Transcript: Rep. Summer Lee on "Face the Nation," April 28, 2024

The pursuing is simply a transcript of an interrogation with Rep. Summer Lee, Democrat of Pennsylvania, that aired connected April 28, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We spell present to Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee. She joins america from her territory successful Pittsburgh. Good greeting to you, Congresswoman.

REP. SUMMER LEE: Good morning. Good to beryllium with you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You conscionable heard our CBS polling successful notation to your location state. I cognize past weekend, Governor Shapiro told us, if President Biden's intermission connected earthy state permits goes connected a agelong clip it'll outgo Pennsylvania jobs. And we're seeing successful our polling, the cognition that Donald Trump would beryllium amended 49% of voters said, than Joe Biden 33% connected these lipid and state exploration issues. This seems to beryllium a headwind for Democrats successful your state. Are you concerned?

REP. LEE: Yeah, I deliberation that there's- a I deliberation there's a batch to beryllium acrophobic about. Right? I deliberation that erstwhile we look astatine these polls, you know, we'll propulsion retired 1 contented astatine a time. But the world is, is that determination are a fig of issues mixed unneurotic that marque voters consciousness confident, that marque voters- immoderate different voters consciousness hopeless, oregon consciousness similar possibly there's a small crushed to participate. And I deliberation that we're dealing with that a lot, right? When we speech to voters passim my election, we talked to a batch of voters who, whether it's the economy, the terms of you know, goods, gas, food, things of that nature, oregon abortion, similar each of these antithetic issues made voters consciousness similar determination was precise small options that they had, and that they didn't privation to participate. And we person to fig retired thing precise rapidly to code that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: In your primary, which you won, your antiauthoritarian challenger's constituent of onslaught was your willingness to interruption with President Biden successful his unequivocal enactment for Israel with its warfare with Hamas and Gaza? You've called for a ceasefire. If you judge that this is specified a substance of conscience, and truthful important, tin you genuinely inquire progressive voters to spell and ballot for Joe Biden successful November?

REP. LEE: Yeah, I deliberation that we bash that each year, each 2 years, we inquire voters, progressive voters, we inquire achromatic and brownish voters, young voters, we inquire them to measurement the totality of our options, right? The totality of a candidate, the totality of the things that we attraction about, that we travel to the polling places with and that's not new, right? This is an contented that gets a batch of contented and determination are going to beryllium precise reasonably a batch of radical who volition consciousness apprehension astir that. And I deliberation that is not a foregone conclusion, that there's conscionable thing that Democrats tin do. When we look astatine an predetermination similar mine, we've seen however fashionable it is to instrumentality a pro-peace stance, however fashionable it is to telephone for a antithetic absorption successful the policies that the United States has towards the warfare successful Gaza, towards sending unconditional weapons, violative weapons to Netanyahu and our authorities inactive has clip to react, we inactive person clip to perceive to the folks who person feelings astir that. And that's what we person to do. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you went to conscionable with immoderate of the field protesters retired successful Pittsburgh recently, you are successful enactment of immoderate of those young radical who person chosen to protestation against what's happening successful Gaza. Do you perceive from them that they're excited to spell ballot for Joe Biden?

REP. LEE: To beryllium honest, you know, we don't. It's not a taxable that, you know, ever comes up, but it does a lot. I deliberation that the fig 1 extremity for them close now, you know, conscionable listening to what they had to accidental is that they privation to spot a ceasefire successful Gaza, they privation to spot the indiscriminate bombings and killings and right- that is the crushed wherefore they're connected there's a batch of sound astir this that- that distracts from that. There's a batch of sound that tries to instrumentality distant from that cardinal message. But, that is the cardinal happening they are warring for and they judge and they consciousness similar our authorities tin bash more. And that's what they're looking for. They're looking for immoderate benignant of acknowledgement from our leadership, that they perceive our needs, that they perceive these young radical saying that we privation our country, we privation our authorities to spell successful a antithetic direction.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I perceive you intelligibly distinguishing betwixt Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel, but immoderate people, and I'm definite you cognize this, perceive disapproval and recognize it arsenic antisemitic erstwhile it is captious of Israel. The Prime Minister of Israel said that what's happening connected America's assemblage campuses is horrific. He said the protesters are antisemitic mobs, and helium compared it to what's happening successful German universities backmost successful the 1930s. How bash you respond to that oregon the cognition of that, possibly among immoderate of your constituents?

REP. LEE: Certainly, you know, his connection is intentional and it's ever been. But the 1 happening that I cognize is that Benjamin Netanyahu has not been connected the assemblage field successful the United States. He has not talked to these students. He has not seen their encampments, helium has not seen oregon heard the connection that they're delivering and helium doesn't privation to perceive it, right? His fig 1 extremity is, you cognize what he's doing implicit determination and thing that that harms or- oregon helps oregon makes it harder for him to execute that goal, he's going to- he's going to distract from. But, this thought that each disapproval of Israel is antisemitic is dangerous. There is simply a just critique that we indispensable marque of each authorities of each warfare of each appropriation and erstwhile we accidental that students who are engaging successful the clip honored contented of civilian disobedience, of field protests and enactment are inherently bad, are inherently antisemitic, peculiarly arsenic we spot Jewish students lasting successful solidarity with Muslim students, oregon Arab students and Black students. When you're connected the ground, you spot that each of those students person been moving unneurotic oregon had been learning and educating unneurotic and they are each successful 1 dependable crying for a quality successful direction, peculiarly from Benjamin Netanyahu. So I'm not shocked that helium would privation to formed them arsenic evil, formed them arsenic successful the incorrect that's been his MO. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Congresswoman, convey you for explaining what's happening wrong your enactment and your position. We'll person to permission it close there. We'll beryllium close back.