CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) Is Interviewed About Pelosi's Comment On Hating The President

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Manu, thank you very much. And OUTFRONT tonight, Assistant House Speaker Democratic Congressman Ben Ray Lujan. And Congressman, you saw Speaker Pelosi today and she was walking away from the podium, obviously, when she decided to return on this issue of hating the President.

She felt she wanted to do that. She said, "Don't mess with me." And look, she rarely comes back like that. Is this now deeply personal for her?

REP. BEN RAY LUJAN (D-NM): Look, I think that a person that was asking that question try to make this personal. The Speaker as she always does was very clear without response. This is not about anything else except defending the Constitution of the United States.

We don't hate the President. That's not what this is about. This is about making sure that we're getting to the bottom of the answers to all of these questions. The clear evidence that has now presented itself, where the President of the United States has abused his power has undermined our elections and has put his own personal gain ahead of our national security.

That's what the Speaker is making abundantly clear. And I would hope that even Kevin McCarthy, that he would understand, this is not about an election. This is about defending the Constitution of the United States of America.

And I certainly hope that the Minority Leader and Kevin McCarthy understands his responsibility to defend the Constitution of the United States of America and uphold our obligation to the country.

BURNETT: OK. You bring Kevin McCarthy and today, as you know, he said he expects some in your party, Democrats, to oppose articles of impeachment. It looks like he's right. I mean, one of the two Democrats who voted against formalizing the inquiry at the beginning, Congressman Jeff Van Drew, Manu just mentioned him, but he told Manu tonight that he plans to vote against the articles. That's where he is right now.

Let me just play it so you can hear it, Congressman Lujan.

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REP. JEFF VAN DREW (D-NJ): Unless there's something, again, that I haven't seen, haven't heard before, that has been my position. For reasons that I've staked out. For numerous reasons. The reason I just staked out, you know, be careful what you wish for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Is that embarrassing coming from a Democrat?

LUJAN: Each and every one of us has an obligation to review the facts that are presented in front of us. And I know that the evidence that I've read in the transcripts, in the report that was made available by the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, lays out very clearly where I believe and the report lays out that the President has abuse his power has broken the law.

And we need to make sure as the Congress, as laid out by the founders that we hold this president accountable. Again, no one is above the law. And I think it's critically important that we come together and that we hold this president accountable.

BURNETT: On the other side of the ledger, one Republican who has signaled, as you know, that he was open to voting for impeachment thinks that this is all going too fast. He's gone into that camp and that could possibly cost you his vote. Here's Congressman Francis Rooney today.

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REP. FRANCIS ROONEY (R-FL): I think they would be better serving American people if they slowed down, fought the privilege, got the first-hand people, do the thorough kind of thing that's been done before instead of a rush to judgment.

RAJU: You think it's a rush to judgment?

ROONEY: I do. You have these all these people, the John Dean types, who are in the room with the President. We ought to hear from them. That bothers me. I got to say.

RAJU: Is that enough for you to consider voting against articles of impeachment?

ROONEY: It might be.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [19:10:02]

BURNETT: So is he looking for an excuse? I mean, I understand you guys, if you fight this to court to try to get those individuals, Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton, that this isn't going to end anytime soon. You could be talking months, right?

So you're between a rock and a hard place. Do you think that Congressman Rooney is looking for an easy off ramp here to just find a way to vote against this?

LUJAN: Look, I hope what my colleagues understand is from the very beginning with the call notes that were released, we found out directly from the call with President Donald Trump and the President of Ukraine that Donald Trump asked the President of Ukraine for a favor and was holding out hundreds of millions of dollars in funds for national security purposes.

After that we have the President's Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, confessed on national television about this crime. And we've also had the President's personal attorney and Rudy Giuliani admit guilt by the President. So the evidence was clear from the very beginning. Witness after witness, record after record that's been made available shows the crimes that I believe have been committed and that the report clearly lists out.

So I'm not certain what our colleagues are looking at, but if they just look at the evidence that's been presented, the confessions that have come from the Trump administration themselves, including Mick Mulvaney and the President's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, they can see for themselves what's occurred. And again, it's critically important that as the chairs of the committees come together now and draft articles of impeachment, that we take time to read those and review those before they come up for the vote before the House.

BURNETT: All right. Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, thanks.

LUJAN: Thanks for having me.

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