CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Representative Gerry Connolly

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

SCIUTTO: Dan Simon at the border. Thanks very much.

I'm joined here now in Washington by Congressman Gerry Connolly, he's a Democrat from Virginia.

Congressman, thanks for taking the time.

REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D), VIRGINIA: Great to be with you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So your district includes many federal workers, some of whom I imagine are furloughed or affected by this shutdown.

CONNOLLY: Absolutely.

SCIUTTO: And what are they telling you? And I want to ask you, honestly, do they blame Democrats as well? Do they believe that Democrats share the blame for this for not keeping the government funded and running?

CONNOLLY: I think most people affected by the shutdown directly aren't in the blame game. They just want the government re-open. And they are anxious about the future. So it's not like this is their first rodeo. There have been a number of government shutdowns under Republican rule, since the Republicans took over Congress in 2010. But they are worried about longevity and uncertainty. And what do they do in terms of their household finances.

SCIUTTO: Yes. No question.

CONNOLLY: Their planning. And by the way, they take pride in going to work and doing the work.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

CONNOLLY: On behalf of the American people.

SCIUTTO: Listen, holidays are an expensive time.

CONNOLLY: Absolutely.

SCIUTTO: And that first -- that check coming up, I imagine, for a lot of folks is going to make it hard to pay the bills. I wonder, though, when folks who aren't following the news every day, aren't following every presidential tweet, may not even know that the president took ownership of this in that famous Oval Office meeting with Pelosi and Schumer. That at the end of the day, they just say, listen, Congress, take care of it.

Are you aware that as Republicans, the president, and Democrats play political chicken on this, in the end that there are dangers for Democrats as well?

CONNOLLY: Not really, because, and certainly for my constituents, they're pretty highly educated, discerning, well-informed group of people. They did all see the clip of the president in the Oval Office arguing with Nancy and Chuck, and saying, I'll take responsibility for it. I will shut down the government. And we're seeing more temper tantrums today. I'll close the border. I'll cut off aid to Salvador, Honduras and other countries, because we don't get anything out of it.

This is a very troubling moment, frankly, in terms of the president's behavior.

SCIUTTO: I want to ask you specifically about that threat to close the border. The president has done this partially before. He may very well do it. What would your reaction be to the president of the United States shutting down the Mexico border over this funding fight?

CONNOLLY: I think the president lives in this delusional world fed by FOX News and a couple of right-wing talking heads and does not connect actions with consequences. So if you close the border, you're going to re-invite huge swings in the stock market. You're going to jeopardize the economic progress we've made, and you're frankly going to do a lot of damage to your own prospects for 2020 by inviting a recession.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this. The "Washington Post" has an editorial today saying that the solution to this standoff is obvious and it's been obvious for a number of months. And that is a straight-up quid pro quo. Give the president some money for his wall and the president and Republicans make a deal on Dreamers, giving legal status to Dreamers.

This has of course been presented months ago and has shown some bipartisan support. The president is not talking about it now. Do you see that as a solution to this? CONNOLLY: Well, it was a solution, as you said, Jim. In fact it was

the solution at hand. Once again it was the president that vetoed that. He indicated that was a deal he would accept then because right wingers got to his ear in the White House, Steve Miller and all, basically he walked away from his own deal. So we don't know who we're dealing with.

SCIUTTO: Right.

CONNOLLY: Who is the negotiator on the executive branch of government that we can deal with? It's not the vice president. It's not the chief of staff. It's not the OMB director, and apparently it's not even Trump. He'll change his mind on a dime.

SCIUTTO: Well, let me give you an opportunity here. Trump does, although he takes shots at us, he watches CNN. If you were speaking to the president right now, would you be willing to say, listen, you make a deal on DACA, you'll get some money for your wall.

CONNOLLY: You know, I can't presume to speak for the Democratic majority that's coming in on January 3rd. I do think the president might spend less time on the blame game and on Twitter and actually have serious in-camera negotiations with the incoming new leadership to see if there's some kind of ground here.

The object here is to get the federal government up and running, it is to secure the border and it is frankly to regularize the status of Dreamers.

SCIUTTO: Democrats have an ambitious legislative agenda as they take over the House. Anti-corruption legislation to support voting rights.

[09:10:01] Are you concerned that that agenda will be hijacked by an ongoing funding battle?

CONNOLLY: There is speculation that that's sort of the method behind the madness coming out of the White House. But no. One way or the other, we're going to do that because there has been voter suppression going on in state after state that Republicans took over. That has to be reversed. The franchise is the most sacred right Americans have besides life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And we can't allow it to be compromised. So we're going to work on that.

SCIUTTO: You're of course on the Foreign Affairs Committee. I want to ask you about the president's summary decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. It's happening as we speak. Damaging to U.S. national security in your view?

CONNOLLY: Very. I think it's one of the most sordid acts by a president of the United States in terms of foreign policy in living memory. The Kurds worked side by side with the United States. They were the only group willing to fight ISIS on the ground, and they won. They won. They sacrificed thousands of lives. And for us to pull out and put them at the mercy of, you know, other troops, other interests in the region that wish them no good, I think it's just a craven act. And there are also 50,000 refugees under our control and the Kurdish

control. What happens to them? Do we leave them to the tender, loving mercy of the Assad government? And oh, by the way, the only person who praised this move ironically was Vladimir Putin.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Yes. Despite --

CONNOLLY: Because he's the biggest beneficiary.

SCIUTTO: Despite the fact that President Trump claimed that they would not welcome it.

I spoke to a senior administration official of this administration in the wake of this decision who said that there was no longer a national security decision-making progress in this administration. That those decisions are made on a whim by the president himself often on a phone call. That's been the reporting. Speaking to the Turkish president made the decision.

What can Congress do? Because this has become a pattern with this administration. What can Congress do? And do you have any support from your Republican colleagues to try to solve this, to reign in the president's worst impulses?

CONNOLLY: You know, we have already passed legislation on a bipartisan basis with respect to sanctions and some other areas of foreign policy. And I think we have to up that game. You know, there are vast powers that are implied in the role of commander in chief. But I think we now need to look at the powers implied in Article I because the founders certainly saw Congress as playing a much more critical role in the issues of war and peace than in the last 50 years we have played.

So I think we're going to have to re-examine what powers, we're going to have to re-examine our role in overseas missions and our obligations to allies like the Kurds who have actually done the fighting on the ground and been successful at it.

SCIUTTO: That will be a test for the new Congress.

Congressman Connolly, thanks very much for taking the time.

CONNOLLY: My great pleasure, Jim. Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source