Rep. Laurel Lee Joins NewsNation, Elizabeth Vargas to Discuss New Bipartisan Task Force

HAPPENING AGAIN. THAT PANEL INCLUDES 6 DEMOCRATS, 7 REPUBLICANS, REUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE, MORE WORLDLY FROM FLORIDA IS ONE OF THEM AND SHE IS JOINING US NOW. REPRESENTATIVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON TODAY. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO TODAY'S TESTIMIMONY? ANYTHING THERE FRO A DIRECTOR ROAD THAT SURPRISE YOU? >> WELL, I THINK TODAY'S TETIMONY WAS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN THAT WE HAD A GREATER DEGREE OF CANDOR ABOUT THE FAILURES ABOUT THE FACTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. SO IT WAS CERTAINLY A GOOD FIRST STEP TOWARD CANDOR. THAT BEING SAID IT REALLY ALSO REVEALED A NUMBER OF THE CORE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED HERE. NAMELY THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION AND A LACK OF COORDINATION BETWEEN STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FEDERAL AGENTS. WE HAVE SECRET SERVICE BASICALLY SAYING THAT THEY THOUGHT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HAD COVERED ONE OF THE VERY CRITICAL PLACES INVOLVED IN THIS SCENE, WHICH I WILL SAY AT LAST WEEK, A GROUP OF US WENT OUT TO ACTUALLY VISIT THE SITE. AND IT'S REMARKABLE HOW SMALL IT THIS IS NOT A LARGE RALLY SITE. THERE ARE NOT A LARGE NUMBER OF BUILDINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE SECURED. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN OPERATION THAT THE SECRET SERVICE COULD EXECUTE AND EXECUTE SAFELY. SO I KNOW OURASK FORCE WANTS TO BRING IN ALL OF THESE PEOPL THE SECRET SERVICE, THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AT THE RALLY GET ALL OF THE FACTS AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. SO WE CAN BE SURE THAT AS THEY GO OUT THERE, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, PRESIDENT TRUMP, THAT THEY ARE KEPT SAFE AT OTHER AT OTHER EVENTS AND VENUES WHERE SECRET SERVICE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SECURITY. I WANT TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, THE TASK FORCE IS GOING TO BE CONDUCTING SO MANY INTERVIEWS ARE SO MUCH EVIDENCE COMING IN. >> THIS IS NOT AN EASY THING TO DO TO ACCOMPLISH. WHERE IS THE TASK FORCE GOING TO START WHEN IT COMES TO THIS INVESTIGATION? WELL, I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT OUR HOUSE TASK FORCE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PARTICULAR MEMBERS THAT ARE SELECTED. >> WE MEMBERS WITH EXPERIENCE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. WE HAVE FORMER MILITARY MEMBERS. WE HAVE FORMER PROSECUTORS. SO WE HAVE A COLLECTION OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING ON THIS TASK FORCE. WE ALSO HAVE THE REPRESENTATIVE WHO ACTUALLY REPRESENTS THIS AREA. BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA IS LEADING OUR TASK FORCE. SO I THINK SPEAKER JOHNSON AND LEADER JEFFRIES WORKED A VERY DELIBERATELY TO IDENTIFY A SET OF MEMBERS WHO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING FROM HOW TO PROCESS A CRIME SCENE TO HOW TO BUILD AN INVESTIGATION TO HOW TO PROSECUTE A CASE. AND THOSE ARE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES THAT I THINK WILL SERVE US VERY WELL IN GETTING STARTED DEVELOPING THE FACTS AND GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT HAPPENED. SO I KNOW WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT PROCESS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO KNOW THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW HOW COULD THERE HAVE BEEN SUCH A CRITICAL FAILURE? SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS AN IMPORTANT THING THAT SECRET SERVICE TODAY WAS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THIS WAS A FAILURE, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON HERE BECAUSE FUNDAMENTALLY, THEY'RE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STATE LOCAL PARTNERS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THESE EFFORTS. SO THEY'RE THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY MUST BE AN ADEQUATE PLAN FOR COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION FOR EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WHO IS ON THE SCENE. LIKE I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT PLAN BECAUSE CONGRESSIONAL TASK FORCES ARE GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO LEVY SUBPOENAS WHO DO PLAN TO PAY 9 0ST. >> WELL, OUR TASK FORCE WILL CERTAINLY GET TOGHER AND CONFER ABOUT EXACTLY WHERE THAT GOES. BUT I CAN TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, WE'LL CERTAINLY NEED TO TALK TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO WERE THERE THAT DAY WILL CERTAINLY WANT TO TALK TO SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE AT THE RALLY, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING THE OPERATIONAL PLAN. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL START WITH REQUESTS TO COME IN FIRST FOR INTERVIEWS. YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE A SUBPOENA. THAT TENDS TO HAPPEN FOR FOLKS WHO ARE SO CO-OPERATIVE WITH US. SO, YOU KNOW, WILL CERTAINLY START BY TRYING TO BRING IN WITNESSES A VOLUNTARILY ELECTIVE LEE WHO WANT TO COME IN AND HELP US GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT HPPENED. AND THE FBI HAS ALREADY SAID THAT THEY'VE INTERVIEWED MISTER TRUMP. WILL YOU GET ACCESS TO THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S INTERVIEW? WELL, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND IT IS ONE THAT WE DON'T KNOW YET. I WOULD ASSUME THAT WE WILL CERTAINLY HAVE ACCESS HIS STATEMENTS AND OUT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW. AND THAT IS TYPICAL IN AN INVESTIGATION BECAUSE HERE HE IS THE VICTIM. HE IS THE VICTIM OF AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ANY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF VICTIM PLAYS A REALLY PIVOTAL ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT HAPPENED IN UNDERSTANDING THAT PERSPECTIVE. WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE THAT DAY. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE VISITED BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, THAT WAS ANOTHER THING THAT REALLY CAME THROUGH TO ALL OF US TALKING TO THE PEOPLE WHO CAME TO THAT RALLY WHO SHOWED UP WITH THEIR FAMILIES ON, YOU KNOW, IN AN AFTERNOON EXPECTING TO HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY THAT REALLY HAVE JUST BEEN STRICKEN WITH ABSOLUTE TRAGEDY. SO, YOU KNOW, THEIR STORIES TO WHAT THEY SAW AND HEARD WHAT THEY OBSERVED ARE ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT TO PUTTI