CNN Newsroom: Interview With Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) About Trump Indictment And On Border Security

Interview

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Well, good afternoon, Jim. It was as predicted. I mean, I knew he would not be able to help himself. He is a very dangerous person, and he is always, whenever he perceives himself as a victim, he fights back, and he does that by threatening people. And frequently his supporters respond to that. But this is a very serious case. And his actions are weighty and serious and I do hope that the judge really takes a close look at Trump's history in this regard.

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You know, the judge already admonished Trump, his lawyers were there with him. They know the risks involved. And yet Trump continues to push the boundaries of what's acceptable. You know, I have complete faith in the judge's decision, and I don't want to weigh in either way. But it is really important that people be protected throughout this process.

We saw on January 6th people lost their lives. There was serious damage. We know that Trump really took hours to respond, and so we can't put people in jeopardy, especially those who are witnesses in this case.

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I believe that there should be a speedy trial. I also believe the cameras should be allowed in the courtroom. This is a historic case. This is something that every American should be allowed to bear witness to, especially with the way that our democracy was threatened and the way that it continues to be threatened. So it is my hope that every American is paying attention and that everyone watches very closely what happens from here on out. The risks could not be higher.

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It is precisely what happened with the Trump administration, where the Trump administration decided they wanted to use cruelty as a deterrent. They wanted to use cruelty as a punishment against vulnerable souls seeking asylum.

The Abbott administration is no different, and in fact in many ways is even more cruel and engages in even deadlier conduct than the Trump administration did. And it really -- it's so important that people also see the incredible hypocrisy that is involved here.

The families that were separated, the husbands were taken from their families and arrested because of trespassing. Well, Greg Abbott is trespassing on federal property and in international waters with his concertina wire, with the buoys. And so Greg Abbott is guilty of the very thing he is trying to punish immigrants for.

But nevertheless, I will tell you, Jim, I am looking forward to the trial date. The Department of Justice has filed suit against the state of Texas. The DOJ has asked the judge to accelerate the suit. The judge agreed. And there will be a hearing on this in a couple of weeks on August 22nd.

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I have absolutely zero faith in what the Texas Department of Public Safety is telling the public. I don't know that they have the authority to make the determination about where these people drowned, and from the accounts that we're getting it's two people including one child. I don't know that -- unless we have a witness or unless I hear it from federal law enforcement, we don't know if those two souls that were found in the buoys drowned near or at those buoys.

We do know that their bodies were caught. I mean, it is incredibly gruesome and ghoulish. That should have been the alarm sounded to Greg Abbott to remove those buoys, but of course they just doubled down. They lean in, which is why it's so critical and I'm so grateful to the Department of Justice and the Biden administration for taking Greg Abbott to court.

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Jim, it is my opinion that the federal government should send federal personnel to South Texas and remove all of the concertina wire and remove the buoys. If someone placed items on my personal property, you better believe I'd go out and I'd remove them. But I will tell you there is a wisdom to what the Department of Justice is doing.

As much as I want to see absolutely immediate action, the Department of Justice, the lawsuit that they are bringing against the state of Texas, if the federal government prevails, and it is my hope that the federal government prevails, then that will essentially prohibit Greg Abbott from doing this again on federal property. So I can see that through the lawsuit there is sort of a more permanent resolution. You know, I would like to lean in on a more immediate resolution, but I'd want resolution nonetheless.

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