CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Chris Coons
Interview
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BLITZER: All right, Jim Acosta, thanks very, very much.
Let's continue this discussion with Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who's joining us right now.
Senator Coons, thanks so much for joining us.
So, your good friend, the president-elect, Biden, he got to work today in Delaware, your home state, as he said he would, on plans to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which is getting worse and worse, as you know.
What will these next two months during this transition look like as the president-elect lays out his agenda?
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Well, Wolf, in a normal transition, the next 72 days would be very busy.
[18:10:04]
There would be landing teams that would go to every federal agency and department and begin talking about the issues that need to be addressed. There would be personnel vetting teams, and there would be significant -- excuse me -- decisions made quickly about who could fill not just Cabinet positions, but literally hundreds of positions for each of the many agencies and departments that make up the federal government.
But, as your reporting just covered, the General Services Administration hasn't released the funding for this process to begin. The president hasn't accepted the inevitability of the transition. And so president-elect Biden and vice president-elect Harris are going forward with being presidential, with leading in terms of preparing plans for the COVID response, but they are not getting the cooperation they would normally get from an outgoing administration.
That needs to change. President Trump needs to accept that he's lost the election. His allies and colleagues here in the Senate need to speak up about this matter. And we need to move forward.
BLITZER: Biden put forward a very detailed plan on dealing with the coronavirus today. He's got a task force helping him on that.
Is he also going to name an economic task force, in addition to the Coronavirus Task Force, to deal with the enormous economic issues facing the American people right now?
There's still millions and millions of Americans, as you know, Senator, who are simply unemployed.
COONS: Wolf, my hope is that, during this lame-duck period, we will be able to come together and pass a COVID relief package.
But if president-elect Biden becomes the president early next year, and we have done nothing more to provide relief, then we are likely to both have a significant challenge with a pandemic currently raging out of control and with an economy that continues to head south. I expect fully developed, robust plans and advisory committees of good choices for leadership from the transition team and the president-elect.
But, frankly, outgoing President Trump has a choice here to make in the next 72 days, whether to help the American people, help make this transition work, or whether to dig in and fight and simply hurt the very people who voted for him by 70 million or so, rather than graciously accepting defeat.
BLITZER: Can we expect, Senator Coons -- and you're really plugged in over there -- can we expect the president-elect to start naming his West Wing staff as early as this week?
COONS: Wolf, I can't speak to that timing, but I know he's done some great work. He has a very strong transition team. He's got wonderful options to choose from.
And I expect you will see fairly swift movement.
BLITZER: Yes, I suspect we will as well, knowing how these things work. And I know some of the people who were involved in leading this transition.
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, says President Trump's decision to fire the defense secretary, Esper, by tweet, no less, shows his intention to sow chaos right now. How much harder does Biden's job become on January 20 if the current president uses these next couple of months to destabilize, if you will, the government?
COONS: Well, frankly, he can do a lot of damage by destabilizing every major agency, by firing a whole series of senior leaders.
The secretary of defense has one of the most important roles in the entire federal government. And we have troops in harm's way in places around the world. The destabilizing impact of having a whole series of firings of senior leaders just because of President Trump's grievances would be one parting gift that would not be a positive thing at all for the American people.
BLITZER: We got to go, but do you want to be secretary of state?
(LAUGHTER)
COONS: I look forward to serving in the Senate and to contributing to bipartisanship here.
I know that the president-elect has some wonderful close advisers among whom he could pick. If he were to reach out to me and offer that opportunity. I'd be honored to accept it.
But, Wolf, I frankly look forward to working here in the Senate.
BLITZER: Very diplomatic, indeed.
All right, Senator Coons.
And if you're going to be secretary of state, you got to be diplomatic. So, that sort of makes sense.
Appreciate it very much.
COONS: Thank you, Wolf.
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