CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript

Interview

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PHILLIPS: Congressman Allen West has been described as conservative firebrand and a loose cannon. Probably the most colorful description came from Allen himself.

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CONGRESSMAN ALLEN WEST (R), FLORIDA: I'm here as the modern-day Harriet Tubman to kind of lead people on the underground railroad away from that plantation into a sense of sensibility.

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PHILLIPS: Now, Sarah Palin has an idea for a title. So does South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Mr. Vice President.

Florida Republican Representative Allen West joining me live from Davy, Florida.

What do you think? Vice President Allen West? Would you consider it if you were asked?

WEST: Well, first of all, happy Easter to you, Kyra. And when you consider the fact that five years ago I was sitting in the desert of Kandahar, Afghanistan, as a civilian military adviser and training to the Afghan army, no one would have ever thought that I'd be a congressional representative for here in south Florida and speaking to you today.

So we don't know which path your life may take and if someone were to believe that I have a capacity to serve this country at a higher level is very humbling, very honorable.

And as I did back in 1982, as my father did, as my older brother did, as my young nephew does, we will continue to serve this country in whatever capacity we can.

PHILLIPS: OK. So bottom line, you're telling me yes, if Mitt Romney comes to you and says, I want you on the ticket with me, I want you to be my vice president, you would say yes?

WEST: Yes, well, right now, you know, the focus is, of course, being a good congressional representative.

But if someone were to make that call to me, which I really doubt is ever going to happen, you would have to make sure that it is something that god would ordain for you, and you'd have to talk to your wife, my wife and my two daughters about.

But we have always stepped up to the plate to serve our country. And if it's the right fit, then I will do so.

But as I said, I really much so doubt that that would happen.

PHILLIPS: You know, there's a lot of things that we thought would never happen in the past couple of years, Congressman, so I think anything is possible.

WEST: That is true.

PHILLIPS: Indeed if Mitt Romney came to you, do you like Mitt Romney? Do you support his views? Would you feel comfortable on a ticket with him?

WEST: Well, you know, I've never been out on a dinner date with him if that's what you're asking me. So I don't know if I would like him, but I think that we'd have to sit down and discuss things.

And look, I think that Governor Romney and I definitely have a different vision for this country, a vision that gets us away from debt, despair and the horrible situations you see with our economic security, our energy security and our national security.

So I think that we will be able to come together as a team and be able to develop the right type of platform to turn this state around for the United States of America.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about President Obama's health care law. You've been very outspoken about this and outspoken opponent. In an op-ed, you said there's no question that the individual mandate is unconstitutional.

You voted to repeal the law last year, but just the other day, you said you liked a couple of the provisions, coverage for preexisting conditions and letting kids until the age of 26 stay on their parents' coverage.

Now, voicing any support for that bill, could that be problematic for you as a vice president?

WEST: No, it's not going to be problematic for me because I'm a pretty pragmatic and principled person. I don't have to go and follow as a mindless lemming of the cliff.

But when I talk about the fact that we want to keep preexisting conditions covered, we want to make sure we keep the doughnut hole closed and, if an American parent wants to keep their child on their insurance coverage till they're 26, that's fine.

But that's probably, you know, about 20 pages. It's the other 2,680 pages of that legislation, now law, that I'd be very concerned about.

The fact that it is not going to cost the American taxpayers $940 billion over the next ten years, it will cost $1.76 trillion.

There's 159 new government agencies and bureaucracies, 11 new taxes, 16,000 new IRS agents, the federal government now controlling college education loans, $575 billion of cuts to Medicare, and a 15- member panel of unelected bureaucrats that's going to do all the price controls for Medicare.

Now, those are the type of things that I absolutely disagree with and I do think that when you do the analysis of the individual mandate against the commerce clause, you cannot stretch the commerce clause in any way, shape or form to make the individual mandate fit within there.

PHILLIPS: All right. Gay marriage. A big issue. Bottom line, do you think it's something that the federal government should make a decision on?

WEST: I think that when you look at who is issuing out marriage certificates, I think it's a states' issue.

But I think right now, there are a lot of people that try to take you down a rabbit hole to discuss things that really aren't that important.

The United States of $15.6 trillion in debt. That's what we need to be talking about.

PHILLIPS: Wait, are you saying that gay marriage is not important?

WEST: I think if you poll the American people, Kyra, I don't think they'll bring up gay marriage as one of the top concerns.

The American people are concerned about where they're working. As a matter of fact, in yesterday I was up in Ft. Pierce, Florida, speaking with folks at Twin Vee. The make catamaran boats. They produce about five boats every week.

About three or four years ago, he had 100 employees. Now he's down to 30 employees and based upon the tax and regulatory environment and the health care law and several other things that are really being onerous and invasive coming from the government, he will probably have to go down to 25 employees if it continues on that path.

I think that's what people are concerned about.

PHILLIPS: I think no doubt people are concerned about jobs and the economy, but gay marriage is a big issue. You were military. Don't ask, don't tell ...

WEST: Gay marriage is not as big as the gas prices. The gas prices, when President Obama came into office, was $1.84.

PHILLIPS: Agreed.

WEST: Gases on average now are over $3.90.

PHILLIPS: People are very concerned about gas prices, absolutely.

WEST: Economic security, energy security and national security. So I think the best thing that you could do to help me and help out America, let's stay focused on the things that are critical for the American people right now ...

PHILLIPS: OK.

WEST: ... and not try to create some type of situation you try to take me down through a rabbit hole.

PHILLIPS: No, no, I'm not trying to do that.

WEST: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, you are.

PHILLIPS: I'm talking about millions of gay Americans. I'm just laying out the facts here. I'll move on.

WEST: Millions of gay Americans should be concerned about ...

PHILLIPS: They are concerned about gay marriage.

WEST: They should be concerned about the four years of trillion- dollar deficits we have had in the federal government.

Millions of Americans should be concerned about the fact that if we don't do something about the federal government, 62 percent is mandatory spending.

If we don't reform Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and reduce the debt because the net interest of the debt is soon going to be close to $1 trillion.

That's what we should be focused on, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Congressman, let me ask you about Trayvon Martin.

WEST: Tragedy.

PHILLIPS: What do you think - tragedy? "Stand-your-ground" law, should it go?

WEST: Well, first of all, once again, that's a states' issue. "Stand-your-ground" law has nothing to do with this.

What I am upset about is that a young man lost his life and there's no doubt about the fact that Mr. Zimmerman should not be walking around still with a concealed weapons license when, as a regular citizen, he shot an unarmed -- another citizen.

Now, when people try to use this tragedy as a means by which they propel a certain ideological agenda, then I get upset with that.

There have been a lot of irrational voices to include members of Congress, some of my colleagues, that are starting to get us away from what really happened here.

Now, as far as the "stand-your-ground" law, I know one of the local representatives down here in South Florida has a task force to look at that, but that's a states issue, and I'm not going to make a comment about that.

But it has no relevance in this case.

PHILLIPS: Final thought. It has become a national, international issue, Trayvon Martin and what has happened. You have called yourself the modern-day Harriet Tubman. It's triggered tremendous conversation about race in this country. What do you think --

WEST: And that's --

PHILLIPS: What do you think should happen, Congressman?

WEST: I think that's why we've had irrational voices.

PHILLIPS: What do you think should happen?

WEST: Well, I said already in two statements that I put out that looking upon some of the mishandling early on of this case that the sheriff up there should have been relieved of his duties, that I think that Mr. Zimmerman should have been held in custody until a good, complete, full investigation has been done.

I think that now we have the right type of enforcement agencies and also the right type of attention from the state, local level and also the federal level to make this a good investigation.

But also, let's be very honest. We don't need organizations like the New Black Panther Party going out there putting bounties, million- dollar bounties, on the head of an American citizen.

We also don't need starlets that are out there twittering out people's addresses trying to create a situation of intimidation.

So what I want to see happen is rational voices come to the front and I think that's what you heard in statements that I put out.

PHILLIPS: Congressman Allen West, sure appreciate your time today.

WEST: It's a pleasure. Thank you.

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