CNN "State of the Union" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Amy Klobuchar

Interview

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Jake Tapper. We're here for a special hour of STATE OF THE UNION honoring the life of Senator John McCain. His remarkable journey coming to an end last night at 81 years old after he had been diagnosed with brain cancer.

He is an American icon, perhaps like no other. He is being remembered today for putting principles above self-interest as he did enduring unthinkable torture during the Vietnam War, refusing to accept early discharge. Put cause above politics quite often as he did for decades in the nation's capital. That's why every living U.S. president is paying tribute to him today.

President Trump seemingly setting aside their differences, offering his deepest sympathies and respect to the family of Senator McCain, "Our hearts and prayers are with you." Former President Obama who defeated Senator McCain in 2008 said in a statement, "John McCain and I were members of different generations, came from completely different backgrounds, and competed at the highest level of politics, but we shared for all our differences a fidelity to something higher, the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched and sacrificed."

President George W. Bush who defeated McCain in 2000 in the Republican primaries wrote, "John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order."

Joining us now to remember Senator McCain is his colleague, Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat of Minnesota. She traveled all over the world with McCain including on a return trip to Vietnam.

Senator, thanks for joining us on this difficult morning for his friends and family. You had the opportunity to see him just a few weeks ago.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA: Thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: Tell us about that. Tell us what it was like.

KLOBUCHAR: Well, my husband and I went to Sedona and saw Cindy and John, and of course he was pretty fragile, but he was still his irascible self, yelling things when things came up on the TV.

(LAUGHTER) KLOBUCHAR: Telling me his views on things. But there was this moment, I had brought a few of his books with me, and I don't know what I thought we're going to talk them through, but he pointed to a sentence from one of his books and it said, "Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself." And that's John McCain, whether it was his decision as a POW to allow others to be released before him because he didn't want to have special treatment, whether it was the way he was in the Senate standing up for immigrants, standing up for healthcare, whether it was the way -- the resiliency after the presidential race where he could have just gone home and given up.

Instead he went back to the Senate, did his work, mentored young senators like myself, taught us how to act on the world stage, always making sure he had women up front. Maybe it's all those strong women in his life from his mom to Cindy to his daughter Meghan, but that was a big part of him. And those are lessons that he has passed on to so many people in politics, and in that way his legacy will live on.

TAPPER: You know, it's interesting because the way that he is being honored this morning, last night, the way that he will be honored in the coming weeks is almost the same way and to the same level as a president would be honored, and yet he was a mere senator.

What is it about him that is causing this pouring forth of tributes from people in the political world, from Democrats such as yourself, from former adversaries such as Obama and Bush. Why? Why all this recognition for him?

KLOBUCHAR: He had a joy about politics and a love for his country that was unmatched. And while he never made it to the presidency, in the Senate, he was the leader that would see a hot spot in the world and decide, we need to go there and stand up for that democracy.

I remember just about a year and a half ago, on New Year's Eve, spending that time, something that Kelly Ayotte has done as well, with Lindsey Graham and with John McCain, on the front line with President Poroshenko because, boy, John McCain knew this was a moment in time, and he wanted to show Russia that America stood with independent democracies like Ukraine.

[10:05:07] He did that. He went every place, every place that no one else would go, to stand up for America. And in that way he was a leader like no other. But I think part of the moments that people don't always realize about him was just this humor he had, this joy for his work. And that's anyone that worked with him experienced that. So, yes, it's about patriotism, but it's also about personal friendship.

TAPPER: We also remember John McCain as a devoted dad. Every time I saw him, he started talking about Meghan, Jack, Jimmy, Bridget, Doug, Andy, Sidney, his children. He was so proud of them.

Meghan McCain, his daughter, wrote this in a statement after her father passed, quote, "I was with my father at his end, as he was with me at my beginning. In the 33 years we shared together, he raised me, taught me, corrected me, comforted me, encouraged me and supported me in all things. He loved me and I loved him. He taught me how to live. All that I am is thanks to him."

You can tell just from that statement how much he meant to her.

Tell us about John McCain the dad.

KLOBUCHAR: Well, if you ever get that honor of being at their ranch and being in their house, you see everywhere scrapbooks of their family. And I think people kind of -- because he was such a maverick, people thought of him on his own, and then they'd see Cindy sometimes. But he loved his family. I don't think it's a surprise that he spent those last months of his life in Sedona, that ranch he loved, because his family was also there, and his neighbors the Olivers (ph) that he loved, that he knew for so long.

He had this whole family around him. And what was interesting about it is, he took that same concept of honor to his family and really brought that to the Senate. So when you traveled with him, yes, you'd have fancy dinners with ambassadors and heads of state, but he would also always make sure that the group, including the staff, would be together almost every night, so we could spend time together and talk about what happened.

So even though he spent his life traveling all over the world, he always believed that there was no place like home. And, for him, that was his ranch in Arizona. And that was not only because of the beauty around, the oasis that it was. It was also because that was the oasis where he spent time with his family.

TAPPER: Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat of Minnesota, thank you so much, and spending your time with us this morning and reflecting on the loss of your friend. Our deepest condolences to you.

KLOBUCHAR: Thank you, Jake.

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