Tucker Carlson went after you recently: He used some very loaded language about your home, which he implied you could not afford on a government salary. I own several properties. The way he talked about it is: What right does an African-American woman have to do well? He doesn’t know anything about my investments, about the house that I’ve lived in for 25, 30 years. This idea of ‘‘how could she afford that?’’ is racist, and I just dismiss it.

Do you think that the Democrats should have made a more compelling argument to black voters in the last election? Most African-Americans really do believe that we are voting for our better interest in voting for Democrats. Can the Democrats do an even better job of having a platform that speaks not only to opportunity but also to some of the targeting and killing of young unarmed black males that has taken place in our country? I think that is not dealt with nearly enough.

In 2010, the Republican-dominated House ethics committee investigated you for allegations that you tried to intervene on behalf of a bank that your husband had a financial stake in, but you were cleared in 2012. Do you think it’s odd that they did that to you but won’t go after President Trump? I was completely exonerated. There have been numerous times when Trump should have been convicted of a crime. If Robert Mueller does the investigation that I think he’s going to do, I think he will connect the dots. I think that they’re going to find not only conflict of interest but also obstruction of justice. I think he’s in for new possibilities of either being charged criminally or, as I think, impeached.

Do you think you might be having a more relaxed life if Trump weren’t president? I don’t know if I’m a relaxed person. In my spare time, I’m curious, and I explore. I collect black dolls. I have about 300 of those. I think that comes out of a history of not having those images all of my young life.