CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Anthony Brown"

Interview

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BLITZER: Phil Mattingly up on Capitol Hill, thank you.

Joining us now, Congressman Anthony Brown. He's a Democrat, serves on the Armed Services Committee, a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, served in Iraq.

Thanks so much, Congressman, for your service as well.

REP. ANTHONY BROWN (D-MD): Great to be here. Thank you.

BLITZER: Let's get to some of the news.

First of all, the president's silence as far as his acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, is concerned. Mulvaney has been trying to walk back his earlier statement that there was some sort of quid pro quo, aid to Ukraine would flow if there was an investigation into politics back in 2016, what do you make of this?

BROWN: Well, first of all, Mulvaney's comment last week really confirms what we knew when he saw the summary of the transcript of the July 25 call between President Trump and the Ukraine president, where President Trump said, hey, do us a favor.

And that was in direct response to the Ukrainian President Zelensky's request for Javelin missiles. So we know that the president has abused his power, undermining national security, withholding aid that Congress has appropriated in order to pursue political gains.

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And so last week, when -- this is not about Mulvaney. When he said what he said, he essentially corroborated or confirmed what is going on in this White House.

BLITZER: What do you think of what Senator Mitt Romney is now saying?

He's one of the few, very few, sitting Republicans in either the House or the Senate who is willing to go out there and criticize the president.

BROWN: Sure.

First of all, I can respect a senator who takes a position that I'm going to act as a juror if and when an impeachment trial were to occur in the Senate.

But I can tell you, what we have seen, between the urgent and credible whistle-blower complaint, again, the transcript summary, what we're hearing from Mr. Mulvaney should give all members of Congress, House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans, concern that there is an abuse of power taking place in this White House, undermining national security, and should step up.

Again, I respect that they will eventually serve as jurors. But I think that it is important to communicate that this behavior is intolerable.

BLITZER: Do you have any cracks at all among your Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives?

Right now, they follow the president's advice, and they want to censure the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff.

BROWN: Yes, and that is ridiculous. To censure Adam Schiff makes no sense whatsoever.

He has conducted the hearings, while in secret, right, closed hearings, because of the nature of the material. It is classified. It is sensitive. He has given Republicans and Democrats alike equal access to witnesses, to what documents that we have, unlimited opportunities to ask questions.

So the idea that you're going to censure Adam Schiff on the floor of the United States House of Representatives because he's doing his job, going to the truth for the American people, is ridiculous.

BLITZER: The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, will testify tomorrow, we're told, before these various committees, once again in secret. How significant is what he has to say?

BROWN: Very significant.

First of all, let me tell you, Wolf, I served with Bill Taylor when I was in Iraq. He's the consummate diplomat, a real professional. He served for Democrat and Republican administrations. He's a West point graduate.

When he expresses the kinds of concern that he did in the e-mail exchanges to Ambassador Sondland, asking whether or not we're going to use -- we're going to base U.S. foreign policy on a domestic political agenda, which is what he was seeing out of this administration, that raises concerns. His testimony will be very important.

BLITZER: You're on the Armed Services Committee.

I want to show you some video. And this is very dramatic, very powerful. And you served in the U.S. Army in Iraq. You see these American troops in armored vehicles leaving Syria, heading towards Iraq. And the Kurds, you see these Kurdish civilians. They're throwing potatoes and rotten vegetables.

They're trying to underscore their anger and their frustration, given the cooperation, what they have done to help the U.S. over the years. As a military veteran, what is your reaction to this?

BROWN: Well, they feel betrayed, and rightfully so, and not by the men and women -- or the men in that case who were driving those armored vehicles, but by the president of the United States.

When he back in December of last year announced publicly that he was going to withdraw troops from Syria, leave the Kurds high and dry to fend for themselves against Turkey, that was a betrayal, and then recently proclaiming loudly that he was going to move 50 U.S. forces, which, quite frankly, at that point, he needed to do.

But that was the betrayal. They worked, they fought alongside of us, the Kurdish. They helped us defeat ISIS. They lost many lives, lost a lot of blood on our behalf, on the effort to fight ISIS. And now we walk away. And they should feel betrayed. And I would as well.

BLITZER: Very frustrating, indeed. Congressman Anthony Brown, thank you so much for joining us.

BROWN: Thanks, Wolf.

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