CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript "Interview with Rep. Jason Crow"
Interview
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[15:26:07]
TAPPER: And we're back with our breaking news, a whistle-blower complaint released today claiming that President Trump pressured Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election, and then the White House hid that information away in a computer system, usually used for especially sensitive information.
Those allegations, that news, as more than half of the House of Representatives now says they back an impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
Joining me now to discuss, Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado. He is an Army Ranger veteran and one of seven Democratic freshmen who wrote an op-ed calling for impeachment hearings to begin.
Congressman, thanks for joining us.
Now that you have read the rough transcript of President Trump's call with the Ukrainian president, you have read the whistle-blower's complaint, you have seen the acting director of national intelligence testify today, what's your reaction?
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Well, I was very disturbed last week, when these allegations first came to light.
Yesterday, when we read the rough notes from the call, I was even more disturbed, and then yet again more shocked today, as not only are there corroborating witnesses, apparently, but this seems to be a broader issue involving potentially the attorney general, Mr. Giuliani, meetings in Madrid between folks at the highest levels in Ukraine.
There's a lot here. So we have to follow a process. And we have to do it quickly, because this goes to the core of national security.
TAPPER: I keep hearing Democrats say quickly. What does that mean? In the next month, in the next two months, in the next six months?
CROW: I don't think we know yet.
I mean, the urgency is being driven by the fact that this is an ongoing national security issue. And all of this has to be understood within the context of what's going on here in Ukraine.
Ukraine is in active war with one of our chief enemies, Russia. And one of the reasons why there aren't Russian tanks going across the plains of Ukraine right now is because of our assistance, our support, our provision of things like these Javelin missiles that came up in the complaint that are really critical for not just Ukraine's security, but the security of Europe and our soldiers and our sailors, our airmen serving in Europe.
So we have to get at this quickly, but we have to be thorough as well.
TAPPER: You represent I think it's fair to call it a swing district. And it will be very competitive, no doubt, in 2020.
Do you think that supporting an impeachment inquiry or even going farther and ultimately supporting impeachment will hurt you in your reelection chances?
CROW: Here's the thing about the politics of this.
I took an oath -- the first oath I took to the country when I was in my teenage years. I have taken many oaths to the country over the course of several decades. I took my most recent oath earlier this year when I joined the Congress.
To me and my colleagues that signed on to that op-ed, that oath is more than just words. It's a way of life. It's a commitment to the country, to our national security. And, sometimes, that entails sacrifice.
So I'm not going to think about the politics of this. We have to divorce politics from this, because duty is calling to fulfill our oath to protect the country. This goes to the core of what we have to do to make sure that we're getting our arms around this issue. TAPPER: You said sacrifice. Obviously, in the terms of military
service, that seems -- that means something much more serious. It means a sacrifice of life or limb.
CROW: Yes.
TAPPER: But, generally, you seem to be suggesting that ultimately you're going to do the right thing, whatever you think the right thing is, and if you lose your job, then that's just the price you pay.
Is it -- am I reading that right?
CROW: Yes, I'm not going to think about the politics of this.
I think the people of my district support me bringing transparency and accountability to Washington. They're concerned, as I am, about making health care more affordable, immigration reform, addressing the gun violence crisis.
I represent a district that's been disproportionately impacted by gun violence. We were the -- we're the location where the Aurora theater shooting happened, Columbine, many other shootings.
We have to continue to address those issues. And we're going to. Over the last nine months, we have passed over 260 bills addressing kitchen table issues. And we're going to continue to do that.
But, at the same time, we also have a role to make sure that we're maintaining checks and balances. And the people
[15:30:00]
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