CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Congressman Brenda Lawrence

Interview

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BURNETT: Cuomo is up for re-election, trying to fend off a challenge in his own party from actress Cynthia Nixon which he massively leads in the polls at least until now.

President Trump has even dared Cuomo to run against him in 2020.

OUTFRONT now, the Democratic congresswoman from Michigan, Brenda Lawrence, who sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

And I appreciate your time, Congresswoman.

So, you know, when this happened, you heard when he first said, we're not going to make America great again, it was never that great, there were sort of oohs, ahhs, and gasps. I mean, people are pretty shocked. He then, of course, went on to try to explain what he meant.

What's your reaction?

REP. BRENDA LAWRENCE (D), MICHIGAN: First of all, thank you, Erin, for being here.

My reaction is this; we've had some dark moments in our history in this great country that I call my home.

[19:50:05] You know, there was slavery. There was a time that I as a woman was not allowed to vote. There were civil rights movements. There are times in our history that we had to confront something that was wrong in our country.

And the thing that gives us a sense of saying that we're moving in the right direction is that our democracy stood up. There was never an easy process. It was that we stood up and we fought back, and we changed things.

We have a lot to change now, and, unfortunately, it feels almost like the clock is being rolled back, because we had made so many accomplishments in this country.

BURNETT: Yes.

LAWRENCE: I still pledge of allegiance to one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

BURNETT: Yes.

LAWRENCE: But freedom is not free.

BURNETT: Now, I do want to ask you, though, because, you know, Cuomo is the Governor of the state of New York. He is up for reelection, he is obviously also a very potential candidate for 2020.

His Republican challenger said that Cuomo owes the nation an apology and he should be ashamed of himself.

Do you think these comments will haunt him until November? Because, obviously, the way you just describe this country getting better is not at all what he said, right? I mean, maybe he was trying to be cute with his play on words. But, you know, that's a sound byte made in heaven for somebody running against him for office.

LAWRENCE: Yes, it is. But, you know, every person has to tell their own story.

But what I will say is that we cannot run away from the truth. We cannot run away from the fact that I was once -- my forefathers were enslaved. But we as a country, our democracy and our Constitution, we fought through that. We resisted.

We resisted as women to have rights. And now, we have to resist what we see happening every day, being led by a president that is trying to divide us again.

BURNETT: President Trump has been under fire when you talk about being divisive for his attacks on Omarosa Manigault Newman, right, his former aide. He has called her, among other things on Twitter in the last couple of days a loser, a low life and a dog.

And now, Republicans are even saying he went too far. Here is Orrin Hatch, your colleague.

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BURNETT: And that, of course, was Ari Fleischer, Former White House spokesman.

Are Republicans doing enough to denounce Trump for words he is using, whatever Omarosa may or may not be, honest, dishonest, it's besides the point. We're talking about the president's words to describe her.

LAWRENCE: You know, it's interesting to see a white man say he's uncomfortable. I'm sitting here in America as a black woman and knowing that one of the things -- tools that were used during slavery was to dehumanize you, to call you names and not treat you as a human being. To hear this is insulting.

And then we have the president of the United States who took an oath to serve, protect, defend, and here he is destroying relationships and not having the political understanding or compassion to understand the power and the damage his words make every single time he does it. It is so frustrating.

And I can tell him shame on you, the fact that you are comfortable on a national platform to address a woman in that way, shame on you and you are the president. And, unfortunately, you're my president too. And I'm telling you, I always think he's hit rock bottom. This is totally unacceptable.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Congresswoman, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

LAWRENCE: Thank you.

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