CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview With Washington Congressman Denny Heck
Interview
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ACOSTA: Not the first client or attorney to try to drag things out.
Sara Murray, thank you very much.
Joining me, Representative Denny Heck, a Democrat who serves on the Intelligence Committee.
Congressman, thanks for joining us.
Let me get your reaction to that report in a moment, but first the White House, because this was really driving the news today over at the White House. The White House says the Justice Department should still investigate who wrote the anonymous op-ed because that person might be involved -- and this was speculation on their part -- in national security.
Would that concern you if the author of that article was handling national -- sensitive national security issues? And should that person be investigated?
REP. DENNY HECK (D), WASHINGTON: It concerns me to my very bone that the president would suggest that we need to mobilize federal law enforcement in order to stop somebody from exercising their First Amendment right.
That's what deeply disturbs me. But, look, Jim, I don't give two sticks and a fiddle as to who wrote that anonymous guest editorial, nor do I care why "The New York Times" decided to publish an anonymous guest editorial.
[18:10:00]
It is much more relevant, especially when taken with all of the other information about the state of dysfunction in the White House in Washington, D.C. Look, I have been a chief of staff to a governor. I have a little bit
of a feel for what goes on in the corridors of power akin to the White House, on a much smaller scale, obviously
And chief executives, leaders have a couple of choices. They can either decide to lead by instilling fear in their team or they can decide to lead by inspiring respect. Weak leaders instill fear. Strong leaders inspire respect, and we know what this White House represents.
ZELENY: And how incredible is it to you that the vice president over the weekend offered to take a lie-detector test to prove that he didn't write the op-ed? How did that strike you?
HECK: Oh, I was pretty confident to begin with that Vice President Pence was not the author of the anonymous guest editorial, but, again, I don't give two sticks and a fiddle as to who wrote it.
ZELENY: And what does it tell you that the president wants this op-ed investigated , but not the two Republican congressmen who have been indicted? Remember, he talked about that, tweeted about that about a week ago, Congressman Chris Collins and Congressman Duncan Hunter.
Is this an abuse of power?
HECK: Jim, it suggests to me the most deeply disturbing thing about this administration, which is a continuing and at times abject lack of respect for the rule of law.
ACOSTA: And if President Trump tries to use the Justice Department to advance his own political agenda, in your view, is that an impeachable offense?
HECK: So, Jim, earlier, you had indicated in the program that there are new public opinion surveys indicating the president is at a new all-time low.
The fact of the matter is judgment day is coming. That's 57 days from now. And the Article 1 branch of the United States government, namely the Congress, will be given a fresh opportunity to assert its constitutional responsibility to provide a check and balance on this president.
ACOSTA: And so you're saying if the Democrats were the take control of the House or even the Senate come January, there should be a reasonable expectation that we're going the see more hearings, more investigations, subpoenas, and so on to try to get to the facts of all of this?
HECK: The I-word that I'm most attracted to isn't impeachment; it is investigation.
There are an awful lot of loose ends associated with the prematurely truncated or terminated investigation into Russian interference on the committee I have the honor to sit upon. I think it is fairly predictable that, if Democrats are able to get
the majority, that there will be information brought to light that heretofore has been kept secret by this administration and agents on his behalf.
ACOSTA: And like what? What do you mean? What has been kept hidden that you want to get to the bottom of?
HECK: Tax returns.
ACOSTA: And so if the Democrats come into power in January in the House, you're going to support an effort to subpoena the president's tax returns?
HECK: I would encourage my colleagues to do just that.
But insofar as it relates to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, there were a lot of loose ends associated with our non- investigation, because I think at the end of the day it would be hard to legitimately characterize the exercise we went through for over a year as an investigation, per se.
For example, we never had the opportunity to interview George Papadopoulos, as most people know. I think the ranking member, Congressman Adam Schiff, has also suggested that there's some background information associated with financial entanglements with Russians and people and agents on behalf of Russians that were not pursued.
But above and beyond that, I would say, as I have so many times, Jim, in Bob Mueller, I trust. Can anybody ever cite a single example in his sterling career when he gave up, whether it was fighting as a United States Marine in the jungles of Vietnam or pursuing organized crime in this country or fulfilling his responsibility as special counsel in this investigation?
ACOSTA: And let's turn to the latest on Maria Butina. Does this screw-up in her case with respect to the -- what the federal prosecutors admitted over the weekend, does that hurt the credibility of the ongoing investigations into Russian influence in American politics in your view?
HECK: She is still in jail, Jim. She is still in jail for being indicted for being an unregistered agent on behalf of a foreign government, and this salacious sideshow was not material to the case that they presented for that.
ACOSTA: OK.
Congressman Denny Heck, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it. Good talking to you, sir.
HECK: You too, Jim. Thank you, sir.
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