CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Charlie Crist

Interview

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Joining me now is -- from St. Petersburg is Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist. I will also note that Congressman Crist is running for governor.

So let's start there. Thanks for coming on, Congressman. Incumbent Ron DeSantis is a rising star in the Republican Party. He has vowed that he will not mandate masks or state lockdowns. What do you think about that message?

REP. CHARLIE CRIST (D-FL): I think it is a horrible message. This is a time we need responsible leadership at the top, and the fact that you would sort of have a head-in-the-sand approach, if you will, and not talk about wearing masks again, not talk about wearing masks when our schools are about to open upstate wide in Florida, not social distancing, and then he makes fun of Dr. Fauci and mocks him, if you will, came out with campaign literature and koozies for beer cans that say "Don't Fauci My Florida."

Well, we've been more than Fauci-ed in Florida. The COVID virus has exploded in Florida. And that's what we're dealing with and the leadership at the top, and it breaks my heart to say this, is not being responsible and addressing it appropriately.

BROWN: Your fellow Floridian Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz told me recently, she put the blame directly on Governor DeSantis for Florida's COVID surge. Do you agree with her? Does he deserve all the blame in your view?

CRIST: He certainly does. And I would agree with Debbie. She's a dear friend and a very smart member of Congress. And I can tell you this, you know, when we look at national crises, we look to the president for leadership. When you have a statewide crisis, and right now, sadly, Florida is number one in the spike, in the increase of coronavirus in the country, you look to the governor for leadership, and we're simply not getting it.

It's a sad state of affairs. I used to be governor, and whenever we would have hurricanes coming to the state or other crises that we had to deal with this, you have to be there. You know, 90 percent of it is showing up. We haven't seen that from Governor DeSantis. I wish we would. I pray that we will. But in the meantime --

BROWN: I just want to point out, though, I mean --

CRIST: -- people are dying.

BROWN: Yes, people are dying. But I do want to point out that he has actually shown leadership on stressing the importance of vaccines. Governor DeSantis, other leading Republicans, they have been putting that message out there. It is an important message for those who are hesitant based on partisan divides. Do you think that will help?

CRIST: Oh, of course, it will help. But, you know, it's a matter of, you know, are you doing enough when you need to be doing it? And in my humble opinion he is not doing enough. He ought to be barnstorming Florida, you know, having press conferences, you know, by the minute, talking to people and encouraging them to get the vaccine.

I read a very sad local story, Pam, that talked about the fact that a doctor was treating a patient who had just gotten sick with COVID and was asking to get the vaccination, and he said, I'm sorry, it's too late. And that's tragic. It is truly heartbreaking.

But if the governor would lead more strongly and really lean into this and say, you know, people, you've got to get vaccinated, it is so important, it is life or death, I don't know why he's not doing it more. I really don't understand it. And then he goes out to the border in Texas. It's unbelievable.

BROWN: And, of course, his office would say, look, we've been out there, we've been promoting the vaccine. You criticized him for saying there shouldn't be a mask mandate. Do you think there should be mask mandates or state-ordered lockdowns?

CRIST: Yes, of course. I mean, my gosh.

BROWN: You do?

CRIST: People are dying. Over 38,000 Floridians are dead and now we're number one in the country in the new Delta variant? If now is not the time to act, then you don't know what acting and leading is all about. This is the time to act. This is the time to do what's right.

BROWN: So just to be clear the CDC doesn't --

CRIST: Not everybody is going to agree with it but you're going to save lives.

BROWN: The CDC hasn't updated its guidance but you think there should be mask mandates throughout the state of Florida and lockdowns again?

CRIST: Yes, absolutely. I mean, if this doesn't tell you -- if this is not a wake-up call, somebody is asleep. This is what's happening in Florida.

[19:30:01]

And if you want to save lives, this is what you do. I saw the Alabama Governor interviewed earlier today. And she said, I'm telling people this all the time. I don't know what else to do.

We deserve the same kind of leadership from the Florida Governor.

BROWN: Before we let you go, you have co-sponsored the bipartisan Free Britney Act, a very different topic from what we were talking about. But this is something that you feel is important. This is inspired by Britney Spears, a very public fight to break free from her father's conservatorship. What is the importance of this?

CRIST: Well, the importance is to make sure that people are treated well. I think many people have heard the story that Britney Spears was courageous enough to share with us, talking about the fact that she had been in this conservatorship for about 13 years.

And I think the most alarming part of it, Pam is when she revealed the fact that she can't have an IUD removed. She wants to have more children and the conservatorship is not permitting that to happen.

So, we've introduced legislation -- I'm the Democrat sponsor, Nancy Mace from South Carolina is the Republican sponsor, obviously, therefore, it's bipartisan. And it would simply say that you would be able as an individual, such as Britney, be able to petition the court, if you think you're being abused unfairly, so that you could have an independent review and you could get out of that conservatorship or guardianship, depending on what is the current state of law in your state.

BROWN: It's one of the few issues in Washington bringing politicians on both sides of the aisle together. That is for sure. And I understand it is your birthday today. Congressman Charlie Crist, so thank you for being a part of it with us. I'm sure there would be nothing rather you'd rather be doing at 7:30 on a Saturday night than be on CNN NEWSROOM. So we appreciate you coming on your birthday. Thank you.

CRIST: It's a pleasure to be with you. I love Florida and it's important to talk about this.

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