CNN "The Lead" - TRANSCRIPT McCarthy Confident He'll Have Votes To Be Elected Speaker Tonight; Rep. James Comer, (R-KY), Is Interviewed About House Speaker Vote; Rep. Victoria Spartz, (R-IN), Is Interviewed About House Speaker Vote, Ukraine Fund; Biden Awards 14 People Presidential Citizens Medal On Riot Anniversary; Biden Awards Citizens Medal To 12 On January 6 Anniversary; FDA Approves New Alzheimer's Drug That Appears To Slow Disease; Suspect Bryan Kohberger Linked Through DNA, Cellphone Data And Witness. Aired 5-6p ET

Interview

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Let's bring in Republican Congressman James Comer of Kentucky who will be the chairman of the Oversight Committee. You're changing the name of it, right? It's not going to be Oversight and Government Reform. It's going to be Oversight and Accountability?

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY), INCOMING CHAIRMAN, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: That's right.

TAPPER: So, soon to be Mr. Chairman, you have been supporting Kevin McCarthy in his bid for speaker. You voted for him 13 times on 13 ballots. You gave one of the speeches on the House floor today nominating him. Is this going to end tonight? He going to win the speakership this evening?

COMER: I think so. We still have two holdouts that I hear the negotiations are going well. At this point, it's just a matter of confidence, but hopefully we'll get that nailed down. I knew we needed two more members who had to fly home for medical procedures, they're in route now. So, hopefully tonight will be the last night and we can finally get back to work.

TAPPER: So, I know this won't necessarily affect you in terms of your work on the Oversight Committee, but there have been a lot of concessions made to these rebels, these holdouts, in terms of liberalizing democratizing the process and putting some of them on key committees. Matt Gaetz, the leader of the rebel faction, says if McCarthy wins, he's going to have to "govern with a straitjacket," that's a quote. Are you concerned at all about governing going forward?

COMER: Look, I think it's great. We have 222 strong willed people who won, who all receive mandates back home in their district, and we should all have pretty equal voices up here. So, I think it's great. I support all the rules changes.

I serve on the committee with a lot of these guys who have stood their ground for so long, and they're good committee members. You know, it's just a matter of putting everyone in the right place where they can do the best for their each individual districts. And I think that that's happening as we speak. And I think that the changes are going to be welcome. If there are some of my colleagues on the Republican side that are a little skeptical, I tell them, just give him a chance, and these guys have done well. You know, two years ago, we would have said Thomas Massie and Jim Jordan would have been two of the guys that would have been creating havoc, and they're outstanding members, and they've been leading the way and trying to negotiate a deal for speakership. So, I'm confident about the future of the Republican Party, and I'm confident about this Republican majority.

TAPPER: Are you worried at all about a minority of the Republican Conference holding the rest of you hostage? We've heard from members of Congress talking about how they're afraid that having some of these, whatever you want to call them, former McCarthy opponents on the Rules Committee, et cetera, might just get in the way of governance so that you'll have to, when it comes to must pass legislation, for people at home, that means appropriations bills, spending bills or raising the debt ceiling, things that need to pass in order for government to function but might not be fun votes to cast, that what you might find is some of these folks block it from ever hitting the floor. You have to go and get 212 Democrats and six or so Republicans to sign a discharge petition to force it onto the floor for a vote. I mean, that's very chaotic.

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COMER: That's possible. Or it's possible that once these members are on the Rules Committee and we can actually bring to the floor some amendments of some bills that we've all campaigned on, like balanced budget amendment and term limits, I think that having those people on the Rules Committee will ensure that we actually take those votes on the floor. Most members of Congress on the Republican side, we've all campaigned and spent money in mailers and on T.V. ads saying that were going to do this, but yet we've never voted on that for whatever reason. I think these guys on the Rules Committee will make sure that we actually do the things we campaigned and said we would do.

So, I think that's a positive. And I'm hopeful that when they see that we start actually voting on the bills that we campaigned on, that they'll come around and realize we have to govern, we have to get to 218. We can't have any more delays like we had this week. And you know, maybe at the end of the day, this will be a great learning experience for a new Republican majority.

TAPPER: Maybe. Let me ask you about your role as the incoming chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, according to Politico, the White House has asked you to resubmit your request for records because you weren't a member of Congress withstanding at the time or you were in the minority party at the time. I'm not sure which request they're referring to. Do you think ultimately the White House is going to cooperate with your requests for information and documents?

COMER: Well, they said when Joe Biden was campaigning that he would be the most transparent president in the history of America. Now, Jake, do you believe that rejecting our offers for information with respect to taxpayer spending sounds like a transparent administration? You know, I'm hopeful that they'll turn around once we become the majority and I have the gavel because the Oversight Committee is supposed to get the backs of the American taxpayers. We're supposed to be the check and balance on the American tax dollars that are spent up here. And there hasn't been any oversight.

So, we're concerned about the massive spending. We know there are reports of waste, fraud, and abuse of the unemployment insurance fund with some of the COVID money with these grants that are handed out in many of these government agencies. So, we just want to get to work and do our job and try to make sure that taxpayer dollars aren't being wasted.

TAPPER: All right, good luck tonight, sir. I know you all want to get home, and I know you all want to get a speaker.

COMER: Yes.

TAPPER: Republican Congressman and soon to be chairman, James Comer of Kentucky, thank you so much. Good to see you as always.

COMER: Thanks for having me.

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