CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Jamie Raskin

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Manu, thank you very much.

And I want to go now to Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin who is one of the members of the January 6th Select Committee. Congressman, I'm really grateful for your time tonight and I know you're hours away from the first hearing of the Select Committee.

It's going to be an important and emotional one and yet you have Republicans introduced a resolution where Pelosi would be forced to seat McCarthy's vetoed picks; Banks, Jordan, for the Committee and now they're planning a dueling press conference to overlap with your hearing to try to minimize it all as much as possible. What's your reaction to all of this?

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Well, they're desperately trying to obstruct and derail a real investigation into what happened. And you know that from the basic fact that we gave them everything they wanted in terms of five-Republican, five-Democratic independent outside 9/11-style commission with equal subpoena authority on both sides and they blocked that. They just don't want an investigation into what really happened.

And I mean, it's almost getting absurd and comical all of their little diversionary antics here to try to distract the country from watching what we're doing. I think it's having the reverse effect.

[19:10:00]

I think the country realizes that they've got a lot to hide and that they don't want us to get at the truth. But we're going to get to the truth and we have a very strong bipartisan committee right now and we're going to kick it off with law enforcement, which to me is like the moral center of gravity of the whole thing, because these were hundreds of our officers on the Capitol force and the D.C. police force who were being beaten with baseball bats, and Trump flags, and Confederate battle flags and engaged in basically medieval style battlefield tactics to try to save the democracy and to prevent them from overthrowing the election, which was their purpose.

So the truth is going to come out and this is a democracy and you can't have a democracy without the truth. And so, they can attack their own colleagues in the Republican caucus. They can attack Democrats, but they're not going to stop us from moving forward.

BURNETT: So you were the lead impeachment manager for the former President Trump's second impeachment trial. Now, Republicans are using that against you and your party regarding the Committee. Here is Jim Jordan and Kevin McCarthy.

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JORDAN: We know what this is, this is impeachment round three.

MCCARTHY: She appointed Adam Schiff and Raskin. This is a impeachment committee. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So what are you going to do to make sure tomorrow doesn't look like another impeachment hearing?

RASKIN: Well, now remember, the second impeachment was about one person, Donald Trump, and one crime, incitement to violent insurrection, which robust bicameral, bipartisan majorities found the president engaged in. So we already have as a constitutional fact that the president engaged in incitement to violent insurrection.

But we're looking at something much bigger than this, which is who planned it, who organized it, who mobilized it, who paid for it, who benefited from it and where are they now and what are they planning to do next, because that's the real issue here.

They want to essentially disarm us from protecting the republic against right wing domestic violent extremism and that's obviously not something we're going to accept.

BURNETT: So let me ask you about Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Obviously, she and Adam Kinzinger are Republicans on this committee now. I know she is going to be playing a very significant role, a source tells us that she'll be giving an opening statement after the Committee Chair Bennie Thompson.

Look, there are a lot of issues politically where you and she do not see eye to eye, many in fact. But I know you've talked about a recent phone call where you and she formed a bond about your families, what did that tell you? What does that tell you about Liz Cheney's character?

RASKIN: Well, I like Liz Cheney for a long time and I think she's a woman of extraordinary integrity and character. We do disagree about a bunch of policy issues. But fundamentally what we're looking for in America today is a coalition of constitutional patriots.

That is people who will stand up for the constitutional order, for elections, and for Democratic norms and the rule of law against this new form of domestic violent extremism and Donald Trump's authoritarian politics, which are outside of the constitutional order.

They don't accept our elections. They don't accept our constitutional rules. They're trying to overthrow it all. So I think we've got a salute and embrace Liz Cheney, and Congressman Kinzinger and all Republicans, Independents, greens, Libertarians and Democrats who will stand up for American democracy.

BURNETT: All right. Congressman, I appreciate your time as always and I thank you.

RASKIN: Thanks for having me.

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