MSNBC "All In with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Adam Schiff
Interview
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Congressman Adam Schiff is a Democrat representing California`s 28th Congressional District. He sits on the select committee investigating January 6. He just voted to proceed with holding Steve Bannon in criminal contempt.
Congressman, you have said this in the days leading up to this. I don`t think it was unexpected that Bannon would thumb his nose at the committee, but you have said and others in the committee have said look, we`re not messing around here. And I am struck by the speed at which this is going. The vote happened tonight. What happens next?
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I expect we`ll take this up on the floor very soon. And I`m not in a position to announce how soon, but I think it`s going to happen very soon just as we took up this criminal contempt. And as the chairman pointed out tonight, for anyone else who is watching, any other witnesses that request -- that we demand to come in and testify, we will hold them in contempt as well if they refuse to do their lawful duty.
So, I`m pleased that we have moved so quickly. I think the vice-chair, Liz Cheney`s statement was really powerful tonight rebutting and rebuking the big lie and those who continue to push it. And I`m really pleased we`re moving with alacrity.
HAYES: I want to just play something the chairman said about moving forward on this step on Bannon when there have been many targets of subpoenas who are in various states of full partial or negotiated towards some kind of compliance. This is what Chairman Thompson had to say about why Bannon here specifically stands out in his actions. Take a listen.
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RE. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): It`s a shame that Mr. Bannon has put us in this position. But we won`t take no for an answer. We believe Mr. Bannon has information relevant to our probe and we`ll use the tools at our disposal to get that information. Mr. Bannon stands alone in his complete defiance of our subpoena. That`s not acceptable. No one in this country, no matter how wealthy or how powerful, is above the law. Left unaddressed, this defiance may encourage others to follow Mr. Bannon down the same path.
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HAYES: How important is this moment for the overall inquiry that you are involved in?
SCHIFF: Well, I think it`s extremely important. And you know, we have to take notice of the breadth of what Bannon tried to do which is not come to committee and assert some kind of privilege, but claim that he doesn`t even need to show up, that he`s somehow absolutely immune from legal process.
Well, others tried that too, and the courts rejected that argument. It is rejected here and I`m confident it will be rejected by the Justice Department. And the fact that we`re referring him for prosecution, we`ll get the attention of others. Now, he`s important his own right. He`s got very relevant information. The day before the insurrection, he was talking about how all hell was going to break loose. And for those who, you know, had talked about wanting to be there during the time of the revolution, that here was another opportunity for them to be there for a revolution.
So, he`s clearly got information relevant to our committee, our country, but also he`s an important example of what should happen if people refuse their lawful duty.
[20:10:29]
HAYES: I want to play something Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican, said about all this. I mean, I think that, you know, people have noted this before and it continues to be true that in the aftermath of a violent attempt to overturn the election with a -- with an angry crowd chanting hang Mike Pence, having erected gallows outside the Capitol, that some members were shaken understandably.
But I think a lot of Republican members have sort of moved on. And as long as the crowd isn`t in their ear chanting hang Mike Pence at that moment, they prefer to not think about it. Here`s what Kevin Cramer a Senate Republican had to say about today`s vote on Bannon.
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SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I actually think the whole commission is a bit irrelevant. I don`t see Steve Bannon being all that dangerous. I frankly don`t know how many people are paying a lot of attention to it. And there aren`t very many people paying attention to the January 6 Commission.
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HAYES: Is paying attention the point here? What is the point?
SCHIFF: Well, the point is that the rule of law needs to be observed and it`s surprising to hear senators uh you know talk so blindly about an attack on our Capitol that resulted in the deaths of Americans, the beating of police officers, but also essentially undermining Congress` role in doing oversight, undermining uh our oversight into, you know, the most brutal attack on our Capitol in over 100 years.
So, look, Donald Trump sets the tone. And the tone Donald Trump wants to set is do not consider what happened on January 6, or if you do, you should praise those who took up arms against our government. They`re heroes, they`re political prisoners, we want to, you know, some way deify them. That`s Donald Trump`s message. And, you know, like dutiful carriers, many in his party are trying to carry that message.
But the facts are the facts. It was a brutal assault. We still have so much to learn about what went into it, what the president or then-President Trump knew about it in advance. What they do about the participation of these white national groups -- white nationalist groups in advance. And we want to make a set of recommendations to protect the country going forward. That`s our mission.
HAYES: Congressman Adam Schiff who serves on that select committee that just voted a report unanimously out of that committee to go to the full floor. Thank you very much, Congressman.
SCHIFF: Thank you.
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