CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Pete Aguilar

Interview

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MATTINGLY: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Congressman Pete Aguilar is back with us now after some technical difficulties.

And Congressman, I want to make clear, you are not one of those who runs away from reporters so this was not an effort to dodge questions unlike some of your colleagues. But I do want to continue kind of where we dropped off. So I think this is an interesting moment right now. I understand what you're saying, there is an expectation that people should respond to subpoenas. That's totally fine and fair. That expectation was blown to heck back in the last impeachment.

So I guess how far are you willing to take this to try and ensure that the subpoenas actually have action tied to them?

AGUILAR: Well, the subpoenas should mean something, absolutely. And you mentioned the dates that were indicated to respond, for the individuals to respond to the subpoena.

[15:10:02]

We have options beyond that. Let's hope for compliance. But keep in mind that we do have those civil and criminal options beyond that. And so we hope it doesn't come to that. But at its core, these are individuals who played a very key role in what was going on at the White House, clearly January 4th, January 5th, new public reporting has indicated reports where they tried to pressure Mike Pence into reading a legal memo that he didn't believe in reportedly.

But then also, Steve Bannon, the night before the election, said he wanted to kill the Biden presidency and that he was talking to the president about it. That's what he said on his podcast. These are key, key points that we're going to need to flesh out and we're going to need to do everything we can to get that information. MATTINGLY: Yes, I want to -- you mentioned the memo. I want to get to

that in a second. But, you know, we've seen, the last two administration Justice Departments didn't actually pursue some of the tools you may have. And you mentioned them. Do you have a sense or have you gotten any type of nod from the Biden Justice Department that they will actually -- help is not the right word here, but actually use the tools that they can to try and press if it gets to that point?

AGUILAR: It's our hope that they will aid us in seeking the truth. We haven't received anything specific. They're aware of the work that we're doing and I believe that they're aware of the importance of the work of the committee. And so that is our backstop. And that's how we're proceeding. But we're hopeful that they will work with us to help seek the truth.

MATTINGLY: Now you mentioned a memo. I want to dig in a little bit on that. According to a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, some Trump allies were trying to engineer a way for then Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results and hand Trump back the presidency.

Let's be explicitly clear about that. That is a coup effort. Now we'd seen and saw the memo outlining the six-point plan by a lawyer working for Trump's legal team showing how Trump and others tried to get Pence to really subvert the Constitution.

I guess there's two parts to this. How close do you think the country came to an actual coup in part one? And in part two, are you guys considering legislative suggestions in terms of changing how the electoral count plays out in part of your recommendations here as a possible backstop to this?

AGUILAR: Well, I think that we can and should. And I know that Congressman Schiff is already -- Chairman Schiff is already working on legislative proposals that could make changes. Whether that's part of the committee's work is a topic for another day. But I think within the halls of Congress and the legislative side of what we do, it is something that is worth debate and a discussion.

I think that your first question is so impactful to the work that the committee wants to do. Ultimately when we produce a report, we hope that we can detail just exactly for the American public how clear we came to losing democracy on that day leading up to January 6th. But that remains a goal that we want to reach. And so getting information to make sure that we don't edge closer to the authoritarianism that clearly Donald Trump was trying to get to in subverting the will of the American public for an election that his own government said was safe and free and fair.

So that's something that we want to get to and hopefully the report will include a lot of information on that topic.

MATTINGLY: I want to shift gears a little bit because you've got a pretty wide portfolio. Not just you're on this committee but you're also the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Look, nobody I've talked to at the White House or on the Hill right now seems to have a total sense of how the next 72 hours is going to play out. But if you do, by all means, please let us know.

But how worried are you right now when you look at just kind of this moment in time, this inflection point, if you will, for the president's domestic agenda that because of the infighting that's been going on, this might not actually get across the finish line?

AGUILAR: Yes. I don't want to undersell the important work that we have to do. Funding government, making sure government is open on October 1st. The Transportation Reauthorization needs to get done. The president's domestic agenda. The American Recovery Plan, making sure we hold true to that by building back better. All of those things do hang in the balance. And this is an important week.

Our caucus is broad and diverse and represents the American people. And so we're going to continue to have conversations within the family to try to make sure that we put forward legislation that can pass. But also helps the American public. We're talking reducing the cost of prescription drugs and making sure there are middle-class tax cuts, child care. Those are things that the American public wants to see.

And I understand the inside the beltway, you know, chatter about how we'd get there. Ultimately, we're more concerned about where we land.

MATTINGLY: Yes. To your point, this is going to be a very big week. Maybe not the end game here, but at least trying to map out a pathway forward.

[15:15:07]

Congressman Pete Aguilar, definitely rest up, drink water, carb load. You have a big couple of days ahead. Thanks so much for your time, sir.

AGUILAR: I won't run from you, Phil.

MATTINGLY: Never have. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.

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