Rep. DeSantis speaks out about Uranium One investigation

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Rep. DeSantis speaks out about Uranium One investigation

Congressman shares his take on controversial 2010 deal with Russian-backed company.

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," October 25, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY, R-IOWA: Russia vs. Trump, that should be investigated, but also Russia involving the Clintons ought to be investigated.

NEIL CAVUTO, "YOUR WORLD" HOST: Hillary Clinton pooh-poohed this whole thing this morning. What did you think of that?

GRASSLEY: Well, hasn't that been the modus operandi ever since the election and maybe even before the election with some of this stuff?

CAVUTO: So, when you hear that the FBI is still very actively investigating possible collusion with the Russians and the Trump campaign and possibly ignoring this, your thoughts?

GRASSLEY: Well, I think I stated that in my first sentence. If Russian is involved with Trump and Russia was involved with the Clintons, shouldn't Congress be investigating both?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: And his counterpart in the House agrees.

With us now is Congressman Ron DeSantis from the beautiful state of Florida. He's a House Judiciary Committee member, Oversight Committee member, House Foreign Affairs Committee member. He's kind of a big cheese there, to put it mildly.

Congressman, essentially, what the senator is arguing, I know you have argued the same, this bears at least an investigation.

REP. RON DESANTIS, R-FLORIDA: Well, that's right.

Remember the context here. Twenty percent of our uranium at stake in this deal with the Russian-backed company Uranium One, all the while, Bill Clinton is getting $500,000 to give a 20-minute speech. You have millions of dollars going into the Clinton Foundation.

And we knew obviously a lot of that. That should have been investigated by now, to be honest. But here we are.

But then we have this confidential informant who I believe is going to come forward very soon either by being released from the Justice Department or pursuant to a subpoena. He was an informant a year-and-a-half leading up to the CFIUS board approving this deal.

So, he's in there with bribery, racketeering with all these Russians. So, how could that deal have gone through without that information not being disclosed to Congress? And what about some of the CFIUS board members?

Eric Holder was one of the members of that board. I would assume he would have to know that such an investigation was going on. Was that something that he disclosed to the other board members?

It's a very questionable policy decision that was made, and there were Republicans in the Congress at the time who complained on the policy grounds.

But then when you undergird it with potential bribery and racketeering, this thing stinks to high heaven.

CAVUTO: Hillary Clinton says there's nothing there and you're making a big deal about nothing. What do you say?

DESANTIS: Well, compare the amount of money that flew to her foundation -- went into her foundation to Bill during this period. How much has gone to the foundation since she lost the election?

I don't think very much. So, why was she raking it in when she's secretary of state and potentially the next president, but then, when she loses, and she's no longer in a position of influence, suddenly, I don't see a lot of Russian-backed uranium interests shoveling money to the Clintons?

So, you will have to ask those people why they thought it was worth sending all that money to the foundation.

CAVUTO: Do you have any evidence to suggest at this point, Congressman, that she even knew about this?

DESANTIS: So, here's what we will be able to find out with this informant, is that from the very beginning, when he became a confidential informant, the underground here with the uranium and the Russian folks who were involved, there was always a focus on influencing the Clintons.

Now, what form that tip -- has taken, we're going to have to find that out. But that was something from the very beginning that the Russian interests were interested in doing.

CAVUTO: You know what is weird, Congressman, no matter what side you take, I mean, on the left or the right, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton's folks, that the Russians were sure eager to sort of involve themselves in the election, you know?

DESANTIS: Well, but here's the issue, Neil.

And I have been anti-Russia my whole career, unlike a lot of my friends on the other side of the aisle who only became that once Donald Trump was elected.

We're -- we're told on the one hand that $100,000 in Facebook ads is somehow this massive intrusion. If you hold that position, fine. But then, clearly, you have got to be concerned about the Uranium One deal and about the bribery and racketeering that went on, because it seems to me that is a more substantive intervention into our society by Russia than $100,000 in Facebook ads.

CAVUTO: Do you find it odd that you're being blocked by the Justice Department and the FBI on this? They're not coughing up anything.

DESANTIS: Well, I don't know that we're being blocked.

I think they're running some traps. I think you may hear some news pretty soon on this, hopefully.

CAVUTO: Really?

DESANTIS: Yes, I think so.

And I hope that this individual is simply released from the NDA. But we're not going to wait around here forever and a day, Neil. We see how that happens in Washington. If they're not going to release him and he doesn't feel comfortable coming forward, then the Congress is just going to send a subpoena, because the NDAs recognize that, if you're subpoenaed, under lawful process, you have got to talk.

CAVUTO: They don't always do that. Like, at the IRS, they don't always do that.

DESANTIS: Well, I think, in this case, I think we will be on solid ground.

CAVUTO: OK.

DESANTIS: But I think the Justice Department actually is working with us. All my conversations with them suggest that. So let's just reserve a little bit of judgment, give them a little time.

Don't forget, this did happen years ago. So I think they have got to go back and just see what the circumstances are. But I'm actually optimistic that he will be released.

CAVUTO: Congressman, thank you very, very much.

DESANTIS: Thank you.

CAVUTO: All right.

END

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