CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript "Interview with Sen. Amy Klobuchar"
Interview
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[16:43:06]
TAPPER: We are back with breaking news, President Trump a short time ago continuing to publicly lash out, claiming he will cooperate with House Democrats as they prepare to subpoena the White House, though he has not cooperated in the past, and he simultaneously railed against the inquiry as a hoax, and attacked the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Joining me now is presidential candidate and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senator, thanks so much for taking time out of your day to talk to us.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks, Jake.
TAPPER: I want you to take a listen to President Trump earlier today on the impeachment inquiry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No Republicans have raised concerns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: No Republicans have raised concerns with him, he says.
You talk a lot about your ability to work in a bipartisan fashion, reach across the aisle, your relationships with Republicans.
Have you talked to any of your Republican colleagues about this Ukraine scandal? Are they worried at all?
KLOBUCHAR: Of course I have.
And I think we know that, for a long time, specially when John McCain was still alive, the Republicans were very strong on the fact that you don't want to have Russia invading our allies, invading countries like Ukraine, what they did, not just annex the Crimea, but Russian separatists shooting down a plane, killing innocent people, horrific things going on.
And, in fact, I went to the Ukraine with John McCain and Lindsey Graham and stood there, so we could show we stood with our allies.
So, they have said this in the past.
And the president is wrong, in that we have seen Republicans voicing concerns.
Let's go through it, two Republican governors voicing support for at least going forward with the impeachment inquiry. Senator Grassley this weekend speaking out very strongly about protecting the whistle- blower.
Mitt Romney early on sending out a statement about his concern about the president's statements in that transcript, or at least memo of the call.
[16:45:03]
You can go through it. I'm not saying they have been strong enough, but I just appeal to their patriotism. And, also, those people that work in the White House or used to work in the White House who despise this guy, who know that he's a security risk, those people who know stuff are going to have to come forward and testify, because my guess is, there's a lot of corroborating evidence here, and that that memo of that call was just the beginning.
TAPPER: You have called the Ukraine scandal a global Watergate. You have been calling for impeachment proceedings actually long before this.
If impeachment ultimately gets to the Senate, if the House votes to impeach and it goes to the Senate, you will be a juror.
Do your comments mean that you have already made up your mind?
KLOBUCHAR: I think it is important to look at all of the evidence.
And you have no idea what counts are going to come our way, how strong they are going to be. I have been simply very strong on pushing for impeachment proceedings because of what I have heard.
And I just view this as a simple, straightforward focus on putting our country first over someone's own political ambitions, their partisan ambitions. And President Trump, from the moment he stood in front of that wall of the deceased CIA agents, that sacred wall, and made a partisan speech, has never respected that line.
And that is really the road that we have been on ever since that time. And that is why I think it is important to hear all the evidence and to have a fair proceeding.
And we're very -- you know, Senate McConnell said we have got to consider this under the Senate rules and have a trial.
Well, we better have one.
TAPPER: You and other Democratic candidates have been talking about gun control today, the need to take action, in your view.
But with impeachment hanging over Washington, the impeachment inquiry, is Congress going to be able to get anything done right now, anything legislatively?
KLOBUCHAR: Maybe it is because I'm a mom, but I have always been able to do two things at once.
That is what this is about. We in the Senate should be able to do two things at once. And we can. While the House is considering the evidence, there are tons of bills, including three gun safety bills that we're talking about today, universal background checks.
Majority of Trump voters support them. Majority of hunters support them. The work that has been done on pharmaceutical crisis, you name it. There are so many bills -- election security -- that are sitting on Mitch McConnell's doorstep.
So there is every reason we can move forward with those bills while the House is considering impeachment. We will have weeks to do it. And so it is time for him to act on those bills.
TAPPER: All right, Senator Amy Klobuchar, 2020 presidential candidate, Democrat of Minnesota, thank you so much for your time.
Have fun out there on the campaign trail.
KLOBUCHAR: Thanks, Jake.
TAPPER: And we will see --
KLOBUCHAR: Oh, it's good.
We just put our first ad out, Jake, AmyKlobuchar.com. People should watch it.
TAPPER: AmyKlobuchar.com, with a C-H-A-R, we should note.
Amy Klobuchar, thank you so much.
(LAUGHTER) TAPPER: And we're going to see Senator Klobuchar --
KLOBUCHAR: Thank you.
TAPPER: -- and 11 of her opponents on the debate stage soon. We just the official stage line up. Once again, former Vice-President Biden will be center stage with Senator Elizabeth Warren because they lead in the polls. On the left side of the stage Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Steyer the billionaire for his first debate, Senators Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders.
Plus, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, businessman Andrew Yang, Congressman Beto O'Rourke, Senator Klobuchar, and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro. That's right here on CNN Tuesday, October 15th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Coming up, new reporting about the mystery surrounding President Trump's decision to halt that military aid to Ukraine. Why months later his own administration is quite confused. Stay with us.
[16:50:00]
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