CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Norton

Interview

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COOPER: Yes. Jim Acosta, appreciate it. Thanks very much.

As we said, Michael Cohen's testimony tomorrow will be public before the House Oversight Committee. Joining me now is a member of that committee, Representative Eleanor Holmes-Norton.

Congresswoman, thanks so much for being with us.

This tweet from your Republican colleague Matt Gaetz to Michael Cohen claims it's not a threat or witness tampering, it's, quote, witness testing. Again, I don't know exactly what that means.

What do you say to that? Is this threatening Michael Cohen?

REP. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON (D), DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Is the hearing itself threatening Michael Cohen?

COOPER: No, is Matt Gaetz's tweet suggesting that does his father-in- law or wife know about girlfriends?

NORTON: Oh, that has all the signs of a threat. And I don't think it'll affect Michael Cohen, not at this point. But I don't know what he could do about it. Who's he going to tell it to and how credible is he?

COOPER: What exactly do you want to ask Cohen tomorrow? What do you want to hear in detail from him?

NORTON: You know, there's some frustration here because there are two committees, the Intelligence Committee and our committee. So, we may be left with the salacious stuff like Stormy Daniels, and, of course, that gets pretty close to the president. Particularly if the president told Cohen to lie, and we already know there are campaign violations.

But if he lied this close to an election, then it looks like he may have been trying to, of course, influence the election and that gets to be pretty dicey.

COOPER: It's been reported that Cohen is going to be bringing documents with him to back up his testimony. "The Wall Street Journal" reported that. He notified the committee about these documents.

Do you know what they are?

NORTON: I don't have the slightest idea what those documents are except that often when we asked witnesses about their recollection, they pull out something to make it clear that they're being truthful.

COOPER: The White House, obviously, they're attacking Cohen's credibility, saying it's laughable anyone would believe a convicted liar like Cohen. I mean, they're not wrong. He has lied to Congress before. He's lied on television. He's lied for years for then citizen Donald Trump.

Why should people watching believe what he says now?

NORTON: Well, they really should believe what he says now because he can't afford to dig his grave any deeper, and he's already in for three years. So the notion that he would try to make it worse is absurd.

Of course what the White House is doing is playing an offense to try to make him seem untruthful now, that is to say tomorrow because he's been untruthful before. But the fact is he has every incentive to tell the truth now. He doesn't want to be a Manafort who lied once and then came and lied again and look what's happening to him. He may go to prison for the rest of his life.

COOPER: But, I mean, if he -- if Cohen wanted to tell the truth about everything, he didn't make a Cooperation agreement with prosecutors. So there are some things he has not talked to prosecutors about, and I assume he didn't make a full cooperation agreement because he's worried about possible illegalities he was involved with.

NORTON: Precisely. And we may get to ask those questions as to why he didn't make a full offer to agreements considering how much he has in fact told. So why won't he tell the whole thing, the whole story? He's going to jail.

And I don't think he means to go to jail any longer than he is. So, yes, there will be things for us to ask, but remember the intelligence committee has a big part of this as well. And we've been told we can't ask about Russia, for example. We can only ask about those fairly domestic matters which are very embarrassing but do pertain directly to the election.

Keeping Stormy Daniels and that kind of information from the electorate in order that the public not know something that might well influence who would become president of the United States.

COOPER: Are you also interested in information about the Trump Organization itself and any activities they might have been involved with?

NORTON: Very much so. We're interested in how this is part and parcel of the Trump organization. Again, without getting into Russia and some other committees jurisdiction.

COOPER: All right. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

NORTON: Of course.

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