CNN "Wolf" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Gregory Meeks

Interview

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BLITZER: Samantha Vinograd, thanks very much for that analysis.

There's more breaking news right now. The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has just released its report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections here in the United States and the assessment from the U.S. intelligence community.

Committee chairman Richard Burr says this, and remember he's a Republican, and I'm quoting him now. "There is no doubt Russia undertook an unprecedented effort to interfere with our 2016 elections." Senator Mark Warner, by the way, the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said the interference was directly ordered by President Putin in order to help Donald Trump.

That's the conclusion of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Joining us now from Capitol Hill, New York Congressman Gregory Meeks. He's a Democrat, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

So, Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. What do you think of that conclusion? Are you surprised that the Democrats and the Republican majority on the Senate Intelligence Committee have now reached the same conclusion?

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D), SENIOR MEMBER, FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Well, I think that that's the way it should be, Wolf. You review the evidence and all of the facts and our intelligence community. And you come up with what the results are.

[13:10:01] And I think the results are what we suspected all along, as indicated by our intelligence agencies that Russia did, in fact get involved in the election with the intent on helping Donald Trump. And so it is important for that to be known so that we can make sure that in any future election that we won't allow anyone to get involved with our democracy and our elections.

And I think that it was important that it be bipartisan. Unlike unfortunately that seems to be taking place on the House side. So I think it's a good decision and outcome. But it showed that we've got to work together to protect the integrity of our democracy and our political process.

BLITZER: We were just showing our viewers some live pictures of the president saying goodbye to the Uzbek leader. They had some meetings in the Oval Office. So the president walked him out to the driveway over there outside the West Wing of the White House. Of course he didn't answer reporters' question. Normally the reporters clearly shouting questions.

There's a lot going on right now, Congressman. And I know the White House isn't going to be pleased with this conclusion from the Senate Intelligence Committee, bipartisan agreement that Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election, bipartisan agreement that they interfered in order to help Donald Trump and to hurt Hillary Clinton.

This was the conclusion of the U.S. Intelligence Committee -- community I should say in January of last year, January of last year before the president was sworn into office on Inauguration Day. So they're not going to be very happy with this conclusion. And as you correctly point out, very different from what we heard from the Republican majority of the House Intelligence Committee.

Let's go to North Korea right now, while I have you, Congressman. You're on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Would you be more surprised now if the June 12th summit between the president and Kim Jong-un happens or if it falls apart?

MEEKS: Well, you know what? I always thought that there was going to be -- this is difficult stuff, Wolf. The president likes to portray it as though it's elementary, as simple, he can do something that no one else did. It's always difficult. And I never heard, and I said it over and over again, what does the North Koreans expect to get out of this agreement?

So I was hoping that we would understand what the administration's plan was, what the back and forth was. You know, generally in the past, I've had that opportunity being on the committee, we would have access to certain information, which we don't have access to now, so that we would not be engaged in a reality TV show with the two sides there, with no real plan and not understanding what was really being negotiated.

So I don't think anyone really knows what's taking place at this point, because of the erratic or lack of a real policy that the president has stipulated, whether it's in the Koreas or any place else for that matter. And that's what is a problem. Generally, you know, you have a real and explicit policy that's articulated that our allies and everyone else can understand.

With this administration, there is no policy, there's no plan. There's no plan, you know, A or B. You know, you can talk about North Korea, you can talk about Iran, you can talk about climate. There's no plan that this president or policy of this president seems to be following.

BLITZER: Congressman Gregory Meeks, thanks so much for joining us.

MEEKS: Good to be with you.

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