MSNBC "All In with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Jim Clyburn
Interview
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HAYES: Now, these officers are all veterans. They`ve all been around the block. You can hear in their voices, however, see in their eyes. None of them had ever dealt with anything like this before because nothing like this has ever happened in America, honestly. That kind of scene, no crowd anywhere is allowed to engage in hand-to-hand combat with police officers for hours, cursing at them, beating at them, trying to kill them, threatening to take their guns.
I mean, I`ve covered crowds that were on the threshold of some kind of violent action, and they have been tear-gassed or chased out or had rubber bullets fired at them. What happened on the steps there for hours, there is no precedent for what happened. And for what they endured that day.
The third-ranking Democrat in the House of Congress is Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, and he joins me now. Congressman, let me just first start by getting your reaction to what you saw today in that committee testimony.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): I saw four patriots, four public servants, four people who take apart the work they have undertaken, to help, protect, (INAUDIBLE) of whoever did it. This Capitol building that is held in such high esteem. They saw it under assault and they thought it was their responsibility to do what`s necessary to preserve this building, to help perpetuate this democracy. And it`s a shame that they have been so disrespected all in just silliness, the kind of stuff that you will never believe adults would adhere to.
And so, I listened to the aftermath of that, not able to see the hearing in real-time because I was conducting a similar error hearing for the Select Committee on the Coronavirus, but I have watched those tapes since. And I believe that it would be in the best interest of this committee to continue its pursuit of the truth. We`ve got to find out who and why. We know what when and where. You got to find out who and why.
HAYES: I wanted get your reaction particular to the testimony we played from Officer Dunn there. That`s not the kind of thing that we play on television very often and understandably, I think, but I`ve heard people calling the question oh, when you say the crowd was white nationalist or it was a white nationalist insurrection, people say what are you saying? And that testimony from Officer Dunn which was corroborated by a lot of black officers about what they faced on that day, and as someone who`s worked in that building for many, many years, and worked on the project basically of creating American multiracial democracy in its current form, what do you feel when you hear that testimony from Officer Dunn?
CLYBURN: Well, you know, I`ve always said that people`s experiences are the -- are the best teachers. I know Officer Dunn`s experience. I have experience much of what he`s talking about in this hearing. And I can tell you, it`s not a good feeling. But you don`t give up your pursuit. You try to do what is necessary to bring people around to what`s in the best interest of this country.
[20:15:33]
And I know Officer Dunn, in spite of this experience, we`ll continue to do what is necessary to help make this country a better place. Our hope my Republican colleagues will take heed, and do what is necessary to join in our pursuit of the truth. For Kevin McCarthy to take all of his Republicans off of the committee says to me, he hate the truth. He doesn`t want to hear or see the truth. And that doesn`t make any sense to me. That betrays everything that this country stands for.
HAYES: Yes, Kevin McCarthy, along with Mitch McConnell, a whole bunch of other Republicans today were asked questions about the testimony and the hearing. You know, a lot of versions of I didn`t get a chance to watch it, I was busy doing other things. It seems quite evident that the approach to this is to either sort of attack it in bad faith or to just pretend it`s not happening.
And I don`t -- can you imagine any other Republicans essentially putting their shoulder to the wheel behind this effort other than the two who were on the committee or is it sort of been polarized in precisely those lines?
CLYBURN: Well, I think it`s been polarized. I really believe that this is part of a much broader undertaking. And that`s why this committee is so necessary. You know, I spent four years in the southern governor`s office. And I can tell you that there is a lot of work to be done here. We`ve got to get to the bottom of this because I think that all that you`ve seen today, as bad as it is, there`s much, much more to be uncovered in this. There`s much, much more truth to come out.
HAYES: Congressman Jim Clyburn of the state of South Carolina, third ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, thank you so much, sir.
CLYBURN: Thank you for having me.
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