CNN "Anderson Cooper 360" - Transcript: Interview with Zoe Lofgren

Interview

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COOPER: We'll see if he wants to talk at all. Joining us now, Committee member, Zoe Lofgren, Democrat of California. Congresswoman, thanks for being with us. Do you expect these former Trump aides to show up to the depositions later this week?

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): Well, we hope that they do, they have an obligation to do so, and unless they're trying to hide things, they would step forward, but we're prepared to do whatever steps are necessary to compel their appearance.

COOPER: I mean, there are legal experts who say, you know, yes, the Justice Department could very well pursue a criminal contempt case, but it would take a long time. And you know, Steve Bannon's attorneys have said he is not going to show up. The prospect of Bannon would actually be forced to testify or thrown in jail before this Congress goes out of session in a little more than a year, that would seem to be almost impossible or remote, don't you think?

LOFGREN: I don't think that's correct. The process is this, Anderson. If we decide that he is thumbing his nose at the Congress and not complying as he should, we, the Committee would adopt a resolution to refer for criminal contempt, that would not take a long period of time.

In order for the referral to proceed, it would have to be a vote on the House. That would not necessarily take a long time. Under the process, the U.S. Attorney takes to a grand jury, their grand jury is sitting already, so that wouldn't necessarily take a long time.

We expect the Justice Department to uphold the rule of law, to make sure that there's no cover up of misconduct here. And we, in the Congress, will proceed as we must, either to hear the testimony that they are obliged to provide or to take all other steps available to us to get that testimony.

COOPER: Congressman Schiff, as you know, has said he believes your committee will receive documents from the end of the Trump administration related to the insurrection, quote "very soon." But the former President has made a claim of executive privilege over many records in a letter to the National Archives. That claim is obviously dubious, because he's not the sitting President.

But if the National Archives doesn't want to wade into the middle of this, A, do they have that option? And what can you do to actually get those records?

LOFGREN: Well, I don't think they have the option. The statute is pretty clear. The existing President has blessed the deliverance of this material to us. The former President has an opportunity to look at it, but he doesn't really have a say in it.

He is a litigious person, we know that. But there's no real ambiguity in the statute, and I expect that we will get this information.

COOPER: You served with Mark Meadows in the House. I don't know, you know, how well you know him, but I don't really -- I don't know him at all. You hear him on FOX News claiming this is all political. Can you say whether he is actually cooperating with the Committee?

[20:25:07]

LOFGREN: Well, I'll just say this, that the lawyers are engaging with our lawyers and it wouldn't be useful for me to characterize that further. But yes, I did serve with Mark and I think he must know what he is saying is incorrect.

COOPER: And just lastly, should we expect to see more subpoenas issued in the coming days?

LOFGREN: We will be issuing requests, as well as subpoenas for documents as we proceed. The Committee is moving quickly. We are well aware that delay is not possible. And so you know, we're willing to engage with witnesses, but not willing to be strung along. And so we are moving as quickly as we can to get to the bottom of this.

The American people deserve that, and it's the obligation we have as members of the Committee and I will say that in contrast to many committees in the Capitol, this Committee, every member of the Committee is working together productively. We're not fighting each other. We're all pulling in the same direction just to get the truth and nothing more.

COOPER: Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, I appreciate it. I think, by the way, I apologize, I think I said Zoe, when I introduced you.

LOFGREN: Yes, you did, but I've been called worse, so that's fine.

COOPER: So Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, thank you.

Coming up next, where all this leaves us and where events could soon lead us, we'll be joined by the authors of "How Democracies Die" for their take on the state of errors.

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