CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Ted Deutch"

Interview

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BLITZER: Clearly the Kurds feel betrayed by the United States. Nick Paton Walsh in Syria for us. We'll get back to you. Thanks very much.

Let's get some more on all of this. Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch of Florida is joining us. He's a member of both the judiciary and the foreign affairs committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

Let me get your reaction first to seeing these dramatic images of American troops in their armored vehicles retreating from Syria and the Kurds obviously demonstrating their disappointment, their anger and their frustration.

[17:10:03]

REP. TED DEUTCH (D-FL): Well, it's awful to see, Wolf. They're -- they're disappointed and angry because we betrayed them. That's -- that's what you are seeing play out on the screen. And it's not just -- it is not just a question of what will happen to the Kurds and the risk that we put that they are now facing because of this terrible decision, it's also our own security.

It's the fact that we're now weaker. Wolf, it was reported just this afternoon that our special forces and the SDF and the Kurds were conducting as many as a dozen counterterrorism operations a day in Syria.

This decision by the president is a slap in the face to the Kurds and makes America weaker. It puts us at greater risk. Greater risk for ISIS coming back and attacking Syria, Iraq, Europe and ultimately, we have to now worry about future attacks in the United States.

BLITZER: It's a serious issue indeed. Let's turn to the other big news, Congressman. We're following President Trump, but he didn't take the opportunity today as you heard to comment on his acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Mulvaney of course backtracked on his earlier admission that aid to Ukraine was conditioned on political investigations. So, what does that tell you?

DEUTCH: Well, he didn't make -- he didn't make mention of Mick Mulvaney because the chief of staff, his chief -- acting chief of staff went in front of the cameras and acknowledged that every -- on top of what we already knew, which is that the president put our national security at risk by withholding security -- vital security assistance for an ally in a hot war with Russian proxies in Ukraine.

And that he abused his power and betrayed his oath of office by seeking out the cooperation and the efforts of this foreign government, a foreign government to interfere in our elections for his political gain, also, Mulvaney acknowledged at the end of the week that there was a quid pro quo.

We don't even need the quid pro quo. But it just -- it just speaks to the depths of the corruption and the betrayal of his office and it's a little wonder that he wants to talk about it, there's nothing that can be said except that its further evidence of his abuse of power and putting our national security at risk for his own political benefit.

BLITZER: Your Republican colleagues they have taken President Trump's advice and they're going to try in the next hour or so to censure the House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff. There will be a vote we're told. Maybe a procedural vote. First of all, set the scene. Tell us what's going to happen and is this appropriate?

DEUTCH: Well, of course it's not appropriate. What would be appropriate would be for my Republican colleagues to do two things, Wolf. And it's, I think what everyone has a right to expect of them.

One, is to answer the question whether they think it's appropriate for the president of the United States to use his office to pressure a foreign government for political gain, to ask them to interfere in our elections. That's number one.

And second, perhaps to go to the White House and tell the president that if he really thought that he did nothing wrong, if he really thought that he had nothing to hide, then they would stop stonewalling Congress and try to prevent people from coming up here to speak with us. That's where their focus ought to be.

Fortunately, we have brave diplomats, brave patriotic Americans who understand that our national security and the Constitution is more important than protecting the president. They're defying the president's orders and Secretary Pompeo's orders

and they're coming here. But that's what the Republicans ought to be focused on. And unfortunately, they're looking for every way to do anything except defend ultimately stand up and defend the Constitution which is what their oath of office requires them.

BLITZER: The Republicans are citing Adam Schiff's decision to go ahead and have this parody of sorts embellishing on the president's conversation with the Ukrainian president, also at the same time not fully disclosing upfront that the whistleblower had come to his committee for certain advice on how to go forward with his complaints. Do they have a point?

DEUTCH: The reason -- the reason that they're talking about these issues, the reason they're trying to create an issue where it doesn't exist is because they don't want to talk about the transcript of the telephone call in which the president sought foreign help in to add to aid his political efforts to win the 2020 election.

They don't want to talk about the brave whistleblower who came forward and who now was able to put in front of all of the world the extent to which the president of the United States uses his office, risks our national security, and betrays his oath of office all to help him politically.

[17:14:54]

It's just another effort to refuse to focus on what the entire world knows is critical at this moment which is moving forward quickly with our impeachment inquiry into the president and determining the great lengths that he went to, to advance his political interests and put his office above everything else.

BLITZER: We'll see how that vote unfolds in the next hour or so. Congressman Ted Deutch, thanks so much for joining us.

DEUTCH: It's always good to be with you, Wolf. Thanks.

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