CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Tammy Duckworth
Interview
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
TAPPER: All right. MJ Lee in Wilmington, Delaware, thank you so much.
Joining us now to discuss, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.
Senator Duckworth, thanks so much for joining us.
Are you concerned that President-elect Biden has not yet met with leaders of the NAACP?
SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): Well, you know, I think he is in direct contact with many of them, but I'm glad that, you know, they are reaching out to him and I'm sure he'll sit down with them soon.
TAPPER: After all the talk in the last year or so of the need to social justice, the need for criminal justice reform, do you think President-elect Biden should pick an attorney general who is black or of color?
DUCKWORTH: Well, you know, I think that whoever he'll pick will be someone who will support criminal justice reform. I think somebody black or a person of color or even somebody with a disability will be fantastic to have in that role, and I certainly would support that initiative.
But I will tell you that Joe Biden himself supports criminal justice reform and that whoever is in that position will follow his -- his direction to make sure that we make sure that we get rid of the systemic racism that exists in our criminal justice system.
[16:55:13]
TAPPER: But as a general principle, you would agree, as somebody of color yourself, that it's not yet fulfilled, the promises that President-elect Biden made when it came to having an administration that looks like the rest of America? There have been some notable appointments on his economic team, et cetera. But there still needs to be more representation of people of color, you would agree?
DUCKWORTH: Well, I think he is well on his way and I think that by the time it's all said and done, that you will see greater representation of -- by people of color in his cabinet and his administration than any other previous presidency, and I think that he is on his way to that. Let him finish doing the job of the transition.
TAPPER: In an interview released today on Snapchat, President Obama critiqued fellow Democrats on defunding the police.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: Promoting young people is really important. We stick so long with the same old folks and don't make room for new voices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: I'm sorry. It's a different clip than I thought we were throwing to. But this is about new blood.
And do you think President Obama is right on the need for new blood in the Democratic Party?
DUCKWORTH: Well, I think we have a lot of blood in the Democratic Party and I think that we do need to continue to promote different voices so that everybody has a seat at the table especially in leadership positions. You're seeing the new blood make their voices heard. Now that said, I do think that we need to get to work right away and I'm pleased with the selections that President-elect Biden have made so far in terms of his nominations.
TAPPER: President Trump issued a threat to veto the defense policy bill unless it ends the liability protections for social media companies. What do you think of that? Do you think it's appropriate? Do you think it's dangerous for the president to threaten to veto this bill because of what he perceives to be unfairness by social media companies?
DUCKWORTH: Well, what does that have to do with Department of Defense? What does that have to do with pay raises for the troops? What does that have to do with making sure that our men and women in uniform have the equipment that they need to carry out the very dangerous jobs that we asked them to do for us, especially those who are in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and around the world right now?
This president continues to threaten to veto troops' pay raise. First, it was over Confederate monuments and bases named after Confederates, and now, he is doing it over social media platforms. If he truly cared about the troops, he would sign the NDAA, this defense budget that, by the way, passed by a great margin in a bipartisan way out of the House and the Senate.
TAPPER: CNN is reporting that since the election, President Trump has been meeting with advisers and discussing preemptive pardons for people in his inner circle, including Eric and Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Rudy Giuliani. What do you make of all that?
DUCKWORTH: I think it's corrupt. I think it's corrupt and I question whether it's constitutional. And it -- but it is very much in keeping with Donald Trump. He puts himself first in front of everybody else, in front of this great nation. And now, he's talking about all of his cronies and he's a pay-to-play president, and he's going to be a play president all the way until the end, it seems.
TAPPER: Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, thank you so much. Appreciate your time today.
DUCKWORTH: Thank you.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source