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

Interview

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[09:30:00] REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): And Congress is -- is holding him accountable. We're going to continue to do what our oversight responsibility tells us to do. I think that they're itching for another election so that he can be deposed from the public housing that he lives in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: If I could switch to immigration. We've spent a lot of time talking about immigration and what's going on at the southern border. The White House, for a while now, has been calling on the House to take up a vote on what they're asking for is $4.5 billion in funding. Most of it, about $3.3 billion, would go toward increased space for the migrants that are apprehended, improving the conditions there. You read that IG's report of how horrific some of the conditions there are at some of these facilities.

"The New York Times" editorial board has called on Congress to, quote, stop dithering and pass emergency funding to deal with this nightmare. Do you agree with Democrats who have, at this point, refused to take it up for a vote, or should Democrats at least vote on this funding.

MEEKS: I think that what we've tried to do is we've tried to negotiate fairly with the administration and with the Senate so that we can get something that's done and not make it a political vote.

HARLOW: No, I hear you, but aside from comprehensive immigration reform, right, which is what you're talking about --

MEEKS: That's correct.

HARLOW: Even a senior administration official says none of this $4.5 billion would go to the wall. Not a dollar to the wall. So do you at least think Democrats should bring this up for a vote?

MEEKS: Well, here, again, the devil's always in the details. And I've learned with this administration and talking to anyone from the administration, you just can't trust what they say. And so therefore, you know, in looking at it and trying to assure -- and we know already we've got members on the -- on the floor from the House who have held up reasonable bills because it did not have funding on the wall.

I don't trust this administration and what they're saying. So in looking at some of the devil in the details of what they're proposing to move forward, it is something that shows me, at any rate, that we need to make -- we should be able to work this thing out and talk. So, to be clear, that we're not talking about building or putting this money in for a wall.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Foreign interference in elections. I don't think it can be underestimated the importance of a sitting U.S. president saying he'd be willing to accept foreign information, information from foreign government sources just a couple of years after we saw Russia use -- weaponized information to influence the 2016 president election.

There's a piece in "The Washington Post" this morning that lays out how all bets are off for the Trump re-election campaign. No limits -- or at least pushing the limits as to what's allowed. And I wonder if practically the Mueller report gave the green light to the Trump campaign to do this by not criminalizing that activity, by not indicting for the Trump campaign's willingness, at least to talk about getting foreign help. That -- is that a practical impact? Whatever you think of Robert Mueller and the work he's done here, is that a practical impact of this report that candidates can take the message, well, he did it, he got away with it.

MEEKS: Well, you know what, that's a danger. I do think that you may need to look at further legislation to make sure that it is clear that -- an unquestionable that that is an illegal activity. It would make --

SCIUTTO: McConnell is blocking any talk of that kind of legislation.

MEEKS: It would make -- it would make -- it seems to me would make common sense. Anyone would know. And if you talk to any reasonable -- any attorney almost, they will tell you that it's a violation of law of what the president has done and continues to do. And so for the sake of making sure that in the future and for future presidents, maybe we need to make sure that it's explicitly put into law. So I think that there's a number of my colleagues are looking at drafting legislation, which seems ridiculous if you have to do that. But given who we have as the president, you've got to prepare now for who could be president, who could be con men, unfortunately.

SCIUTTO: Are you saying the president is willing to break the law on this based on his public comments?

MEEKS: Well, the president has broken the law, I believe. We've just now, you know, got to go -- bring all the evidence to it.

You know, I'm a former prosecutor, so I know that individuals who break the law, but then you've got to bring the evidence so that you can convince a jury, in this case the Senate and others, that he did, in fact, break the law and should be removed from office as a result. So we've got to do that hard work, present that evidence. But, clearly, you, by his own statements, he's immoral and he's unethical. And that's who we have as the president of the United States. Ask, you know, why his word is even good with our allies when you think about what's happening internationally or anything else. And anything that goes on. I know we now have the oversight of what's taking place because you can't trust them.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Meeks, always good to have you on this program.

HARLOW: Thank you for coming in.

MEEKS: Thank you, Jim, Poppy.

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