CNN "The Lead With Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Interview

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Alright Michelle Kosinski at the State Department, thank you. Joining me now is Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. So Maduro ordered all U.S. diplomats to get out of Venezuela within 72 hours. Secretary of State Pompeo said Maduro doesn't have the authority to do that. Guaido is the is the president, the interim president they're recognizing.

Considering that the military is for the most part backing Maduro as of right now, are American diplomats safe?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, there's two different -- there's a difference between the military generals, the guys that show up at the press conferences with a nice uniforms and the stars and stripes on them. Those guys are going to back Maduro because he's the reason why each of them is stealing money in different ways from some criminal enterprise. But the rank-and-file members are just as hungry as the population. Their family members are in those marches. That's two different things. As far as our diplomats are concerned, look, no matter where they are

in the world, it could be with a friendly country. We never are going to allow our men and women in the Foreign Service to be in danger. I would say that if Maduro or the people around them harm any of them, there will be severe consequences and I'll leave it at that.

But at the same -- I think what the Secretary of State's position is that he doesn't have the authority to ask them to leave or even to cut off diplomatic relations because our relations are with the government of Venezuela and today the legitimate government of Venezuela is the government of President Guaido and that is who we're going to be interacting with.

In fact, he sent a letter to the Secretary of State earlier today requesting humanitarian assistance. The Secretary of State has now approved $20 million of immediate humanitarian assistance and they're working through the logistics of how to position that in a way so that it reaches the Venezuelan people inside of Venezuela.

TAPPER: Well, sir, you just made an allusion to what President Trump has alluded to before which is the idea of the possibility of the use by the U.S. of military force to ensure Maduro is ousted and for stability in Venezuela. I want you to take a listen to what President Trump said when he was asked about this.

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[16:50:00] TAPPER: All options on the table. Would you theoretically support using U.S. military force to oust Maduro?

RUBIO: Well, I'll say this to you. The United States always retains the right tact in our national security. And if a national security threat emerges to the United States or to a key ally, we most certainly would have the right to pursue that. But our focus is large has always been from the very beginning about working through the democratic institutions and restoring democracy.

Our ideal outcome here is a peaceful transition where Maduro and his cronies who are -- I mean the only reason why he's in power is because there are people with heavy weaponry and guns that are still sort of protect them. And he thinks he can command them to go out and do whatever they want and he's got Cuban agents on the ground and the Cuban intelligences directly. That's why he's in power. We want to see the legitimate government be in power and recognize

fully and have all the organisms of government. That's the outcome we want. We wanted it to be peaceful. Maduro still has a chance to avoid all of that. So I'm not going to comment about what options are available. That's the White House's decision. I'm telling you, they've made it pretty clear that depending on what it is we're reacting to all options are on the table.

But our focus right now has been primarily and solely on the legitimacy of the Guaido presidency and working through him to deliver humanitarian assistance first and foremost to people who are starving and dying of easily preventable illnesses and diseases because of the lack of access to medicine and medical equipment.

TAPPER: Let's talk about the government shutdown. A new CBS News poll reveals that 71 percent of the American people think building a border wall is not worth shutting down the government over, 28 percent say it is. Seeing those numbers, seeing the increasing number of federal workers depending on food banks, the people in your state I'm sure who are -- who are worried about not getting their second paycheck, a whole month without pay, is it time for Republicans or the White House to rethink the approach about just basic funding of the government?

RUBIO: We'll be interesting if that poll was asked differently. Is it -- is it fighting against a wall worth shutting down a government because that's actually what's happening. Here's the bottom line in all this. Everybody here says they're for border security and this plan that the President's proposed, you don't have to agree with it, and people have to agree with it, but it's not all for a wall. About 40 percent of that money is four things unrelated to a wall.

So here's my point, he's made an offer, if you don't like his offer you make the counteroffer. But right now the position Speaker Pelosi has taken is now I do not like your offer, we're not even going to negotiate with you and you're never going to get a wall. She flush -- flat out said, you're never going to get a wall. Walls are immoral. It is impossible to do a deal up here unless both sides get something in a compromise and it is literally impossible to pass something here unless the president is willing to sign it and they can pass both chambers.

That will only happen through compromise which can only happen if people are talking and right now the only people that aren't talking are the people that most need to be talking. The President who has made his offer and it's a reasonable one in my view and the Speaker who has basically said she won't even talk about any of this. So you know, we got a big problem. But I hate shutdowns. They're stupid.

TAPPER: The Senate already voted. I don't need to tell you. You already voted to fund the government without this border wall funding. The House Democrats have passed that but now Republicans in the Senate are refusing to vote for something that you already voted for because President Trump wanted this border wall money. You have had skin in the game on comprehensive immigration reform which had much more in border wall funding than this would be. Isn't this the kind of issue that requires the normal legislative

process and not what Democrats are calling hostage-taking of the government funding?

RUBIO: Well, I think it's unfortunate we've wound up in this place. You know, when we -- when we vote around that bill, the President in the White House were indicating they were open-minded about it. The next day you know, they said something very different. We're not going to pass a bill that he won't sign because you know, he had campaigned on this issue and he deserves. But let's get people talking again. That's the only way this ends.

TAPPER: All right, Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida. Thank you so much for your time, sir. I appreciate it as always.

RUBIO: Thank you.

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