.

GIMENEZ: Yes. Yes.

BURNETT: But you know that 67 percent of people, according to the latest CBS poll of Republicans, I'm sorry, do not believe Joe Biden is the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. Do you have any regrets about how your vote fed into what Trump was saying? He linked those things together, his lie, that that could be contributing to Republicans refusing to accept a legitimate president.

GIMENEZ: Absolutely. I have no regrets of my votes on that day. I voted not to impeach the president, because I didn't think he incited the events that happen. I know for a fact that I saw people in my hotel room that were saying they were going to do something at two o'clock and that happened at nine o'clock in the morning.

And I also know and I still believe that Arizona and Pennsylvania, the election laws were violated and that the legislature who is the rightful place where these laws are made, those laws were violated and that's the reason why I voted not to certify Arizona and Pennsylvania, which would not have to overturn the election and so President Biden is the rightful President of the United States.

It's not it but it's dissimilar to what happened in 2005 when a number of Democrats actually voted not to certify Ohio, which would have overturn the election results. And so this is not something that hasn't happened in the past. And so I vote my conscience, I felt that it was unconstitutional and that's why I voted the way I did. And I will not and I do not have any regrets about the way that I voted.

BURNETT: All right. Congressman, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

GIMENEZ: My pleasure.

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