CNN "Erin Burnett Out Front" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Lina Ortega"

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan, at the White House tonight. Out front now, Texas State Representative Lina Ortega. She represents El Paso. Representative, I know you don't think President Trump should come to El Paso. How come?

REP. LINA ORTEGA (D-TX): Well, I mean, there's a lot of reasons and I was just listening to what was being shown earlier. I think that this community is not ready to have him returned. He has said many hateful things about immigrants. He doesn't understand El Paso.

We consider Ciudad Juarez as our sister city. We have many people that live in El Paso have family that live across the border. He's done his actions that he has taken with regard to migrants have hurt our community. And this is not the right time for him to come. We have a community that is in mourning.

This was a horrific, unbelievable massacre that occurred here. People do not need him at this time to come and visit. And if he's coming, he better be sincere in terms of what he has been saying. And he sometimes tweets things and a couple of days later, he turns around and says something different.

BURNETT: Now, he's saying or the White House is saying, Representative, that this isn't going to be political. They're saying, "Look, if he didn't come, he'd be facing much the same criticism from people like you because he isn't coming." They say this is similar itinerary to other mass shootings when he does a visit for victims, first responders. Do you think that he should be given a chance to be given the opportunity to try to speak to those who are grieving?

ORTEGA: I think that he should respect the feelings of this community and he should not come. This is not the right time. If he shows that is that his future actions about proposing common sense gun reform on not placing gun reform with immigration reform and using that as a bargaining chip, I think that we have to see actions on his part that support that he really is coming over here to say or to express condolences to our community. Our community is not ready for that.

BURNETT: So Congresswoman Veronica Escobar --

ORTEGA: Because we don't believe that he is.

BURNETT: I just mentioned Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, obviously, your representative in Washington. She just tweeted that she declined a White House invitation to join President Trump on the trip tomorrow to El Paso, in part, and I just want to quote her in case you hadn't seen it yet.

"I requested a phone call with him today in order to share what I have now heard from many constituents, including some who are victims of Saturday's attack. My message would have been that he needs to understand that his words are powerful and have consequences. I was told that President Trump is "too busy" to have that conversation."

What do you make of that, that Congresswoman Escobar was told by someone at the White House that the President is too busy?

ORTEGA: Well, I think that that just kind of reinforces what my beliefs are. I mean if he really cares about this community, she is our voice, our representative in D.C., at the Capitol. He should make the time to sit and talk to her. And when he's refusing to do that, what does that show?

Again, it's disrespect for El Paso with everything that's been going on. And, I mean, he's going to create more harsh emotions in El Paso that we don't have to be dealing with right now. It's not the right time for him to be here.

BURNETT: So the Chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party says that words like you are saying have to do with politics, and not what you passionately believe. Here is how he put it.

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ADOLPHO TELLES, CHAIRMAN, EL PASO COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY: The President being here coming from the top clearly is going to help with people healing and this is a time of healing. It needs to be calm. It will not be disastrous. What I see as disastrous is the local politicians, and Escobar, and O'Rourke, and Moody that are making this a political event for their benefit. That's disastrous.

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BURNETT: Talking about local politicians and others. That would include you, I suppose. He calls it a political event for your benefit. What do you say to him?

ORTEGA: I have to disagree and that's exactly why we don't want him here. We don't want this to be a political event. Actually, the last political event that he was here in our community for, he hasn't even paid our city for the cost that were incurred with his visit. He has an outstanding bill.

[19:10:09] So what does that tell you? I mean, we are strained right now with our local law enforcement and he's going to create more strain on resources that we don't need. If he really is not doing this for political reasons, then let's have a wait. It's not the right time.

BURNETT: Representative Ortega, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

ORTEGA: Thank you. Thank you for having me here.

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