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CNN: Rep. Quigley Highlights Need to Protect Mueller Investigation From Trump Obstruction

November 9, 2018
In the News

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Congressman Mike Quigley wears a suit and facemask speaking with a woman in blue scrubs in front of a COVID testing sign

SCIUTTO: This as there is a growing sense of concern inside the White House as well about the negative reaction to Whittaker's appointment. Joining now me is Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley of Illinois. He serves on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks for taking the time this morning.

QUIGLEY: Good morning.

SCIUTTO: First let me ask you, you heard Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker there, say that this is a perilous time. In your view, with Whittaker as the Attorney General, is the Special Counsel investigation and is Robert Mueller's job in jeopardy?

QUIGLEY: Absolutely. I think there is a reason the President of the United States waited until after the midterms to take this action. And I have heard many of my colleagues say, "well, he shouldn't do anything until after the midterms." If it was wrong to do it before the midterms, it has to be wrong to do after the midterms. It is an area of great concern. The rule of law is at threat.\

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this – you've heard some of Whittaker's public comments criticizing the Mueller investigation. He's also made other comments that are drawing some concern from Democrats and from some Republicans, frankly. I want to play one of those comments now for your reaction. Have a listen.

TRUMP: If that happens, then we're going to do the same thing and government comes to a halt. They got nothing, zero. You know why? Because there is nothing. But they can play that game, but we can play it better because we have a thing called the United States Senate.

SCIUTTO: sorry, that was not -- that was not the clip. Let me just briefly -- I do want to get your reaction to the President, but briefly summarize what he said. He said that judges, and I'm paraphrasing some here, that judges need to have a biblical sense in terms of making their decisions. What do you make of a comment like that? "I'd like to see things like their world view, what informs them. Are they people of faith? Do they have a biblical view of justice." Is that a problem for an Acting Attorney General?

QUIGLEY: I think the Acting Attorney General or any Attorney General should be mindful of the laws and the Constitution of the United States of America. If we're going to start quoting the scripture before the judges of the Supreme Court as reasons they should make a decision is obviously an area of great concern. The President has – if he's so enamored with the Constitution, he should go back and peruse the First Amendment. Different interpretations, we're a country of different faiths, we're a country that recognizes the people have a right to be agnostic or atheist. So, it's not a surprise the President has moved in that direction. I'm a person of faith, but it is only one aspect of the type of person I am. But we are a nation of laws and I think the President forgets that.

SCIUTTO: Now, to the President's comment there – basically issuing a threat saying if you, as the Democrats, take control of the House and investigate me, I will use the Senate to investigate the Democrats. What's your response to that threat?

QUIGLEY: Yeah, and again it's not a surprise – I have served with Republicans on the House Select Committee on Intelligence that were complicit in the President's attacks on the independence and the ability of the Justice Department and the intelligence community. They were complicit in working with the President to obstruct this investigation. So to think that the United States Senate, and I would be curious to see how the intel chairman there used what the President said, that this is just a war on each other instead of the natural oversight of one branch of government over another.

SCIUTTO: Final question, if I can ask you – we now have recounts in a number of places. Let's highlight in Florida and in Georgia, Georgia for the governor and Florida for both the governor and the senate there, you have the President publically tweeting that there may be criminal activity by Democrats there, and yet in both those races you have Republican state officials overlooking, in effect, the recounts. Are you concerned that these recounts may not proceed fairly?

QUIGLEY: I think there is a great concern on how elections are handled at all times. I was a strong supporter for spending more money on election equipment to make sure we protect the integrity of our electoral process. I did this primarily because of the attack of the Russians, first in my own state. We spent $380 million in 2018 to buy new election equipment, provide training, anti-hacking software. But it wasn't since the Bush/Gore hanging chad catastrophe where the integrity of our electoral process was challenged. We're facing that internally. The better our equipment, the less likely that someone can commit fraud. We have about 13 to 15 states that don't even have a paper record so that we can appropriately audit those states, including Georgia. If we're serious about the electoral process having the integrity it needs, we need to spend the resources at the federal level to ensure that very integrity.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Mike Quigley, thank you for joining us this morning.

QUIGLEY: Thank you.

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