CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Chris Stewart
Interview
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've previously told me several times, you think every word of the Mueller report should be made public, should be presented to Congress. Do you support this subpoena that Jerry Nadler has now issued for the full unredacted report and all the underlying evidence?
REP. CHRIS STEWART (D-UT): Yes. I do think that with the exception of the grand jury information, which, frankly, is illegal to release, I do think members of Congress should be able to see all of the other -- sitting on the House Intel Committee, of course they want to protect sources and methods. But we deal with sources and methods all the time.
Part of it is protecting our interactions with foreign governments. But, again, we deal with foreign governments all the time.
I think there are members of Congress who should see all of this. With the except of, again, Wolf, the grand jury information which is, again, illegal to release that. And probably appropriate to protect the grand jury process, that that be held private.
BLITZER: It would only be illegal if a court intervened and said you could release it. In the report, the Mueller report, the special counsel details several episodes of possible -- possible -- obstruction of justice by the president, including an attempt to fire the special counsel.
TEXT: Attempts to obstruct: Asked Comey to let Flynn go; Fired Comey; Tried to stop Sessions recusal; Tried to oust Mueller; Wanted Sessions to limit investigation; Orchestrated Trump Tower lies; Asked Sessions to reverse recusal; Told McGahn to lie; Asked Flynn's lawyers for a 'heads-up'; Commended Manafort for not flipping; Criticized Cohen
BLITZER: How concerning is that to you?
STEWART: Well, you know, honestly, I'm a little bit surprised that there isn't -- aren't more things in this that is embarrassing to the administration. After two and a half years and $30 million and 49 FBI agents and attorneys, again, I thought there would be more.
I don't think there's a single American who could undergo this kind of scrutiny and not find something over the last, you know, years of their life, that would not be embarrassing. But, Wolf, there's a difference between some things that are embarrassing and concerning, and some things that are illegal.
Frustration is not obstruction. Being an emotional reaction or anger is not obstruction. And Mr. Mueller, I think, was pretty clear. It didn't reach a legal threshold to pursue an obstruction charge. And Mr. Barr has conceded that.
And by the way, I think for those who are (ph) pursuing this, I think the American people are exhausted by it. I think they're so tired of it. And I think they're handing the president the greatest gift they could give him in the 2020 election. I think most Americans realize this is unfair, to keep going and going and going and to not ever be willing to just (ph) say (ph) --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Well, let me get your reaction, Congressman, to this one sentence that's in the Mueller report. "The president's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the president declined to carry out orders or acceded to his requests."
That's pretty -- that's pretty start, that statement right there.
STEWART: Well, it is. But again, as has been explained, the president was reacting emotionally to what he felt was an unfair investigation from the very beginning. And he knew, as we know now and as the House Republicans Intel Committee concluded more than a year ago, we know that there was no collusion. We know that there was no conspiracy.
So I don't think it'd be terribly surprising to find that sometimes during the course of these events, the president would be emotionally defensive of that. And he would say, "I want the truth to be known." And if some of these individuals are pursuing things that he thinks is unfair at its core, that he would push back against that.
But once again, Wolf, we know it's really clear. There was no conspiracy, no collusion. We know that Mr. Barr looked at this and the special counsel looked at this and said there's no legal threshold to pursue obstruction charges.
And if people don't accept that, then they're saying, "Well, Mr. Mueller was either incompetent or he's corrupt." And I just think that's a ridiculous thing to conclude at this point. I think we trusted Mr. Mueller for the last two years. Unless people don't like the conclusion he came to, and then they began to say, "Well, he should have pursued this and didn't."
BLITZER: He had a very, very specific conclusion on Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election in 2016. I'll read the sentence -- and it's right at the beginning of this document -- "The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion," close quote.
But last night, the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, once again said the president simply has a different view on Russian interference. Why do you think the president still doubts that Russia was behind an effort to interfere in the U.S. presidential election?
STEWART: I have no idea what Mr. Giuliani's talking about, frankly. I think the president has said -- and I've had conversations with him -- he clearly understands that the Russians attempted to interfere in this election --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Well, he didn't say that at Helsinki after the summit with Putin. He said --
STEWART: Well --
BLITZER: -- I listened to what Putin said. He makes a strong case. I don't see why they would interfere. And that was a -- I'm paraphrasing a little bit, but that's basically what the president said.
STEWART: Yes. But he clarified his comments shortly after that, Wolf. And by the way, I was one of the first members of Congress who said, "The president's wrong. He needs to clarify." And he did.
But I know this. There was attempted interference. There's no question about that. Again, I think the president recognizes that. I don't know why Mr. Giuliani said what he did.
[10:35:00] The question is, did the administration or members of the campaign did -- were they part of that? And obviously the conclusion is no. And I think it's interesting to note as well, Wolf, that's despite multiple attempts by the Russians and Russian agents to get them to -- their coordination. And again, they rebuffed those attempts.
BLITZER: Congressman Chris Stewart of Utah. thanks so much for joining us.
STEWART: Thank you, Wolf.
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