CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Congressman Eric Swalwell

Interview

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[09:38:54]

SCIUTTO: Well, there are lots of stimulus proposals on the table now, but sadly nothing close to the finish line. Sources say a group of bipartisan senators are expected to share more details of their plan this morning. Meanwhile, a White House plan muddying the waters somewhat here.

Joining me now is California Congressman Eric Swalwell. He serves on both the Intel and Judiciary Committees.

Congressman, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): Good morning, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So you're aware of this White House plan, $916 billion. It does have some relief to state and local governments and liability protections. Those have been two of the key sticking points here. But it does not have a revival of the $300 weekly unemployment benefit.

Is the White House proposal dead on arrival from Democrats' perspective?

SWALWELL: Well, I like that we're negotiating, Jim. I think it's really important that we are. And I want to do everything we can to get money in people's pockets. So I'm not saying no, you know, to anything other than that we're at the table. We think that there also needs to be direct support payments to families, that we need to continue to invest in the testing, treating, vaccinating, as well, as you mentioned, the state and located governments.

[09:40:01] Look, these are cops and firefighters who are going to lose their jobs if they do not get the relief.

So, let's get a deal done now and then when the Biden administration comes in, let's go, as the Fed chair has called us to do, even bigger.

SCIUTTO: Has there been any progress on these key sticking points, aid to states and liability protections?

SWALWELL: I know Speaker Pelosi and Speaker McConnell continue to talk and Speaker Pelosi has said that she would take a shorter term deal. But, you know, Jim, I want to get -- I want to get money in the pockets of the American people as soon as possible. I keep my DM's open on Twitter and I've been posting some of the DMs that people have been sending me about being unemployed and not being able to make rent or being in the food lines. It's just crushing. And it's a call for us to act.

SCIUTTO: Do Congress -- do members of Congress need to make a deal before they go home for the holidays?

SWALWELL: I -- yes. Yes. I don't want to go home, look at anyone in the eye without us at least doing something.

Also, restaurants, by the way, you know, most restaurants, they make most of what they bring in, in a year comes during the last 30 days of the year for holiday parties. And most places can't do that. They -- they need help immediately.

SCIUTTO: Yes. We've had some restaurant owners on this broadcast. They are asking the same thing.

You're aware of something "Axios" first reported, an investigation going back between 2011-2015, that you were among the targets of a woman who was in effect a Chinese spy, right, trying to establish contacts with U.S. politicians, rising politicians.

Did you have -- and I should note to people that you cooperated in this investigation and were given a briefing by the FBI.

Did you have any concerns about this person before you had what's known as a defensive briefing from the FBI to make you aware of this threat?

SWALWELL: No. Jim, I was shocked. I mean, you know, just over six years ago I was told about this individual and then I offered to help. And I did help. And I was thanked by the FBI for my help. And that person is no longer in the country. And I was a little surprised to read about my cooperation in that story because the story says that, you know, there was no -- there was never a suspicion of wrongdoing on my part and all I did was cooperate. And the FBI said that yesterday.

But the wrongdoing here, Jim, is that, at the same time this story was being leaked out, is the time that I was working on impeachment on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees. And if this is a country where people who criticize the president are going to have law enforcement information weaponized against them, that's not a country that any of us want to live in. And I hope it is investigated as to who leaked this information.

SCIUTTO: These operations are designed to build relationships but also possibly to get sensitive information. Are you concerned that you shared any information with this person before you were notified by the FBI?

SWALWELL: Well, I know that I didn't. Again, I can't talk too much about the details of the case. Even though others may have violated their oath, I'm not going to violate mine.

But the "Axios" story made it absolutely clear that no information was ever shared. Except, Jim, the people who did share classified information were the people who leaked this story. And to do that against a critic of the president, they may think that they're going to silence me. They're not going to silence me. But what they are going to do is they're going to make others think twice when they're asked to sit down and provide defensive information about people like this.

I hope none of my colleagues ever find themselves in the position that I found myself in -- that I found myself in by having to sit down with the FBI because someone who had helped the campaign was trying to do this. But I hope every person would want to help their country, just as I did.

SCIUTTO: Final question. This is a textbook Chinese influence operation. They happen frequently inside the country and outside of the country.

What does this tell us about the degree of the threat from China today?

SWALWELL: They're persistent. They are -- they are doing this all over the country at all levels of government. And I'm grateful that our FBI, back in 2015, reached out to me. They showed great professionalism in seeking to alert me.

In our congressional offices, Jim, we don't have the technical capabilities, you know, to run background checks on people who are around us. And my district has a third Asian descent, of people of Asian descent. And so, you know, you don't also want to stereotype people as spies. And so I think this means we need to invest more in our intelligence resources so that we don't have people who can successfully do this. Thankfully, in this case, because of the FBI, nothing happened.

SCIUTTO: Let's talk about COVID for a moment. At least 33 million Californians, of course, your home state, are currently under stay-at- home orders for the next three weeks or so.

President-elect Biden, in his plan when he takes office, did not talk about national -- in fact, has never expressed support for a national stay-at-home order. But do you believe that the president-elect, when he takes office, should take similar steps nationally or to the worst hit areas, right, to ask the worst hit regions or states or cities to impose such orders to get on the other side of this worsening outbreak?

[09:45:06]

SWALWELL: I think he should work with the leaders where it's needed, Jim, and to avoid, you know, sweeping solutions. But leadership at the top will be new. We haven't seen that in the past because this president has mocked the virus, he's downplayed the virus, he's called it a hoax, he's suggested therapies that have proven not to work. So having leadership is important.

And the most important thing we can do is to close the delta between actually having a vaccine and having a country vaccinated. And I think Vice President Biden should -- President-elect Biden, when as president should call on all of us, whether you invented the vaccine or manufactured the vaccine or are a neighbor who's trying to get your neighbor vaccinated, that we all can play a role to crush this virus and reopen the country.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Eric Swalwell, thanks so much for joining the program this morning.

SWALWELL: My pleasure.

Thanks, Jim.

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