MSNBC "All In With Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Hakeem Jeffries

Interview

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REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Good evening, Chris. Great to be with you.

The fundamental purpose of the select committee will really be to determine the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in terms of what happened on January 6th, which we know was a violent attack on the United States Capitol incited by the former, twice-impeached President of the United States of America. We want to figure out what happened in its entirety that day and in the months leading up to that fateful day. Why it happened in its entirety and uncover and recommend how we can prevent something like a violent insurrection from ever happening again.

HAYES: Are there, you know, number of members, time staffing, (INAUDIBLE) I know, those are fairly banal details, but they`re going to matter a lot to what we`re talking about hearing since all of that was stipulated in that bipartisan bill that passed out of the House on a bipartisan basis and then was defeated by a Republican filibuster in the Senate.

JEFFRIES: Well, without commenting on myself, I think we can all be confident that, as the speaker did in connection with the first impeachment team, and the second impeachment team, Speaker Pelosi is going to come up with an extraordinary group of members who are highly talented, skilled, many of whom I expect will be attorneys, some of whom perhaps will be committee chairs. That`s the decision that the speaker will make. We`ve got full confidence in her that it will be the best and the brightest for this task in terms of the House Democratic Caucus.

It`s my expectation that we will vote on the select committee to authorize it in the House next week. And perhaps, shortly thereafter, we`ll begin to know what the composition will look like in terms of members appointed by Speaker Pelosi. And we`ll see what horror show Kevin McCarthy gives us that will have to deal with and we will.

HAYES: Yes, that`s the other question, right? Obviously, there`ll be -- unlike the bipartisan commission would have equal members, this will have more Democrats and Republicans, which means they`ll control the committee the way they control committees -- normal committees right now.

Kevin McCarthy was asked today by a reporter whether he`d commit to not putting conspiracy theories -- conspiracy theories on the committee. Take a listen to that exchange.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you commit to not putting the members in your conference who are spreading conspiracy theories or trying to minimize what happened on the 6th on that select committee?

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Just with the speaker, she`s never talked to me about it. I don`t -- haven`t seen the structure what she does or anything else. So, I won`t make any commitment until I go there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you be open to talk about in conversation with Donald Trump to select committee?

MCCARTHY: Well, I don`t know that there is a select committee, the speaker has never talked to me about it. She hasn`t said the scope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

MCCARTHY: She didn`t tell me about it. I haven`t seen anything. So, I don`t know what it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAYES: I mean, I guess that`s the way out of the question. But like there is going to be a select committee and he is going to -- I mean, presumably the Minority Leader, you`re going to put Republicans on it.

JEFFRIES: I would think so. But you know, wouldn`t shock me if he chose Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, he`s got quite a collection of characters to choose from.

And it`s not my expectation given Kevin McCarthy`s past practice that he`ll do anything other than bend the knee to Donald Trump.

In fact, we probably can expect that Donald Trump over the next few days will issue recommendations as to who he thinks should be on this committee. And Kevin McCarthy will follow those recommendations, hook, line and sinker. But that`s not going to stop us from uncovering the truth and then presenting it in a clear, convincing and comprehensive way to the American people.

HAYES: I want to play Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone. Of course, Michael Fanone was the Capitol officer who was dragged into the crowd. He was surrounded by the crowd. Someone said kill him with his own gun. He managed to sort of make his way back to safety after a few other members of the crowd sort of intervened on his behalf and he was able to go back.

Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn is also a Capitol Police Officer were actually lobbying on this. And meeting Kevin McCarthy, talking about how they they wanted this to be taken seriously. It meant a lot to them, obviously. And I want to play for you what they had to say.

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HARRY DUNN, CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER: Meaningful discussion. I won`t go too much into what we said. We did ask for some commitments to take the special select committee seriously. I think we all want the same thing, ultimately. But how we go about getting it, like this is where the hiccup is.

MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER: In a lot of ways, this experience has been incredibly isolating. I`m sure Harry experiences some similar feelings. But I mean, I don`t think I could go through physically walking these halls without him.

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HAYES: Do you think that lands with your colleagues?

JEFFRIES: You know, it remains to be seen. One thing is clear, that all the Republican talking points about being about law and order are really just phony, they`re hypocrites.

January 6th was about lawlessness and disorder. More than 140 officers were seriously injured. Some died in the aftermath of that violent attack on the Capitol.

And many of my House Republican colleagues including the House Republican Minority Leader, want to act like it didn`t happen, that it was all wine and roses.

Notwithstanding the officers who continue to make the case in a clear way that it was far from a normal simple tour of visitors in the Capitol. And so, you know, it`s just hard to tell with my colleagues on the other side.

But again, Chris, we can control what we can control. And we will take this select committee with the seriousness and substantive approach and solemnity, that a violent insurrection and attack on the Capitol requires.

HAYES: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, we appreciate your time.

JEFFRIES: Thanks, Chris.

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