CNN "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" - Transcript Interview with James Clyburn

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Joining me now for the latest on virus relief negotiations is the House majority whip, Congressman Jim Clyburn.

Mr. Whip, thank you so much for joining me.

Federal unemployment aid has run out. People are no longer protected from evictions, if they can't pay their rent. Negotiators met all day yesterday. So, how close do you think you are to a deal?

CLYBURN: Well, thank you very much for having me.

I don't know how close we are up to a deal. I have been keeping up with it. I understand that they are in a better place today than they were the day before. So, we will see where we go.

But, you know, I know where we were when we went into the room. And the big problem to me was that people are trying to put food on the table, people who are unemployed, people who are having their unemployment compensation, who are supplemented by the 600 bucks. They want to cut it down to $200.

[09:20:13]

At the same time, they want to give 100 percent tax deductions to business lunches. What kind of priority is that, business people who need a tax deduction for their lunch? And we cannot give a $600 supplement to unemployed people, many of them trying to take care of their children, trying to provide child care?

There is something out of whack here. That's why so many people are saying the country is on the wrong track.

BASH: Well, let me ask...

CLYBURN: They don't want to increase...

BASH: Go ahead. I'm sorry.

CLYBURN: Yes, ma'am.

I said, they don't want to increase food stamps. Why not increase food stamps, when we know there are people in need to have their nutrition supplemented?

So, this is the kind of priority that it seems to me cries out for leadership. We need national leadership. And we are not getting it.

BASH: Senate Republicans did try this past week to pass a one-week extension of the additional $600-a-week unemployment benefits. Democrats blocked it.

So, why not, if it's so needed -- and it certainly seems to be -- agree to the short-term fix while you're negotiating a longer deal?

CLYBURN: Because we need to have a well-coordinated activity here.

We passed the HEROES Act in the House. Why won't they then bring the HEROES Act or whatever part of it they would like to the table? They won't do it.

They pass out the so-called HEALS Act. I don't remember exactly what it stood for, but not even anything for state and local governments, nothing for unemployed people. That's why we won't do it.

BASH: Right.

CLYBURN: Let's do it...

BASH: Well, that is understandable, but that is what you're negotiating about, right? So, isn't it just, frankly, a political play to not allow the at least

one-week extension while you're trying to maximize your leverage?

CLYBURN: Well, Dana, we are always trying to maximize leverage. They are trying to maximize leverage.

How many long ago did we send them this law that we passed in the House? We had it for weeks. They had it for over a month.

So, they are the ones that are playing games with this. We don't want to jerk the American people around. Let's just lay it out. And ours went all the way into January.

I don't know that there's an honest negotiation when you want to leave town and not sit around the table and do what needs to be done for the American people to have some security and some safety in trying to live their lives.

And that is what we are trying to do. This every week, one more week, two more days, that's not the way you do things.

BASH: I want to ask up about what is going on in the House right now with COVID-19.

The speaker did impose a mask mandate on the House floor this week. Another member of Congress, Louie Gohmert, tested positive. Since then, your Democratic colleague Raul Grijalva said that he was positive.

There's currently no rapid testing at all in the Capitol, even though members of Congress are constantly traveling back and forth between their districts and the capital, and many are high-risk.

So, is it long past time for rapid testing to be done on members of Congress?

CLYBURN: Well, I don't know.

We all follow the attending physician's advice. I'm not a medical expert. I'm not a doctor. We have a few in the House. But we have a cadre of physicians that is giving guidance in writing, and we do it over the phone.

I have been in constant contact with the attending physician's office. And in running the Select Committee, I follow their advice. And I think that the speaker is following the advice of the attending physician.

So I'm not going to tell them how to do their jobs. I'm going to follow their advice. And I think the speaker is doing that.

BASH: I want to ask you about something you said on Friday night in an interview with PBS.

You said that you don't think President Trump would be willing to give up his office and that -- quote -- "He thinks that the American people will be duped by him, like the people of Germany were duped by Adolf Hitler."

Do you really think Donald Trump is comparable to Adolf Hitler?

CLYBURN: What I said, starting about two-and-a-half, maybe three years ago, after one of his State of the Unions, that I feel very strongly that this man has taken on strong-arm tactics.

[09:25:04]

And I feel very strongly that he is Mussolini, Putin, is Hitler. I said that back then, and I believe that.

I believe very strongly that this guy never had any idea about being -- want to peacefully transfer power. I don't think he plans to leave the White House. He doesn't plan to have fair and unfettered elections.

I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue hold onto office.

And that is why the American people had better wake up. I know a little bit about history, and I know how countries find their demise. It is when we fail to let democracy, and the fundamentals of which is a fair, unfettered election.

And that's why he is trying to put a cloud over this election, floating the idea of postponing the elections. He does not -- and I saw, was that Steve Miller within the last few hours? That is some of the worst stuff I have ever heard in my life.

This is not a perfect democracy, but it's better than any other that exists. And I really feel that the fundamentals are being frayed. And if we are not careful, this country, it will be lost for our next generation, our children and our grandchildren.

BASH: Mr. Clyburn, before I let you go, as you know, the former vice president is finalizing his pick for his running mate this week.

You were among the first, if not the first, to float Karen Bass' name. Do you think she should be the pick?

CLYBURN: Well, I think that he has about 12 people. He said that there are four African-Americans in his finalists.

What I have said is this. He should let the vetting and the polling inform him. And then he should let his head and his heart direct his actions.

He calls it simpatico. I call it, let your head and your heart take a look.

All of the people I have seen out there, about 12 I have counted, I know all of them, and I said, except one -- and I won't say it here, because it's been reported that that one is Susan Rice. That is not true. I know Susan Rice very well. I knew her father, who was, if my memory serves, from Florence, South Carolina. So, that is not who I'm talking about.

But of the 12 people I have seen, 11 of them, I know very well. One of them, I have not met.

BASH: All right, Mr. Clyburn, thank you so much. Appreciate you joining me this morning.

CLYBURN: Thank you very much for having me.

BASH: Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source