CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. John Kennedy

Interview

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BERMAN: I'm going to interrupt you only at the very end because I want you guys all to hold for a minute. Ron Brownstein, I want you to talk about young people in just a moment because you have a fascinating take on this.

But joining me now, and he has to run, so we're getting to him right now, Senator John Kennedy, Republican from Louisiana. Senator, thank you very much for being with us right now.

[10:10:01] I'm glad you jumped in right at this part of our discussion. Because we're talking about this measure before the Senate, that at least the number two in the Senate, John Cornyn, wants to bring up, which is, you know, to fix, called the fix NICS plan, to address some changes to improve the national criminal background check on buying guns. You have actually opposed these changes over the last couple of months. Why?

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I support the spirit of Senator Cornyn's bill.

BERMAN: But the spirit isn't the legislation.

KENNEDY: -- I just don't think it is going to do anything. I mean, this is what it says. It says, look, we know for a fact that many federal agencies and many states are not sending information into the NICS database. There are holes in the program you can drive a mac truck through. So in order to encourage compliance, we're going to tell the federal employees if you don't start doing your job, we're going to take away your bonuses. Well, why are they getting bonuses to begin with. To the states, it says pretty please, if you'll do your job, we might give you more money. We'll give you a leg up on getting grants. That's not going to accomplish anything.

BERMAN: Let me ask you --

KENNEDY: Can I just make one other point? If the president wanted to do something here, and I think he does, I would encourage him to send out, to call all the cabinet secretaries in and say, look, I need the names of the people in your agencies who are responsible for sending information into the database. I want their names, and their phone numbers. And if they don't do their job, then fire them. They already have an incentive to do their job. It is called a job. And if the governors, I mean, I've listened to a lot of our governors who I love dearly talk about the need to do something, the need to do something. And I -- look, I understand that. They could start with making sure their states are cooperating with the database.

BERMAN: OK. So, Senator, you say you support the spirit of the measure being proposed by John Cornyn. You sound like you want states to comply here.

KENNEDY: Yes.

BERMAN: In order to get to that spirit, in order to achieve that spirit, in order to achieve that spirit, in order to achieve anything, is there any gun measure, any legislation you can conceive of supporting?

I don't think we need more gun control laws.

BERMAN: Not a single one?

KENNEDY: No. I think we need more idiot control. Look what happened here. There were, what, 40 different calls placed on -- I'm sorry, you use that word -- you used the word idiot, I heard you use that before, who are you referring to specifically?

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Who is - I'm sorry you used that word - you used the word idiot and I heard you used that before. Who are you referring to specifically?

KENNEDY: I'm talking to the people who do this. Some of whom are mentally ill, and to them I would say, OK, misuse of the word idiot, but I'm talking about other people, we just automatically assume some of these folks are mentally ill. I happen to believe there is evil in the world. But I'm not going to -

BERMAN: So senator, when we talk about guns, hang on, just one point here is you can't, you know, I'm not going to use the word you use there, but if you're talking about mentally ill, the issue is how do you keep guns out of their hands, how do you keep them from getting guns, if they should not have them? What is the tool that you suggest using to do that?

KENNEDY: We have the tools in place. They're not being implemented. Let me say it again. The NICS database has holes big enough to drive a mac truck through. In the instance in Florida, with the man who killed all these people, there is an assumption he's mentally ill, I don't know that, so I will call him an idiot. I don't know that.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: I want to move on to other subjects right now. I do want to move on to other subjects right now but you say you support the spirit of this. Has the spirit prevented these school shootings? Did the spirit prevent the shootings in Las Vegas?

KENNEDY: No, because the law is not being implemented.

BERMAN: So you need more spirit then.

KENNEDY: The law is not being implemented. The NICS database, let me say again, is not complete because the states and the federal agencies are not sending in the information.

BERMAN: You make your opinion extremely clear. No one could ever say you don't on that, Senator. So we appreciate you coming on and giving your opinion on that.

Quickly on Russia, the president this morning called it a witch hunt. The various investigations into Russia, I assume he means the special counsel's investigation. Just quickly on the record, is it a witch hunt?

KENNEDY: No. Not in my opinion. I believe that I've seen classified and unclassified information that indicates to me that, a, Vladimir Putin is a thug, and, b, he tried to interfere in our election, and, c, he will continue to do so, and, d, we can't reason with him. Reasoning with Putin is like trying to hand feed a shark.

[10:15:13] BERMAN: You're getting deep in the alphabet, too deep for me. Let me read you what you have written on this before, sent in an interview just to one of your local papers.

"To me, the one fact we know is that Russia did try to interfere in our elections and they're going to keep try doing it. That's why I think we ought to knock the hell out of them with sanctions. Is he Trump, you say, not mincing words. Is the Trump administration knocking the hell out of Russia on election meddling? Secretary Mnuchin testified in banking committee, I asked him specifically why they were implementing the sanctions. He said that they would very soon. I said we ought to hit Russia with sanctions so hard that they cough up bones. I think that's the only thing they understand.

BERMAN: But, Secretary Mnuchin saying soon doesn't sound like knocking the hell out of them, doesn't sound like they're coughing up bones right now. Does it to you, Senator?

KENNEDY: Well, I asked him to define soon and his answer was a little bit vague. But I'm going to take him at his word.

BERMAN: Senator John Kennedy, from Louisiana, we do appreciate you being with us, sir. Thank you.

KENNEDY: Thank you.

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