Dems flip another House seat; WH counsel warns them over investigations — Transcript

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1. 0:00CNN can now project that
2. 0:01Democrat Raymond
3. 0:02Smith
4. 0:03will win the election
5. 0:04in North Carolina's third district.
6. 0:06This part of the Outer Banks area
7. 0:09and and involves completion as well.
8. 0:11He defeats Republican incumbent
9. 0:13Greg Murphy,
10. 0:14who's held that seat since 2019.
11. 0:17So his seat is now flipped to Democrats.
12. 0:20The House balance of power is now 257
13. 0:23for Democrats in the new House, 169
14. 0:26for Republicans, a huge win
15. 0:29for the Democrats.
16. 0:30The Trump administration
17. 0:32issuing a warning for Democrats
18. 0:33who are about to take
19. 0:34control of Congress.
20. 0:35CNN has obtained a letter
21. 0:37from the white House
22. 0:38counsel, Bill Shaffer,
23. 0:39addressed to Congressman Robert Garcia,
24. 0:41the Democrat who,
25. 0:42of course, will likely chair
26. 0:43the House Oversight Committee
27. 0:44come January.
28. 0:44In that letter,
29. 0:45Shaffer accuses
30. 0:46Democrats of planning
31. 0:47to abuse their subpoena power
32. 0:49to intimidate officials
33. 0:50and warns
34. 0:51that could cross the line
35. 0:52into criminality.
36. 0:54In just the last hour,
37. 0:55Kate spoke with one of the Democrats
38. 0:56on that committee, Congressman
39. 0:57Stephen Lynch.
40. 0:58He says President
41. 0:59Trump has had a free ride
42. 1:00from Republicans, and now that ride
43. 1:02is over.
44. 1:05The idea that we're not
45. 1:06allowed to conduct oversight
46. 1:08to the president has benefited greatly
47. 1:11from the Republican House
48. 1:13and the Republicans Senate,
49. 1:14because they have done zero oversight.
50. 1:17They put the blinders on. Right.
51. 1:19So so
52. 1:20the president has has enjoyed
53. 1:21that for two years.
54. 1:23But that is over.
55. 1:24The American people said that is over.
56. 1:26We want
57. 1:26we want the
58. 1:27the president to be held accountable
59. 1:29and that that's what we're going to do
60. 1:31with gusto.
61. 1:33CNN's Alina
62. 1:34Arena is live at the white House
63. 1:35this morning.
64. 1:36Julianna, talk to us a little bit more
65. 1:37about this letter
66. 1:38and the warning that it's sent out.
67. 1:42I mean, look, it is a remarkable
68. 1:43letter, Erica, and it's very clear
69. 1:45that the administration is showing
70. 1:47that they have
71. 1:49very few plans
72. 1:50to cooperate with investigations
73. 1:52that they do not like, and essentially
74. 1:54trying to draw this line in the sand,
75. 1:56arguing that already
76. 1:57before Democrats
77. 1:58really come into power,
78. 2:00that will begin in January
79. 2:01in the new Congress, of course,
80. 2:03that they are drawing a line
81. 2:04in the sand between accountability
82. 2:06and retribution.
83. 2:08The administration
84. 2:09and in this letter from Will
85. 2:10Schaaf, the white House
86. 2:11counsel to Robert Garcia,
87. 2:12the incoming House
88. 2:14Oversight Committee chair,
89. 2:16essentially laying out, they believe that
90. 2:18some of the new majority's
91. 2:19investigations could cross the line
92. 2:21into criminal behavior.
93. 2:23I want you to listen
94. 2:24or I'm going to read for you
95. 2:25what I think a key line in this says so.
96. 2:27Schaaf writes to Garcia, quote,
97. 2:29the administration will not be extorted
98. 2:31and will not be cowed
99. 2:32by unlawful process, motivated by animus,
100. 2:35pettiness, hatred,
101. 2:36or any other unlawful motive
102. 2:38to intimidate,
103. 2:39penalize or interfere
104. 2:41with the lawful
105. 2:42functioning of government.
106. 2:43You also see and hear this suggestion
107. 2:46that perhaps
108. 2:47the administration
109. 2:48will investigate Democrats,
110. 2:50if they believe
111. 2:51that they are going too far
112. 2:52with these investigations,
113. 2:54something that we actually heard.
114. 2:56The Attorney general,
115. 2:57Todd Blanch, also insinuate
116. 2:58in his interview
117. 2:59with Dana Bash over the weekend.
118. 3:01I want you to listen to
119. 3:01what Blanch said about this.
120. 3:04Department of
121. 3:04justice lawyers
122. 3:05represent members of the executive,
123. 3:06and the fact
124. 3:07that Congressman Garcia
125. 3:09is critical of that
126. 3:10shows a remarkable lack
127. 3:11of understanding of how government works.
128. 3:13And I would be very worried
129. 3:14if I was a member on that committee.
130. 3:18I would be very worried if I was a member
131. 3:20on that committee or something,
132. 3:21Blanch said.
133. 3:22He also said
134. 3:23that the Justice Department,
135. 3:24it is their job to represent
136. 3:26legally top
137. 3:27members of the Trump administration.
138. 3:29So I think you're just
139. 3:29getting a huge sense of what
140. 3:31this fight is going to look like.
141. 3:32We know Democrats, Eric.
142. 3:33We have a lot of investigations,
143. 3:35a lot of oversight
144. 3:36that they are planning to conduct.
145. 3:37They have been preparing for this moment
146. 3:40for a long time.
147. 3:40The white House making clear
148. 3:41they are planning to fight this tooth
149. 3:43and nail along the way.
150. 3:44And I should make clear as well
151. 3:46that these types of investigations,
152. 3:47this type of oversight,
153. 3:48is something we see
154. 3:49whenever there is a turnover in power.
155. 3:52I remind people
156. 3:52that during the Biden administration,
157. 3:54when Republicans
158. 3:55had control of the House,
159. 3:57the type of oversight we saw
160. 3:58in to the members of the Biden family,
161. 4:00other oversight that was conducted
162. 4:02that is a part of their duties.
163. 4:04The difference
164. 4:04in what
165. 4:05the Trump
166. 4:05administration is trying
167. 4:06to proactively and preemptively argue
168. 4:09is that
169. 4:09this could go beyond
170. 4:11the legislative scope of oversight.
171. 4:13So a lot to watch for
172. 4:15as we expect this fight
173. 4:16to begin in the new year.
174. 4:17Yeah.
175. 4:17And fascinating,
176. 4:18especially that line
177. 4:19you pulled out and drill down on Elena,
178. 4:21leaning into pettiness,
179. 4:22certainly makes you think,
180. 4:24and about the source of that as well.
181. 4:25And I appreciate the reporting. Kate.
182. 4:27Joining us right now
183. 4:28is Democratic Congresswoman
184. 4:29Susan del Bene.
185. 4:30She is
186. 4:31also has been the chair
187. 4:32of the Democratic
188. 4:33Congressional Campaign Committee
189. 4:34who ran the Democrats
190. 4:36midterm strategy here.
191. 4:37Let's get to that in just a second.
192. 4:39But on just what we are learning,
193. 4:41about this letter
194. 4:42from the white House counsel
195. 4:43and also what
196. 4:44we just heard from Democratic Congressman
197. 4:45Stephen Lynch
198. 4:46when he was just on with me,
199. 4:48his response to the letter
200. 4:49and the threats
201. 4:50to kind of investigate
202. 4:52the investigators was, come at me, bro.
203. 4:54I mean, what is your reaction
204. 4:56to the white House
205. 4:57counsel saying that you are already
206. 4:59potentially overreaching
207. 5:00even before you get into power?
208. 5:03I think
209. 5:04it really shows that they don't care
210. 5:06what the American people think.
211. 5:07The American people said
212. 5:09with a strong voice across the country
213. 5:11that they want Congress
214. 5:12to stand up to do its job,
215. 5:14not be a rubber stamp
216. 5:15for the administration.
217. 5:17And that is our job,
218. 5:18conducting oversight,
219. 5:19transparency and accountability.
220. 5:22Clearly,
221. 5:22the administration is scared of that.
222. 5:25But we're going to continue
223. 5:26to do our job.
224. 5:27And the American people were very clear.
225. 5:30They want to see that happen, too.
226. 5:31Let's talk to one of the Democrats
227. 5:33on the House Oversight Committee,
228. 5:34congressman, Democratic Congressman
229. 5:36Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts.
230. 5:38Now, just looking at this letter
231. 5:40obtained by my colleagues
232. 5:41over my colleague Linda Tripp
233. 5:43at the white House,
234. 5:44this may cross the line
235. 5:46into blatant criminality.
236. 5:48And also talking
237. 5:49about these unlawful
238. 5:50subpoenas as described.
239. 5:51And that is, as I just read,
240. 5:54if unlawful subpoenas happen,
241. 5:55in their view, may warrant
242. 5:57further investigation.
243. 5:58What's your response
244. 5:59to that, Congressman,
245. 6:00about this election?
246. 6:01Well, first of all, thank you, Kate.
247. 6:03Thanks for having me.
248. 6:04First of all,
249. 6:05the subpoenas that we issued
250. 6:06had the support of Republicans as well.
251. 6:08We're in the minority here.
252. 6:10The only reason we could get subpoenas,
253. 6:12effective subpoenas
254. 6:13was to have the Republicans join us. So.
255. 6:15So clearly, those were legal.
256. 6:18The the white House counsel
257. 6:19seems to be trying
258. 6:20to preemptively attack,
259. 6:23congressional oversight functions.
260. 6:26That is just a
261. 6:28that's a ridiculous premise.
262. 6:31So clearly Congress has the the
263. 6:34power to pass laws.
264. 6:35That's our function.
265. 6:36And to make sure the laws
266. 6:38are being followed.
267. 6:39And that's
268. 6:40that's at the core of our function.
269. 6:42So the idea that we're not allowed
270. 6:44to conduct oversight,
271. 6:46the the president has benefited greatly
272. 6:49from the Republican House
273. 6:50and the Republican Senate
274. 6:51because they have done zero oversight.
275. 6:54They they put the blinders on. Right.
276. 6:56So so
277. 6:57the president has has enjoyed
278. 6:59that for two years, but that is over.
279. 7:01The American people said that is over.
280. 7:03We want
281. 7:04we want the
282. 7:05the president to be held accountable
283. 7:06and that that's what we're going to do
284. 7:09with gusto.
285. 7:11One of the things I think
286. 7:12that it is getting at in
287. 7:13this letter
288. 7:14is the threats of investigations
289. 7:16to come very, almost explicit
290. 7:19threats, promises, whatever statements,
291. 7:21especially coming from the incoming
292. 7:22chairman, Robert Garcia.
293. 7:23I mean, on election night
294. 7:25with the tweet lawyer up,
295. 7:27was some of the response,
296. 7:29do you think that was premature,
297. 7:32that you got from your incoming chairman
298. 7:34on that front?
299. 7:35Because it seems that in large
300. 7:36part is what is being is being,
301. 7:39what they're taking issue with here.
302. 7:43I think he was expressing relief
303. 7:45that that
304. 7:45now that that the Democrats
305. 7:48are in control of the House
306. 7:49and in the Senate,
307. 7:50we will actually see
308. 7:52the House and Senate reactivated and,
309. 7:55begin its its work
310. 7:56that there's been tremendous frustration,
311. 7:59with the unwillingness
312. 8:01and inability of the Republicans
313. 8:02to actually and investigate.
314. 8:04We we have never had a single public
315. 8:07hearing on the Epstein investigation.
316. 8:09That's that's been going on for
317. 8:11for several years now.
318. 8:12They refuse to do that.
319. 8:14So I think what what Robert was
320. 8:16what Garcia was expressing was relief.
321. 8:21And, and exasperation
322. 8:23of how long it has taken.
323. 8:25And that
324. 8:26finally, at last,
325. 8:27we're going to be able to do our job
326. 8:29as as members of Congress.
327. 8:30Let me assess
328. 8:31if what I'm reading, if this is a
329. 8:34if this letter,
330. 8:36if this new
331. 8:36if this position from the white House
332. 8:39is now meaning
333. 8:40that the administration
334. 8:41may go after you, you all Democrats
335. 8:45who are conducting investigations
336. 8:47in the new Congress,
337. 8:49what do you do about that?
338. 8:52Now come at me, bro.
339. 8:53You know, I just think we are so well,
340. 8:56situated to do our jobs.
341. 8:59What they're saying
342. 9:00is, don't do your jobs,
343. 9:02don't do oversight,
344. 9:03don't check
345. 9:04on the administration of
346. 9:05of of of the government.
347. 9:07Obviously we passed laws.
348. 9:10And the president habitually violates
349. 9:13those laws.
350. 9:14So we believe we have the right
351. 9:17and we have been empowered expressly
352. 9:19in the Constitution
353. 9:20to make sure that the president obeys
354. 9:23the law.
355. 9:23This is pretty basic.
356. 9:24And so that's the core function.
357. 9:27The oversight committee
358. 9:28is the primary investigative committee
359. 9:31in the House of Representatives.
360. 9:32And we are going to do our jobs, I and I
361. 9:36and I speak on behalf of of the chairman
362. 9:38in this respect as well, I am sure.