CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript Interview with Elissa Slotkin
Interview
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TAPPER: Joining me now to discuss this and much more, Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. She's on the Homeland Security Committee and she's a former CIA analyst.
Congresswoman, good to see you. Thanks for joining us.
You asked the FBI Director Wray directly about this issue.
Were you surprised by his answer?
REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): No. Actually, he was really a strong witness today up -- in this hearing on worldwide threats. He was very practical, and reasonable, and just laid it out in a very straight way, which I really appreciate as former national security person myself.
And, so I asked him directly, you know, there's this debate about sort of domestic terrorism, whether the rates are up. He confirmed they were.
I wanted him to say in plain terms what the greatest driver of domestic terrorism is right now, the number of cases that he sees. And he was very plain about it. And I just thought it was important for people to hear it on the committee and hear it in public because it sometimes gets distorted.
TAPPER: Yeah, the White House has made it very clear President Trump does not want that information shared with the public.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf was supposed to attend this hearing, but he instead -- instead he defied a subpoena. The Department of Homeland Security is saying because Wolf is acting secretary who should not talk before the House panel. Of course, he has been in this position more than ten months. He says he wants to be confirmed. The president said he wants to nominate him.
What do you make of his refusal to show up?
SLOTKIN: Well, at a certain point a couple weeks ago, he said he was going to be here and then he pulled out. Listen, it's a briefing, an annual briefing that goes on on worldwide threats.
So, it shouldn't be a hard thing to see the acting director of homeland security come to that kind of event. And I just know a lot of us were discouraged from both sides of the aisle, and I know I'll be sending in clear questions for the record because I think under his watch, we've seen real, you know, politicization of use of federal forces, the use of Department of Homeland Security. And I want him to answer for that, if not in person, then certainly for the record.
TAPPER: Yeah, it seems to be a real dichotomy. Would you agree, it seems like Christopher Wray understands he works for the American people and maybe Acting Secretary Wolf doesn't quite get that?
SLOTKIN: I have no idea why some show up and some don't. I just really respect FBI Director Wray and also the head of National Counterterrorism Center. Chris Miller showed up to answer questions. And, you know, obviously, it's silly season right now, because of the presidential election.
TAPPER: Yeah.
SLOTKIN: There's a lot of political stuff going on.
But protecting the homeland should not be a political thing.
TAPPER: Right. I want reaction to our breaking news. Olivia Troye, a former Homeland Security aide for Vice President Mike Pence, somebody who served on the coronavirus task force from day one. She's come out to support Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Here's one of the many charges she makes against President Trump. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OLIVE TROYE, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY AIDE: It was shocking to see the president saying that the virus was a hoax, saying that everything is OK when we know it's not. The truth is he doesn't actually care about anyone else but himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Now, the White House pushing back very forcefully.
Keith Kellogg, the retired general who is an adviser to Pence, saying that Olivia Troye couldn't handle her responsibilities. What's your reaction to what she's saying?
SLOTKIN: I mean, listen, I have no special knowledge of what goes on inside the White House, I just watch the press briefings the way everybody else does. I watch what they put out. And you can say you care about health but if you don't reinforce that, don't set that tone from the top by wearing masks, and talking about, you know, the importance of the CDC guidelines, it just -- it tells the country that it's okay to ignore those guidelines.
We shouldn't be surprised when we see people ignoring it on the ground in places like my district. So, I don't think it takes the staffer to tell us that the White House has pretty divided opinions how to handle the virus.
[16:25:07]
And the president himself through his leadership is sending a message that he just doesn't care about the CDC guidelines.
TAPPER: So, speaking of leadership, you have been taking on your own leadership. You're a part of the House Problem Solvers Caucus which worked with Republicans proposing -- I mean, it's a bipartisan group, 25 Democrats, 25 Republicans, proposing a compromise, $2 trillion stimulus package.
House Democratic leaders rejected the proposal right now. But now, President Trump says he is open to it. What do you make of this all and why are your leaders, Democratic leaders, not working with you and the Problem Solvers Caucus to help out these people who are in such dire need?
SLOTKIN: Well, I hope that they will. And I was obviously disappointed to see the reaction of some committee chairs and the speaker.
Listen, there's lots of blame to go around. There are three legs of the stool, the House, the Senate, and the White House. They all need to get back in the room.
But I just knew that I was not going back to my district, and walk around, and go to the grocery store, and have people ask me again about the state of the latest COVID emergency bill and tell them that because of politics, we couldn't get in a room together. So, the Problem Solvers, we got together, we started talking in mid-
August very quietly, you know, no staff in the room, to come up with this deal. It is a good starting place for negotiations.
And I urge all sides to get in a room and hammer this out. That's what people expect of us. It is our job.
TAPPER: This seems like desperate people out there would rather have $400 in their pocket than zero.
Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, thank you so much. Appreciate your time today.
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