CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: "Interview with Sen. Amy Klobuchar"

Interview

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[20:42:11] COOPER: More now on the whistleblower story and the Democratic campaign. Just before air time, I spoke about both with Minnesota senator and presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar.

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COOPER: Senator Klobuchar, regarding the whistleblower in the DNI, CNN's reporting that both the White House and the Department of Justice were involved in advising the DNI to not share the whistleblower complaint.

You're on the Senator Judiciary Committee, if the inspector general said this is an urgent concern, doesn't it automatically by law need to be sent to Congress, regardless what the DNI thinks?

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would think so. And at least to the heads of the intelligence committee so they can see what's going on, because this is about protecting the security of our country. And if something is a security risk, especially involving the President, I think they should know about it. And it really concerns me that we found out about this via reporting, and now there's reports that it may just not be one conversation, but multiple conversations.

And of course, this wouldn't surprise me when you see the pattern of this President, sharing Israeli intelligence with the Russian foreign minister, with Vladimir Putin, believing him over his own intelligence people, standing in front of that CIA wall of the stars honoring deceased agents, and giving a political speech.

Think about all those things. That is a pattern of that kind of behavior that doesn't put our country first. And I don't know what this is. I have not seen this. We have not been briefed on it, but it does seriously concern me.

COOPER: You're traveling through Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania right now, states that obviously were critical in electing President Trump. It seems like the Democratic field is very divided right now on what kind of policies will actually bring those voters back.

KLOBUCHAR: Well, I'm not sure about that. I continue to believe there is more that unites us than divides us. And it was really a good trip to go through these blue wall states of Pennsylvania and Michigan and Wisconsin. These are states that Donald Trump shouldn't have won, but he did, and they came roaring back in 2018. The election of Conor Lamb in Western Pennsylvania, the election of Democratic governors in Wisconsin and Michigan, and that's because candidates were put forward that fit their districts or their state, and they were able to win and win big. And that's my argument.

So I have been reaching out to everyone from carpenters, to people at the port in Michigan, people who have actually been hurt by his policies, who listened to him in the campaign, believed him, and then have seen a string of broken promises.

COOPER: You said earlier today we've got a lot of great people running, but some of these ideas are better left in the college faculty lounge. It sounds like you're talking about Senator Elizabeth Warren, who obviously spent the majority of her career as a college professor. Was that who you --

[20:45:03] KLOBUCHAR: Oh, no, no. It wasn't that.

COOPER: OK.

KLOBUCHAR: I didn't really think of who it was. I was thinking of some of the ideas that are out there. And what came to mind was the $16 trillion package. I'm sure well-intentioned that Senator Sander has --

COOPER: Which is what Senator Sanders has proposed --

KLOBUCHAR: Yes.

COOPER: -- on climate change.

KLOBUCHAR: On climate change. And I have a $2 trillion to $3 trillion package that I think is doable and we can pay for. But the U.S. economy is $20 trillion, and that's $16 trillion.

And yes, some of the proposals that Senator Sanders and Senator Warren support, I don't agree with. I think that we should help students to go to college, and especially help these students that are trying to get their carpenter degrees and getting two-year degrees, we should make those free.

And when I visited this training facility in Pittsburgh, 25 percent of their student actually had college degrees and then they went to get a degree there because they wanted to be more gainfully employed.

So there are many paths to success. And this idea of giving free college to everyone, a four-year college, I don't think that recognizes the fact the that would be paid for off the backs of the people that I met that are working in that facility.

And so I think you've got to make it easier to get four-year degrees by doubling Pell Grants, put the aid where you need it and then also make one and two-year degrees free. So I do differ from Senator Warren and Senator Sanders on that point.

COOPER: The latest "Wall Street Journal" poll, I think 56 percent of Democratic voters said that they want a candidate who "proposes larger scale policies" that costs more and might be harder to pass into law, but could bring major change. Is-- a, do you think that's true and are more moderate positions or centrist positions like yours where the democratic electorate is right now?

KLOBUCHAR: I think my ideas are bold. And just because someone says our ideas are bold, like some of my colleagues, it doesn't mean they're bold. It can mean they're bad ideas. And what I think is bold is finally doing something about climate change, finally having a public option to bring down the cost of health care.

So you've got to look at the combination of the bold ideas and the ability to implement them. In my case, compared to my other colleagues in the Senate, I passed over 100 bills where I'm the lead Democrat.

I have gotten them done. I have set my sight on something and was able to get the support in the House and the Senate to pass it. And that's what I think we need to do as a country.

COOPER: Senator Klobuchar, appreciate it. Thank you.

KLOBUCHAR: Thank you. Thanks, Anderson.

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