Transcript: Rep. Doug Collins on "Face the Nation," May 5, 2019
The following is a transcript of the interview with Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia that aired Sunday, May 5, 2019, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning to you. Have you read the full 400-plus pages of the Mueller report?
REPRESENTATIVE DOUG COLLINS: Yeah, good morning, Margaret. Yes, I have. And I've also read what Bill Barr actually let us go back and he actually opened it up even more. And I have went to Department of Justice and read the less redacted report, which means that of the whole report, I've read all of it except a little less than 2 percent, almost 1 percent of the report.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And that is what the Democrats on your committee are calling for to be made public. And in fact there's this threat of holding the attorney general in contempt if he doesn't share more information and underlying evidence. Do you expect him to be held in contempt?
REP. COLLINS: It's really interesting, Margaret, what's happened here. I mean a little over 16 days ago, the chairman asked for this material. He knows that he can't get it in a normal oversight proceeding but yet he's continuing on. And now with pressure, it seems like from his own side, they are going to move to contempt over not producing the documents, not showing up. This is about the documents. But if you go back to any other precedent before Eric Holder, you know, Harriet Miers, others, this is a longer process. We're looking at 16 days or a little over that to actually go to a contempt report on information that he knows he can't get. My question to the chairman is why don't he go down- why didn't he read what's already available? And then if he wants more, then work with the Department Justice to figure this out instead of having the public show of contempt and trying to discredit Bill Barr.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, democrats would say if they look at it and can't talk about it publicly then that's not fair. But on- on top of this, are you disappointed that the attorney general didn't come before your committee so you could have this conversation?
REP. COLLINS: I'm very disappointed that my chairman let that happen. I wanted to actually talk to Bill Barr. He had that opportunity and- and the day before he was in the Senate and sat over six hours and then even a double round of questions from Democrats. Bill Barr is not afraid of testifying. Bill Barr is- is, frankly, has already said he will testify. He just didn't want to be a part of a- a show in which the Democrats, who have not brought up impeachment because they know they can't- in fact, I have a question for you, Margaret. Why would you impeach a president except for the on- on the- on what is found out? Because Mueller said there was no collusion, there was no obstruction. I mean at this point, I mean, you- he is--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
REP. COLLINS: --we have the best economy we've had in years, 50 years of unemployment. What were you impeaching him for? I think--
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're going to talk about that--
REP. COLLINS: They want to make it look like impeachment.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're going to talk about that more with you.
REP. COLLINS: They want to make it look like impeachment.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're going to have to take a quick commercial break, and I want to talk to you more about that on the other side of it. So please stay with us.
**COMMERCIAL BREAK**
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to FACE THE NATION. We want to continue our conversation with the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Georgia Congressman Doug Collins. Congressman, let's pick up where we left off. In- in terms of the attorney general's testimony and the questions about the accuracy and truthfulness of his accounts to the public and Congress, we now know, because it became public, that the special counsel himself wrote a letter dated March twenty seventh saying quote, "There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. This threatens to undermine the central purpose for which the Department appointed the special counsel to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations." Do you want the special counsel to appear and explain exactly what he was objecting to here?
REP. COLLINS: We've already asked for the special counsel to come, Margaret. We did that over a month ago, because we believe, you know- actually he is the- the fact witness here. He was the one that conducted the hearing- the investigation over two years spending, you know, well over 30 million dollars, had all the assets in place with the grand jury, and everything. He's the one that is the central figure here. But the one thing--
MARGARET BRENNAN: But do you know--
REP. COLLINS: --he said in that letter--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --what he was objected to--
REP. COLLINS: --I think it's worth--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --objecting to in that letter? Because, you seem to be--
REP. COLLINS: I think--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --defending the attorney general.
REP. COLLINS: Well, I think if you read the letter you see what he's concerned about. He is concerned about the public perception a la what has happened through the press on how it was--
MARGARET BRENNAN: He didn't--
REP. COLLINS: --being por- portrayed. When- when you look at it--
MARGARET BRENNAN: The quote was as I read it--
REP. COLLINS: --what he's saying is a roll out--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --there, sir.
REP. COLLINS: I read it and I read the letter as well in- in totality in which he never disagreed with the conclusions of the attorney general. He- the conclusions were right. And as the attorney general has said, and also Mr. Mueller said in that letter, he was concerned about how it was put out. He thought there might have been more put out at a certain time, and it was the attorney general's job to actually make sure on how he was going to put that out for most of the folks in the public to see it. That was I think- believe the difference if you take a strict reading of the letter.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. This is not the only hearing. In fact, there are many investigations, there are many subpoenas that have been issued to the administration and- and it seems that really you're seeing a head-to-head clash between the congressional branch of government and the White House on many fronts. Is the refusal to comply worrisome to you that this is setting a precedent that undermines the oversight capabilities and charge of Congress.
REP. COLLINS: No, it does not, because it's happened with every administration. In fact, you know, during the Obama administration there was a lot of pushback. There was always a slow walk of- of information requested and sometimes a rescheduling of witnesses. This is something that goes on between the administration and the congressional branch at all times. Now I'm very much in favor of congressional oversight, no matter who's in the White House. And we have that proper role, but there is a give and take between the two. And I believe if, especially in the regards of what we're seeing right now from our chairman, if the chairman would actually engage and then find a way to find accommodations- offer accommodations, do the things that have been done in the past historically, instead of rushing to do a contempt or rushing to a press release or rushing to make a- an assumption, then I think we could actually get to the oversight that we need to have on this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman, thank you for your time this morning.