CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Eric Swalwell

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

ACOSTA: Be armed and be dangerous.

Notice, on the screen, he also offers Kyle Rittenhouse an internship.

On the Democratic side, Congressman Eric Swalwell tweeted, "Be pissed about the laws/bias that led to the Rittenhouse verdict. And we can partly blame the filibuster for allowing red legislatures to write those laws.

Congressman Swalwell joins me now.

Congressman, thanks for joining us.

Obviously, emotions were running high after the verdict was read. But I have to say, a lot of legal experts are actually not surprised by this verdict.

Apparently, the burden for the prosecution to prove that there wasn't self-defense, that is a very difficult case to make for prosecutors in these kinds of cases.

As a lawmaker, what are your thoughts on this? And what are you going to do to try to change the system you were talking about in that tweet?

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): Thanks, Jim.

You know, two people are still dead. Somebody, who provocatively drove across state lines with an assault weapon as a minor, walks free. That should upset people.

President Biden's absolutely right that we have to respect the jury system.

But that doesn't mean we can't do all we can to try and change the laws that allowed a provocative self-defense to be read to the jury away for Mr. Rittenhouse to go free and to have a biased judge essentially steer the outcome, in part.

When I connect the filibuster, Jim, I mean it's state legislatures that decide the laws in each state, and states like Wisconsin had almost unrestricted weaponry, just as many states around them.

So if we want to make sure we don't have laws like this that would allow someone to act so provocatively as Mr. Rittenhouse did, we have to care at every level, not just the presidency, Senate and House.

We also need to make sure that the Senate reforms the filibuster so that state legislatures can't rig outcomes where they have very partisan gerrymandering.

That's the straight line between the filibuster and seeing in many states many watered-down gun laws.

ACOSTA: What did you make of -- just ask you one more question on the Rittenhouse case.

What do you make of Tucker Carlson embedding a documentary or film crew with Rittenhouse throughout this trial? What did you think of that when you heard about that?

SWALWELL: I agree with Rittenhouse's lawyer. This was a murder trial. Two people are dead. It's not entertainment.

And Tucker Carlson is entirely about entertainment that incites violence. Tucker Carlson is like the Republican Party. More comfortable with violence than voting.

So you see Tucker Carlson promoting a mass shooter. You see Paul Gosar in the House, you know, promoting a video that takes on President Biden with a threat and kills my colleague, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defended by Kevin McCarthy.

[15:35:09]

The Republican Party today is a vigilante, violent party. And we have to make sure, going into the midterms, voters understand what going with them would look like in the next comes years.

ACOSTA: Let's play with Gosar and McCarthy said, House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, said about all this and we'll get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL GOSAR (R-AZ): I voluntarily took the cartoon down, not because itself was a threat but some thought it was.

If I must join Alexander Hamilton, the first person attempted to the censured by this House, so be it.

Under the Pelosi president, all members mentioned earlier will need the approval of a majority to keep those positions in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What did you think when you heard that?

SWALWELL: Again, I didn't hear an apology from Mr. Gosar or Kevin McCarthy condemning it, saying we shouldn't have violence in the House.

Instead I heard, well, if you're going to remove our members for acting violently, we'll use retribution to remove yours.

Americans detest chaos and want law and order. Without that, we are lost.

And again, we see one party embracing violence and another party trying to embrace and expand access to voting rights.

ACOSTA: Are you worried about losing any of your assignments if Kevin McCarthy become the next speaker?

And what did you think of, you know, this news that came out in the middle of this past week where he made it sound as though Marjorie Taylor Greene, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, could get their committee assignments back.

SWALWELL: McCarthy said probably promoted and have better committee assignments.

No. I'm not worried, Jim. I'm going to keep doing my job.

And Kevin McCarthy and Tucker Carlson smeared me for many years with falsities. And my constituents, my family, the American people know the truth.

That's why we have to make a clear. We delivered on Build Back Better, the president signed the law this week and Republicans are divided.

At the end of the day, that's a pretty winning message.

ACOSTA: I want to ask you about January 6th. This man, QAnon shaman, Jacob Chansley, was sentenced to 41 months in prison in connection with the attack at the capitol.

His lawyer offered this message to former President Trump. Pretty salty but we'll play it for viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERT WATKINS, ATTORNEY FOR QANON SHAMAN JACOB CHANSLEY: I would say probably far more effective over, with former President Trump. And I'd tell him, you know what, you've got a few (EXPLETIVE DELETED) things to do, let me clear this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) mess up and taking care of the jackasses you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Will we ever see accountability for Donald Trump? We're seeing accountable for people like the QAnon shaman? That's not preventing another insurrection from happening?

SWALWELL: Right. I'm doing my part. I have a lawsuit against Donald Trump in D.C. court for inciting and aiming the mob at the capitol.

And in the House, you're seeing accountability in that his enabler, Steve Bannon, has been held in contempt, was arrested earlier this week. And I imagine any others that refuse to show up will meet the same outcome.

The important while Republicans want to use violence that we really make sure that the rule of law works.

And that there's this cascade effect of the rule of law and rulings will come down on Donald Trump, because that's the best shot we have at saving our democracy.

ACOSTA: All right, Congressman Eric Swalwell. We had to delay you a little with breaking news top of the show but thanks for hanging in there and dropping by. Appreciate it.

SWALWELL: My pleasure.

ACOSTA: All right. Thanks.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source