CNN "Lou Dobbs Tonight"-Transcript

Interview

CNN "Lou Dobbs Tonight"-Transcript

DOBBS: Congressman Dana Rohrabacher is the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee investigating the miscarriage of justice in the case of former Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean. The Republican congressman from California has also called for the resignation of U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton for not testifying today in a case that quotes -- that he says "stinks to high heaven."

Dana Rohrabacher is here with us tonight.

Good to have you with us, Congressman.

REP. DANA ROHRABACHER (R), CALIFORNIA: Thank you.

DOBBS: The Foreign Affairs Subcommittee investigation into the role of the Mexican government, were there any surprises to you at all today?

ROHRABACHER: Well, the main surprise, I guess, came from the chairman of the subcommittee itself. In fact, Chairman Delahunt announced that he is calling on President Bush to commute the sentences of these two Border Patrol agents. And that happened with several other members today as the hearing progressed.

He also announced Chairman Conyers will be holding hearings of the Judiciary Committee.

And Mr. Sutton wouldn't come to our hearing today. I mean he's able to go on TV around the country, but I don't think he can duck the Judiciary Committee.

DOBBS: Well, Congressman Rohrabacher, the U.S. attorney, Johnny Sutton, said that -- his office released a statement saying that the Department of Justice determined there was no basis for him to testify because the focus of the investigation is -- was into contacts with Mexico, the role of the Mexico government.

And U.S. Attorney Sutton says clearly -- just absolutely unequivocally -- that he had, and his office had, no contacts whatsoever with the Mexican government.

ROHRABACHER: Well, let me just note this.

DOBBS: Sure.

ROHRABACHER: Our jurisdiction on this subcommittee also goes to the issuance of official government passes, like the one that the U.S. attorney's office and the Department of Homeland Security gave to the drug dealer in this case. They gave them free border transit passes. And that is to a drug dealer after he had been fingered for a second drug deal. And that is part of our jurisdiction and Sutton knows it.

DOBBS: The Department of Homeland Security refused to put forward its inspector general, Mr. Skinner, to testify.

ROHRABACHER: Yes.

DOBBS: And, of course, they have direct responsibility for any contact that would have occurred since they were the lead investigative agency.

ROHRABACHER: It's their job to come to Congress and explain things to us and vote Johnny Sutton for the U.S. attorney. And both the Department of Homeland Security -- they both decided not to put themselves under oath.

So if you hear them now making statements publicly, how can you believe them, because they're not willing to go under oath and say the same thing?

DOBBS: It is -- there is a great deal, obviously, that is troubling about the Ramos and Compean case. But amongst the most perplexing has been the refusal of this administration, a Republican administration, you, as a Republican, a Republican president, to act almost, if I may say, Soviet in its response to inquiries from party members and the news media and the public about what is transparently and upon -- once upon, you know, achieving focus, a very difficult case to explain in terms of the motivation of the prosecutors, the Department of Homeland Security, and even officials of the U.S. Border Patrol.

ROHRABACHER: Well, I hate to say this, but there is a pattern of arrogance in this administration in dealing with Congress and dealing with the public's right to know some of these fundamental issues. And I see it and it's demonstrated by this case.

And here the president, when be begged and pleaded with him to step in and give -- and -- even after these guys have been beaten up and imprisoned -- and we're given the answer, oh, no, it's a long, arduous process they have to go through to get any commutation or any type of pardon.

Yet, a member of the president's clique in the White House, "Scooter" Libby -- and might I add I supported that commutation -- but then he gets it in a nanosecond.

Little guys get squashed. Members of the clique get -- get off, you know, get out of jail free.

DOBBS: Yes. And as you pointed out, it is a -- it is a sorry thing, in my opinion. And I would say on any other basis, for the president of the United States to respond, that his faith in the prosecution of this case and the outcome of that prosecution because, as he put it, Johnny Sutton is a friend of his.

ROHRABACHER: That's it.

DOBBS: It's -- it's troubling, at the very least. It is reassuring that you and your colleagues in Congress are doing so much to focus on the answers and achieving some semblance, at least, of answers at this early stage. We know you will continue.

ROHRABACHER: Yes, sir.

DOBBS: Thank you very much.

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

ROHRABACHER: Thank you.

DOBBS: You've been -- have been outstanding on this issue.

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