CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Manu. And I want to go now out front to the Democratic Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. One of six Democrats who have come out in favor of an impeachment inquiry post Robert Mueller's testimony. I appreciate having you on again, Congresswoman. Is Chairman Nadler's lawsuit ...

[19:05:06] REP. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER (D-DE): Thank you so much, Erin.

BURNETT: ... effectively the start of impeachment proceedings?

ROCHESTER: Well, I don't serve on the Judiciary Committee but I can tell you, first of all, to just put some context around me making this decision.

BURNETT: Yes.

ROCHESTER: It was a very difficult one and it's one I didn't take lightly. I represent a whole state. I'm one of seven members who represent a whole state. A very diverse state from our farmers to our small business to indivisible and it was, for me, something that had to be very deliberate and there had to be a tipping point, and this week for me was a tipping point. There were things that --

BURNETT: So what exactly about it was the tipping point?

ROCHESTER: Yes. First of all, anyone who had an opportunity to read the 448-page report saw that there were already the actual examples, 10 of obstruction of justice and I thought it was also pretty strong for Director Mueller to talk about the president not being exonerated. But one of the other things that was a tipping point was when Val Demings or the Congresswoman from Florida asked the question about the President being truthful and to hear the Director say that he was not at all times truthful was important. And then another tipping point for me was the fact that we have seen

so much stonewalling, so many people not provide either information testimony or even come before the committee. And so to me impeachment and the proceedings are one of the ways for us to add a firmer legal ground and to put more pressure.

And lastly, I'm going to tell you one of the biggest tipping points for me was to see Director Mueller, this man who has served our country admirably worked for Democrats and Republicans and to see the pain on his face when he expressed a fear that this might become the new normal. It can't become the new normal. That was the tipping point for me, this is not normal.

BURNETT: So I know, look, you agonized over and there's a few of the points that you just made there is the tipping point happened in that hearing, the look on his face, the moment yes and we had Congresswoman Demings on that night when he said that the President of the United States was untruthful in some of those written responses. That was a stunning moment.

But the President today said, "Oh, I watched Mueller too." And here was his takeaway.

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TRUMP: All they want to do is impede. They want to investigate. They want to go fishing and I watched Bob Mueller and they have nothing.

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BURNETT: Nothing.

ROCHESTER: So if I could respond, I think, first of all there are things that we are doing as Democrats and Republicans. I'm on the Energy and Commerce Committee. And so we are working on the issues that affect people. We passed 25 bills out of committee just last week on a bipartisan basis for health care, climate change, robo calls.

But at the same time, we have a responsibility. We took an oath that nobody is above the law and we have within the Constitution the responsibility to follow this investigation where it leads and so there are clearly things that are evidence and part of the impeachment process is actually to get at the at the real evidence that's there.

BURNETT: So let me ask you about that, because that real evidence that's there obviously that the belief of the House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler is that the grand jury testimony is crucial to that. You need those interviews. You need everything else.

One way to get that as a formal impeachment proceeding that you could go ahead and get that. The White House has obviously refused to hand it over. They're fighting it in court. Another, Chairman Nadler believes, as this lawsuit that he's filed to get it. But as to what's happening right now is this impeachment or not? Let me just play again the exchange he had with our Manu Raju, Congresswoman.

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RAJU: Just saying there's no difference between what you're doing now in an impeachment inquiry, correct?

NADLER: In effect.

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BURNETT: In effect. Is that good enough for you?

ROCHESTER: Again, I don't sit on that committee. I have faith and confidence in the Speaker. I have faith and confidence in the members of that committee in addition to the five others who are actually in the midst of investing nations from everything to receiving his tax returns. For me, I just need --

BURNETT: Right. I'm just saying Chairman Nadler is the one who would formally launch the proceedings if they were to occur for the House, right?

ROCHESTER: Correct.

BURNETT: So he's saying in effect and obviously House Speaker says she's not there yet. So I guess what I'm getting at is are you frustrated right now or are you clean sailing?

ROCHESTER: I don't even think it's an issue of that. I think it's an issue of the Speaker has a job to do. She cares about this country. She doesn't want to see us divided any more than we already are and so she has to do her work. She has said to us as members that she respects us and the positions that we have to take.

[19:09:59] For me I've shared with others, I was a kid that grew up in the '60s when Russia was a scary threat to us, when we had air raid drills. And so to see a campaign and an administration not look at the attack that was made on our country and it was an attack, it might not have been nuclear, but it was a real attack and it has affected us.

And to me we have to hold him accountable, no one is above the law.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Congresswoman.

ROCHESTER: And if we love this country, we got to fight for this country.

BURNETT: Thank you very much, congresswoman. As always, I appreciate your time.

ROCHESTER: Thank you.

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