CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with James Clyburn

Interview

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ACOSTA: Yes, Suzanne, we wish the best to Reverend Jackson and his family and hope he pulls through.

Suzanne, thanks for that excellent report. We appreciate it so much.

Let me bring in the number-three Democrat in the House, South Caolina Congress, Democrat Jim Clyburn.

Congressman, thanks for being with us.

Today's marches show the sense of urgency is not letting up on the Democratic side. But the GOP side is fighting tooth and nail on this. Texas is on the cusp of seeing these new voting restrictions enacted.

Why isn't that urgency resonating, do you think, with some Democrats in the Senate who are frankly holding up this legislation?

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): First of all, thank you very much for having me.

You know, 58 years is a long, long time in an individual's life. But then, life of a country, any country, not so long.

I think that one of the things we have to always keep in mind is that this country's movement, its movement toward a more perfect union, is never on a linear plane.

It has always been like a pendulum on a clock. It goes right for a while. It goes left for a while. And then back to the right. That's the way it has always been.

And the only way that keeps that in check is the participation of the citizenry and we do that by voting.

Any impediment to voting should never be a part of this democracy that we all hold dear.

And if we know from history that the filibuster has been used to deny voting rights. That has been the big thing. Other civil rights as well.

So we cannot go into this election season without protections from people who we see in Texas, in Georgia.

In fact, 49 states have proposed some kind of voting restrictions all unleashed by the Supreme Court in its so-called Shelby v. Holder decision of over nine years ago.

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The Supreme Court knows full well, especially those six conservatives, that what they're doing is giving a license to people who wish to suppress voters of color.

They're giving a license for states, like Texas and Georgia. And we have had problems here in South Carolina to a lesser extent.

But we cannot allow voting rights to be turned over to a state-by- state approach. And that's what is happening with the Supreme Court.

I would hope that Congress will do what it can. Now, we've done it in the House. The Senate has got the bill. It is time for the Senate to say that if you want to stay in power, appeal to a majority of the voters.

Don't try to rig the system, and that's what's going on in Texas. They're trying to rig the system in order to stay in power.

ACOSTA: Congressman, if you don't see what you want to see happen in the Senate and if you don't get relief in the courts and at the Supreme Court, what is the alternative? What are you left with?

Might this potentially become a huge motivating factor for the civil rights community, for the African-American community in this country to show up and vote in these upcoming elections to show that these various restrictions around the cup country won't stand in the way?

CLYBURN: Jim, let me mention to you, you talk about King's speech, "I have a dream" speech, if you remember, when he finished talking about the dream, he said, at the end of that speech, I am going back to the south where governors' lips are dripping with vilification.

That's what he called for. That's what's going on today.

Look at the Georgia law that they passed. It's nullification. It's giving an individual or a group of individuals the right to overturn election results. That is to nullify an election.

No amount of participation. You could have 100 percent participation of people of color and they could elect anybody they want to elect.

If you give someone the power to nullify that vote, which is what they did in Georgia, what good does it do?

ACOSTA: And, Congressman --

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CLYBURN: So that's what I'm saying to the Senate.

This is not just about turning out in record numbers and overcoming what they're doing, you cannot overcome nullification. It's impossible.

ACOSTA: And, Congressman, let me just ask you, because I know you're close to President Biden.

What are your thoughts on how he has handled the final days of this withdrawal from Afghanistan? Have you been providing any advice to him?

And what do you make of this warning from the president that we might see yet another terrorist attack within the next 24 to 36 hours?

CLYBURN: I think that we might. I think the president is being transparent. He is being honest with the American people. He is telling us exactly what we can expect.

And that's what Americans want. They don't want lies. They want people in office who will be straight with them and not tell them things that they know not to be true.

And so I applaud President Biden for being transparent and open.

Yes, it is uncomfortable. But it is an honest approach to governance and that's what we need in this country.

ACOSTA: All right, Congressman James Clyburn, thanks as always for joining us on this program. We appreciate it. Look forward to talking again soon. Thanks so much.

CLYBURN: Thank you very much for having me.

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