Trump on Attack Before Mueller Hearing; Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) is Interviewed About the Mueller Hearings.
KEILAR: By this time tomorrow we will have heard a lot from Special Counsel Robert Mueller during his testimony before two House committees, the Judiciary Committee and the Intelligence Committee. And if he hues to instructions from the Department of Justice, he will not go beyond the scope of the redacted special counsel report. The DOJ sent Mueller a letter in response to a request that he made for guidance on his testimony. And the Judiciary Committee is up first tomorrow with this focus on alleged obstruction by the president. Then afterward the House Intelligence Committee will dig into Russian election interference. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean is a Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. Thanks for joining us.</s>REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): I'm pleased to be with you.</s>KEILAR: So Mueller asked for this guidance from the DOJ. Former White House Counsel John Dean says that this looks to him like Mueller wants to be limited. What do you think?</s>DEAN: Well, I think what we have heard from Director Mueller is that he will speak only to the four corners of the document, which doesn't concern me at all because, as you know, the four corners of the document contain damning information about Russian interference in our election, a campaign -- Trump campaign willowing -- willing to be welcomed to that interference by Russia, and then multiple 10, 11 instances of alleged obstruction by this president of the investigation. So I understand that Director Mueller wants to do his job and do it well. I have every confidence he will. And by telling us and bringing to the American people the four corners the damning evidence within that document, we will be able to reveal a lot.</s>KEILAR: Is there a big unknown that you would like answered by Robert Mueller?</s>DEAN: Actually, I don't think so. I think the document is what speaks so loudly. But, unfortunately, that document has been blurred by this administration claiming no collusion, no obstruction. Of course that's not at all the findings of this report. By the attorney general, also claiming no collusion, no obstruction. Again, not the findings of this report. So that if we can just uncover the actual findings of the report for the American people to see that, as a result of this investigation there were 37 indictments. The Mueller team indicted 37 people or entities. Seven people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted. Multiple people in jail. In connection with the obstruction by Donald Trump -- the attempted obstruction by Donald Trump. So I think the information's right in the report.</s>KEILAR: Judiciary Democrats are holding a two-hour mock hearing this afternoon. Why is it so important that you all coordinate?</s>DEAN: Well, I won't speak to our preparation other than to say it's very thorough. I've had the opportunity to work with my team in my own office, with the team of the Judiciary Committee, with attorneys, so that we craft very careful questions. What I've shared with my committee is what I believe. My words are less important tomorrow. It is Director Mueller's words that matter. So that I hope that what I do is actually craft very concise questions, simple, understandable questions so that Mr. Mueller has the chance --</s>KEILAR: Is that the goal is all members, can I ask you? Is that the goal is concise questions? So often members of Congress spend a lot of time asking the question. Is everyone trying to ask concise questions?</s>DEAN: Well, Bianna, I too have been guilty of that. So I'm just schooling myself, that I want to make sure my questions are as tightly crafted and understandable for the American people as possible, not laced with legalese or multisyllabic words. I can't tell you exactly about the preparation of everybody else.</s>KEILAR: Then how, though, when it comes to everyone else, one of the other complaints of people watching some of these hearings, whether it's led by either party, is that it's -- everyone's siloed (ph) off from one another, they don't coordinate so that they can get all of the information out of a witness. How are you all coordinating to make sure that one member builds on the answers received by the last member's questions?</s>DEAN: Well, the team inside the Judiciary Committee has been extraordinarily able in identifying and scaffolding the arguments to put the narrative before the American people. So we are absolutely coordinating. The members have been working very, very well together because we have one goal in minding. It's not to showcase us, it's to showcase the facts, the evidence, the lawlessness. The American people deserve that information. And I'm proud to be a part of a committee that will bring that to light.</s>KEILAR: So who plays Robert Mueller in these mock hearings?</s>DEAN: Oh, I'm not going to tell you the behind the scenes, but we have a couple of very able folks.</s>KEILAR: So -- OK, so someone is --</s>DEAN: They're really good.</s>KEILAR: A couple able folks. Someone is playing Robert Mueller. Are these -- are these committee lawyers?</s>DEAN: I'm not going to tell you about the behind the scenes.</s>KEILAR: All right, but there's a couple very able bodies who are playing Robert Mueller you said. All right, when -- when you are going through this process, is this -- are all members in the room together? Are you coordinating in that regard? Are you doing it in -- one member at a time?</s>DEAN: Well, again, I appreciate you wanting to know more about the process, but I like our preparation to continue really among ourselves.</s>KEILAR: OK.</s>DEAN: So I don't really want to shine a light on that. What we're really here to do is to shine a light on the facts of the report. A hundred contacts by the Trump campaign with Russia -- with Russians. Not one call to law enforcement to say maybe there's something wrong here. The welcoming and wallowing in the interference, the sweeping and systematic interference, and then a president who once he realizes he's under investigation goes to great lengths to ask people to lie for him, to document things that did not happen, to destroy documents of things that did happen. That's really what's more important than the behind the scenes.</s>KEILAR: Well, Republicans have hold their own -- they've held their own mock hearing. They're preparing as well. They're going to question the origins of the report. They might question Mueller about his team, try to paint them as biased. How will Democrats address that? How are you prepared to respond, react to Republicans?</s>DEAN: I have a feeling Director Mueller will not need our response. Director Mueller speaks with such clarity and such credibility, I don't think he's going to need our team to defend him and his work and the work of his team. You know, I was thinking about this, Brianna, as I was preparing these last two weeks, I guess, in particular. And thinking about how troubling it is that we have to have this hearing but how powerful it is that we get to have this hearing, that we have a special counsel regulation that allowed for the examination of wrongdoing by a candidate, by a campaign, and the wrongdoing and the evidence of wrongdoing of this administration. So while it's all very, very troubling, I do think the American people can be proud. We can uphold our democracy. We can say that we prize the rule of law and no one is above the law.</s>KEILAR: You said Mueller doesn't need your defense, doesn't need the defense of Democrats. That said, the president aired false claims about how he's conflicted, as he has done before. So you don't expect Democrats will address that?</s>DEAN: I don't know what everybody else is addressing, so I don't know what the preparation is on that. The president's argument about conflicted was proven hollow. It's proven hollow in the report. It was proven hollow by the facts.</s>KEILAR: But that's not a part of -- that's not a part of your goal in the hearing, to deal with that?</s>DEAN: Well, you've got me there. You're right. No, that won't be my -- that won't be my area of focus.</s>KEILAR: But -- and you can't speak for other Democrats, even though you're all coordinating and building on each other's questions and answers?</s>DEAN: Yes, no, I think it's important that we lay it all out, as -- as much of a narrative as we possibly can, to put flesh to the words that are within this report, to show the actions and the behavior both of the Russians and the Trump campaign. The absence of calling out to anyone that there's terrible, serious, sweeping interference with our 2016 election, even though it's to the benefit of Trump, wouldn't you imagine that someone would have called law enforcement? So those kinds of things are the things we're going to be examining. And, of course, the behavior, the 10, 11 instances where this president attempted to interfere with the investigation of him.</s>KEILAR: All right, we are awaiting this significant hearing tomorrow. You are on the Judiciary Committee. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, thank you for being with us.</s>DEAN: Thank you for following this.</s>KEILAR: Is the Tea Party dead? Why the new budget deal isn't making as much noise as it used to. Plus, Afghanistan wants answers after the president says he could wipe them, quote, off the face of the earth. And why the Trump administration's next move may take away food stamps from more than 3 million people.