CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript Interview with James Clyburn
Interview
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House Majority Whip, Congressman James Clyburn, is joining us now.
Congressman, thanks for being here.
With all these delay warnings, with Post Office machine removals, do you think the United States Postal Service is capable of handling a surge of ballots come fall without any added funding?
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Yes, I think they do have the capabilities. But the fact of the matter is, we ought to declare now that we are going to have elections -- election month, I would call it. We have absentee voting. In most places, that voting starts 30 days out.
Now, I know October 3rd is a Saturday, so I think that we ought to, whatever legislation we pass, we ought to stipulate that we will have absentee voting for all federal elections beginning October 5th, and I think we ought to fund the capacity of each state to have ballot boxes strategically located so that people can deposit their ballots and do so in a safe and secure way.
We ought not be saying to people, you must go to crowded voting places on one day, November 3rd, in order for your vote to count. We can easily have absentee voting much more widespread than we currently have. And we can do that without having -- using the post office.
I want to use the post office. I think the post office ought to be fully funded, adequately funded. The post office is there for more than ballots. They're there to deliver people's support checks.
CABRERA: Right.
CLYBURN: They're there for veterans to get their medicines and other senior citizens that use mail order. That's what the post office is there for.
We ought not be crippling the post office, and for the president to admit that he is doing this in order to gum up the works when it comes to the elections, he is actually signing a death warrant for a lot of people that he ought not be doing this.
CABRERA: So, you'd blame him if people get sick and potentially die from the coronavirus by going to the polls and actually casting their ballot in person?
CLYBURN: Absolutely. He's the one that's doing this, he and his postmaster general. They met several days ago before all of this stuff happened.
We see them taking machines, sorting machines out of the post offices, and I've received reports that they are moving post office boxes in some neighborhoods that I frequent. And so what are they doing this for? If it's not to gum up the works when it comes to this election?
But they're also hurting people, people who depend upon the post office. And I might add, the post office is in our Constitution. This president is doing everything he can to circumvent the Constitution of the United States of America and it's high time for people to wake up.
I don't know why anybody would be so hell-bent on winning an election that they would be willing to shred the Constitution, put Americans at risk just to try to hold on to power. This man is not going to win fairly.
CABRERA: I feel your --
CLYBURN: So why are we supporting crooked activity?
CABRERA: I feel your passion. I can hear how fired up you are about this, and yet, Congress is on recess right now. Why is Congress on recess? And what -- what is Congress going to do about this?
CLYBURN: You have to ask Mitch McConnell that. He's the one that left town. We passed the HEROES Act, remember? We passed that seven weeks ago.
So, the bill is there. We've asked them, OK, we asked $3.2 trillion. You came up with $1 trillion. Meet us halfway.
I have often said that this is between me and the opponent on any issue of five steps, I don't mind taking three of them. But don't ask me to take all five.
This president wants us to take all five because the Republicans maintain that their idea of compromise is when the Democrats come around to their way of thinking. That is not going to happen.
CABRERA: I want you to hear what former Vice President Joe Biden said last night because he invoked the late congressman, John Lewis, at a fund-raiser, warning about voter suppression, which would be obviously a potential result if this isn't squared away. [16:25:11]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: He's already said he's willing to delay or not accept the outcome of the election. In response, we have to remember what Congressman John Lewis said. Quote: democracy is not a state. It is an act.
We need to act. We need to make sure every eligible voter who wants to vote can vote, whether it's in person on Election Day or with expanded options like no excuse absentee voting and increased in-person early voting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Congressman, given what has transpired in the past couple weeks, do you think this year's election will, in fact, be free and fair?
CLYBURN: If it's left up to the president, it will not be, and that's why I think Mitch McConnell ought to join with Nancy Pelosi and sit down around the table and determine how we can have a fair election, unfettered election and do it in such a way as the former vice president just said.
We can have, with no excuse absentee voting starting on October 5th and we can fund sufficient ballot boxes for people to place throughout the states, not have everybody crowded into one place. I've just heard of one county says they've got one place for early voting or absentee voting. That should not be.
We know that we are suffering with the pandemic here. Our people are sick and getting sick. And for us not to make provisions for people to be able to participate in this democracy without having to run the risk of contracting a disease that could kill them.
I never thought that I would live to see the United States of America tolerate a tyrant who seems to just trample upon our Constitution. This Constitution has not always been good for me. Plessy versus Ferguson's constitution was not good for my grandparents and great- grandparents.
But we have come a long way and we are making democracy work. Why would we run the risk of turning the clock back with this president who seems not to want to find an honest way to run the government and to run and to hold elections? This, I never thought I would see. John Lewis would be so disappointed that he gave -- nearly gave his life to get the vote for people of color and to watch complicity of the Republicans in holding on to this kind of shenanigans is just beyond me.
This, to me, I never thought that I would see this country allow this to happen.
CABRERA: Congressman, I know you're going to be speaking at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, starting on Monday. We just learned today that the president is planning to go to Pennsylvania to just outside Scranton, the birthplace of Joe Biden, to have a campaign event on the very day Joe Biden gives his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination.
What's your reaction to that?
CLYBURN: Well, you know, nothing this president will do will surprise me. He has very little respect for us. Everything is about him.
I've watched this government. You know, I'm 80 years old. John Lewis and I started out together as 20-year-olds, 60 years ago. We always believed in decency, in respect for others.
I may try to beat you in a contest, but I'm not in any way going to denigrate you. This president should be ashamed of himself, holding an event on the evening that this man, duly nominated man, will be giving his acceptance speech is just poor manners.
My dad used to tell me all the time, the first sign of good education is good manners. This is bad manners, the kind of manners of a less than a good education.
CABRERA: House Majority Whip James Clyburn, thanks as always for being with us, and I appreciate your perspective. Thank you.
CLYBURN: Thank you.
CABRERA: We'll be right back.
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