FOX News "Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace" - Transcript

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So what is next? For answers, we turn to two Congressional leaders. Democratic Congressman James Clyburn comes to us from South Carolina, and Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is with us here. Thank you both for being here.

Your reaction first to the shooting, and what it means potentially for Washington? Representative Rodgers, we start with you.

REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, R-WASH.: It's a terrible tragedy. Like everyone, I was shocked when I heard the news. It's still hard for me to get my arms around what has actually happened in Arizona, with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords doing what we all do on a regular basis, go home to our districts, meet with the people we represent. It's such an important part of the process of being a representative in Congress.

My heart goes out to her and her family, as well as all of the other victims. America is standing behind them and ready to do whatever we can to be helpful to them.

BAIER: Federal Judge John Roll lost his life in this.

RODGERS: Yes, and just stopped by to say hi to Gabrielle. It's such a tragedy on a number of fronts. A nine-year-old girl, who just had been elected in her student council and wanted to meet an elected official. It's shocking to all of us. And we're all trying to get our arms around it and know the best way to respond.

BAIER: Congressman Clyburn?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN, D-S.C.: Thank you so much for having me. First of all, I would hope that all of us would follow the advice of President Obama, and use this day to pray for those victims, pray for those who are trying to recover, and keep Gabby in our thoughts and prayers.

Gabby is a good friend. I met her back in 2006. I spent two days campaigning with her. We have worked very closely together on legislation involving NASA. As you know, her husband and his twin brother are astronauts. And, of course, I represent the district that NASA administrator Charles Bowden grew up in.

So we have been working very closely together on the NASA legislation, as you know. We are having some real funding problems with NASA, so I've gotten know her very, very well. And to see something like this happen to such a conscientious, outgoing, passionate legislator causes me great pause.

But we're living in a time that all of us should begin to take stock of how our words affect people, especially those who aren't very stable.

BAIER: Some of your colleagues, Congressman Clyburn, are already speaking out, expressing concern about security for members of Congress. Representative Raul Grijalva from Arizona, a Democrat, calling on Congress to beef up individual security for all members. Republican Jason Chaffetz from Utah said "lawmakers and aides work in the most wildly held terrorists target in the world." He said he's concerned about his family at home.

Representative Maxine Waters of California said about lawmakers, quote, "we're vulnerable and there is no real way to protect us."

Is there a need to provide better safety and security for all members of Congress? Congressman Clyburn?

CLYBURN: Well, I think so.

CLYBURN: I have -- I really feel strongly that we all to take a look at our MSA accounts. And rather than cut, cut, cut, we ought to look at whether or not we may need to beef up the funding for individual accounts, so that Congress people can work with their state and local law enforcement officers. I want to thank the state law enforcement division here in South Carolina for reaching out to me and my family yesterday, and the mayor of Columbia, Mayor Benjamin called last night.

I noticed that in my neighborhood, and in front of my house, there was additional security. But I do believe that they can supplement. They cannot substitute. So I think we need to take a hard look at even how members go through airports.

I really believe that that is the place where we feel the most ill-at ease, going through airports. TSA, I think, needs to begin to interact with our Capitol Hill Police better. We have had some incidents where TSA Authorities think that Congress people should be treated like everybody else. The fact of the matter is we are held to a higher standard in so many other areas, and I think we need to take a hard look at exactly how the TSA interact with members of Congress.

BAIER: I guess the question, first of all, are you for increasing security, congresswoman? And will this one tragic event change how elected officials interact with their constituents?

RODGERS: We need to make sure we are smart and we respond appropriately to this incident. I am concerned about putting up more walls between myself and the people that I represent. I make it a priority to respond to the e-mails, to the telephone calls, have the town hall meetings, because it's fundamental to our representative government that people feel they can interact with us and their voices are heard throughout the process.

I want to make sure that we're looking at it and that we're making an appropriate response, that we as members are being smart in our interactions. And the Capitol Police, they do a great job.

BAIER: Are you worried about your security?

RODGERS: I feel that the Capitol Police do a great job of warning us, of helping us and our staff be smart when we're out in the district. There has been different times when they might advise us to take certain steps. I'm going to lean on them to continue to advise us.

BAIER: Congresswoman, you're in the Republican leadership. Last night, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor put out a statement saying, "all legislation currently scheduled to be considered by the House of Representatives next week is being postponed so we can take whatever actions may be necessary in light of the tragedy."

Of course, the House was scheduled to vote on the repeal of the health care law on Wednesday. What was behind this decision?

RODGERS: In light of yesterday's tragedy, our focus has changed, the focus of Congress, as well as the focus of millions of Americans all across this country. We're focused on what happened in Arizona. And we need to make sure that we are responding appropriately to that tragedy before we get involved in the legislative business of Congress.

BAIER: How would you respond to somebody who might say well, that means the bad guys won? The wackos won. By this one violent incident, they've been able to change the legislative agenda for the 112th Congress?

RODGERS: We are just taking some more time. The repeal of health care is a top priority for the new majority in Congress. We believe that that the bill needs to be repealed and replaced with a much better approach to ensuring that we have quality and affordable health care in this country. And that continues to be a high priority for the House Republicans and the new majority.

We're just going to wait and make sure that we're responding appropriately to the current situation.

BAIER: Is it because of some of the threats previously have been tied or centered around health care?

RODGERS: I think it's just that we need some more time to make sure that Congress is focused on what happened yesterday, rather than -- you know, I think all of our thoughts and our minds are elsewhere right now. And we just need to have some more time.

BAIER: OK. Congressman Clyburn, what, if anything, does this attack say about the political discourse in the U.S.?

CLYBURN: I think it says a lot. I think the mayor -- I'm sorry -- the sheriff out there in Tucson, I think he's got it right. Words do have consequences. And I think that we have to really -- this is nothing new. I've been saying this for a long time now. We're getting ready to celebrate, this weekend, the birthday of Martin Luther King Junior, who admonished us that we are going to regret in this generation not just for the vitriolic words and deeds of bad people, but for the appalling silence of good people.

And I think that what has happened here is the vitriol has gotten so elevated until people feel emboldened by this. And people are a little less than stable. And people aren't thinking for themselves, or so easily influenced, they go out and do things that all of us pay a great price for. I want to applaud the Republican leadership for doing what they've done in this instance, to give everybody a chance to step back and take a hard look at this, and decide how we go forward.

BAIER: Sorry for interrupting there. As you know, Tea Party groups vigorously condemned this attack, calling it heinous. This is from Justin Phillips, the co-founder of one of the groups, Tea Party Nation: "at a time like this, it is terrible that we do have to think about politics. No matter what the shooter's motivations were, the left is going to blame this on the Tea Party movement. While we need to take a moment to extend our sympathies to the families of those who died, we cannot allow the hard left to do what it tried to do in 1995 after the Oklahoma City Bombing. Within the entire political spectrum, there are extremists, both on the left and the right. Violence of this nature should be decried by everyone, and not used for political gain."

How do you respond to that, sir?

CLYBURN: Well, I will say this to the gentleman that wrote that: the fact of the matter is we just came out of an election. We saw a candidate for the United States Senate saying that if you can't get what you want at the ballot box, let's seek Second Amendment remedies. What does that mean?

That is a very vitriolic statement and I think someone is responsible for speaking up, denouncing that kind of stuff. If you don't denounce it, people keep ratcheting it up and people get to the point where you cross the line. And I think in this instance, this issue has crossed the line.

And I believe that those of us who are in responsible positions owe it to the country, and owe it to ourselves, owe it to this great institution that we call the United States Congress to speak out against this kind of rhetoric, because if we don't, it will keep ratcheting up, up, and up.

Before you know it, as Martin Luther King Junior admonished us, the people of ill-will will have won the debate.

BAIER: Representative Rodgers?

RODGERS: Without a doubt, the political rhetoric has increased across the board, inflammatory remarks. And Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives, Tea Party activists have all condemned what happened in Arizona. I think it's important to remember that this was an individual 22 years old, he dropped out of high school. As far as we know, he's not tied to a political movement, and this wasn't a politically motivated act.

You know, his favorite books are "the Communist Manifesto" and "Mein Kampf." I think it's important that we recognize that this is an individual that had -- that has mental challenges, and we need to act appropriately in dealing with him and making sure that justice prevails here.

BAIER: The investigation continues. Congresswoman Rodgers, Congressman Clyburn, thank you both for talking with us today on this tough day.

CLYBURN: Thank you so much for having me.

BAIER: More on this later with our panel. Also up next with two new senators. We'll be right back.

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