Refer to is a transcript of an interview with Rep. Summer season Lee, Democrat of Pennsylvania, that aired on April 28, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We travel now to Democratic Congresswoman Summer season Lee. She joins us from her district in Pittsburgh. Excellent morning to you, Congresswoman.
REP. SUMMER LEE: Excellent morning. Excellent to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You simply heard our CBS polling in connection with your house climate. I do know endmost weekend, Governor Shapiro advised us, if President Biden’s recess on herbal fuel allows is going on a protracted pace it’ll price Pennsylvania jobs. And we’re visible in our polling, the belief that Donald Trump can be higher 49% of electorate mentioned, than Joe Biden 33% on those oil and fuel exploration problems. This appears to be a headwind for Democrats on your climate. Are you involved?
REP. LEE: Yeah, I believe that there’s- a I believe there’s a dozen to be excited about. Proper? I believe that after we have a look at those polls, you understand, we’ll extract one factor at a pace. However the truth is, is that there are a selection of problems blended in combination that produce electorate really feel assured, that produce voters- some alternative electorate really feel hopeless, or really feel like possibly there’s a tiny reason why to take part. And I believe that we’re coping with {that a} dozen, honest? After we communicate to electorate all through my election, we talked to a dozen of electorate who, whether or not it’s the financial system, the cost of you understand, items, fuel, meals, issues of that nature, or abortion, like several of those other problems made electorate really feel like there was once very tiny choices that they’d, and that they didn’t wish to take part. And we need to determine one thing in no time to handle that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On your number one, which you gained, your democratic challenger’s level of assault was once your willingness to crack with President Biden in his unequivocal help for Israel with its warfare with Hamas and Gaza? You’ve known as for a ceasefire. In the event you consider that that is this kind of topic of judgment of right and wrong, and so remarkable, are you able to actually ask determined electorate to travel and vote for Joe Biden in November?
REP. LEE: Yeah, I believe that we do this each and every day, each and every two years, we ask electorate, determined electorate, we ask dull and brown electorate, younger electorate, we ask them to weigh the totality of our choices, honest? The totality of a candidate, the totality of the issues that we lend a hand about, that we come to the polling playgrounds with and that’s now not brandnew, honest? This is a matter that will get a dozen of factor and there are went to be very fairly a dozen of society who will really feel apprehension about that. And I believe that’s not a foregone conclusion, that there’s simply not anything that Democrats can do. After we have a look at an election like mine, we’ve open how customery it’s to jerk a pro-peace stance, how customery it’s to name for a special route within the insurance policies that the US has against the warfare in Gaza, against sending unconditional guns, offensive guns to Netanyahu and our executive nonetheless has pace to react, we nonetheless have pace to hear the parents who’ve emotions about that. And that’s what we need to do.Â
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you went to satisfy with probably the most campus protesters out in Pittsburgh lately, you might be in help of a few of the ones younger society who’ve selected to protest in opposition to what’s taking place in Gaza. Do you pay attention from them that they’re excited to travel vote for Joe Biden?
REP. LEE: To be truthful, you understand, we don’t. It’s now not a subject that, you understand, all the time comes up, nevertheless it does a dozen. I believe that the #1 purpose for them at this time, you understand, simply paying attention to what they needed to say is they wish to see a ceasefire in Gaza, they wish to see the indiscriminate bombings and killings and right- that’s the reason why they’re on there’s a dozen of noise round this that- that distracts from that. There’s a dozen of noise that tries to remove from that central message. However, that’s the central factor they’re preventing for they usually consider they usually really feel like our executive can do extra. And that’s what they’re searching for. They’re searching for some form of acknowledgement from our management, that they pay attention our wishes, that they pay attention those younger society pronouncing that we wish our nation, we wish our executive to travel in a special route.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Smartly, I pay attention you obviously distinguishing between Top Minister Netanyahu and Israel, however some society, and I’m certain you understand this, pay attention grievance and are aware of it as antisemitic when it’s important of Israel. The Top Minister of Israel mentioned that what’s taking place on The usa’s school campuses is extreme. He mentioned the protesters are antisemitic mobs, and he in comparison it to what’s taking place in German universities again within the Nineteen Thirties. How do you reply to that or the belief of that, possibly amongst a few of your constituents?
REP. LEE: Without a doubt, you understand, his language is intentional and it’s all the time been. However the only factor that I do know is that Benjamin Netanyahu has now not been at the school campus in the US. He has now not talked to those scholars. He has now not open their encampments, he has now not open or heard the message that they’re turning in and he doesn’t wish to pay attention it, honest? His primary purpose is, you understand what he’s doing over there and the rest that that harms or- or is helping or makes it tougher for him to reach that purpose, he’s going to- he’s went to distract from. However, this concept that each and every grievance of Israel is antisemitic is bad. There’s a honest critique that we will have to produce of each and every executive of each and every warfare of each and every appropriation and after we say that scholars who’re attractive within the pace commemorated custom of civil disobedience, of campus protests and motion are inherently evil, are inherently antisemitic, specifically as we see Jewish scholars status in unity with Muslim scholars, or Arab scholars and Dark scholars. Whilst you’re at the grassland, you spot that every one of the ones scholars had been operating in combination or have been studying and teaching in combination and they’re multi function resonance crying for a excess in route, specifically from Benjamin Netanyahu. So I’m now not stunned that he would wish to forged them as sinister, forged them as within the improper that’s been his MO.Â
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congresswoman, thanks for explaining what’s taking place inside of your birthday celebration and your place. We’ll must let fall it honest there. We’ll be honest again.
