CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Chip Roy

Interview

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REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): Well, first of all, let me just say our prayers are with the folks in Florida. I know it's a terrible tragedy. And so, I have no problem waiting for the president to be able to address that and talk about that. So, thanks and good to be with you, Jake.

Look, I don't think there should be any real surprise here. I think there's a difference of opinion with -- on this matter with my friend Liz Cheney and where a lot of the conference is. That is at the heart of the matter and why she is no longer the conference chair.

My position on this has been pretty clear. Reporters, you know, come out and ask me these questions when I'm heading to the Capitol and go vote. I said, look, I'm on the Judiciary Committee. We have oversight over the Department of Justice which is executing investigations, has arrested over 500 Americans. I think we need to have oversight and have a report out of the Department of Justice.

We had two reports issued out of the Senate from two committees there. I think Rules, and I can't remember the other committee, but two committees that merged together to do report out in the Senate. They went through a lot of security breakdowns.

We had the House Committee on Administration where we can go through and see what happened with the security breakdowns and talked to Capitol police, House Armed Services can call DOD and deal with the Guard.

My point being, an oversight has broad powers, which I used to serve on an Oversight Committee. My point being, we have all the authority we need on the committees we need, and I don't know why we're not going through and getting reports that way. That's what the Senate did. I think that's what the House ought to do.

I think many of my colleagues view this as mostly if not entirely political theater by the speaker. And I think that's the frustration is that -- is that Liz is kind of playing into the narrative there and playing into their hands by making it more about political theater than just executing and following the truth. I'd like to know about these investigations of 500 arrested Americans.

TAPPER: Yeah.

ROY: Why? Who are they? What did they do?

TAPPER: You have been willing to criticize former President Trump's behavior after the election for pushing the election lies and more. Trump has attacked you for it. When you ran for a Republican House leadership position, Trump said,

quote, I can't imagine Republicans would go with Chip Roy. He has not done a great job, will probably be successfully primaried in his own district, unquote.

The only reason up bring it up is because you were with Trump yesterday when he visited the border there in Texas. Did you have any reservations about joining him on the border?

ROY: Yeah, I don't have any reservations whatsoever. I'm a congressman from the great state of Texas. The district I represent is about 100 miles from the border, the open border -- the crisis we're having is having a direct impact on the people I represent.

You know, anybody who follows politics, literally anyone, knows exactly where I come from ideologically. They know that I'm a rock- ribbed solid conservative, a limited government constitutionalist. My voting record reflects that. I have a strong voting record supporting America First.

But, look, here's the deal, I don't dance. I don't dance for anyone. I don't dance for the leadership. I don't dance, you know, for the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Article 1 and Article 2 are supposed to be separate. I represent the 750,000 Texans who I'm supposed to represent.

And when I agree -- and when I fight for the things I believe in, when they're aligned, I will do that.

TAPPER: Uh-huh.

ROY: You know, I know the president knows that. So I have no qualms going to the border, standing there in front of the fence that is not finished, standing there next to where there are 700,000 apprehensions that have occurred along our southern border. It's part of the border, by the way, that Vice President Kamala Harris has not gone to.

TAPPER: Yeah.

ROY: In her pit stop Los Angeles, she pit stopped in El Paso, which is 750 miles away from McAllen where, Jake, you know and I know the epicenter of the crisis actually is.

TAPPER: Yeah, let me ask --

ROY: So, I was proud to be there with the governor, with the former president, with my colleagues.

TAPPER: Let me ask you about -- about the border crisis because Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas was on the show yesterday. He spoke about the humanitarian crisis at the border.

What more do you think needs to be done to stop the migrants from making this dangerous journey creating the crisis that you're talking about? ROY: Well, look, I think this is pretty simple. We do need to maintain

Title 42. And I'm very concerned that the Biden administration is considering getting rid of it.

And for your listeners, if they don't know, Title 42 is the health codes allow us to turn people back because of the pandemic.

Look, the vast majority of the people that are coming across the river, coming here for economic reasons and God bless them. I understand it. When I go to the river, Jake, and I do it often. Last night, I went down to the river. I almost got stuck in the mud, by the way, because it was raining.

But I was down there and there were 700 migrants in the holding facility that had come in the literally three to four hours before in the late afternoon shift.

This is a real problem that everyone I talked to and I talked to some yesterday in my broken Spanish. I say, why did you come? They say for jobs, economic opportunity, et cetera.

I understand that, but that's not asylum. Asylum is a very specific law in our books to help fleeing persecution.

We need to be serious about our laws. We can't put asylum posters on trees next to the Rio Grande, pointing to a processing center and encourage the entire world to flood our borders. And now, we're getting people from all the over the world because they want economic opportunity.

[16:55:02]

I get that. But we need to have an immigration system that sends a signal that here's how you come. You get in line. Here's how the numbers work and if you truly need asylum for persecution, then here's how you do it.

We're not doing that. It's irresponsible. We can fix it in a minute.

Heck, Obama's policies five years ago when Biden was vice president were very strong compared (ph) -- Jeh Johnson -- compared to what we're doing today which are wide open borders and, unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues won't admit it or acknowledge it.

TAPPER: Republican Congressman Chip Roy, thanks so much for coming on the show. Hope to have you again soon.

ROY: Anytime, Jake. Take care. God bless. Happy Independence Day.

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