CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: "Interview with Sen. Chris Coons"

Interview

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KEILAR: Bizarre, indeed.

And joining me now is Senator Chris Coons. He is a Democrat who serves on the Judiciary and the Foreign Relations committees.

We have a lot to discuss.

But, first, you heard that report about Maria Butina and so, as Shimon put it, the tentacles she had even into the private sector here. What does this tell you about how Russia operates?

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): This should warn all of us that Russia continues to be an active and an aggressive adversary that is seeking lots of different ways to penetrate our political system.

Maria Butina was using classic Russian spy techniques of seduction and engagement with folks who were significant figures in business and in advocacy organizations. As your reporter just mentioned, one of her principal targets was the NRA.

And as we saw this week, as President Trump reversed himself on his earlier strong position in favor of advancing background checks, the NRA continues to be one of the most influential advocacy organizations in the Trump administration.

So this isn't just a curiosity, a story about Maria Butina, who's now serving jail time for being an unregistered Russian agent, having a personal affair. This is a reminder that Russia has been, is and will be our adversary seeking to influence our elections and our government at the highest levels.

KEILAR: I want to ask you about the economy, because the deficit is now expected to reach a trillion dollars next year. Jobs numbers have just been revised downward for the year.

How concerned are you about the president's ability to handle an economic downturn?

COONS: I'm very concerned that we have taken off the table some of the critical resources that our government has typically had in hand if there's a sharp downturn.

We had brought our deficits significantly lower over the last four years of the Obama administration. Following the massive $1.5 trillion tax cut that was passed by Republicans last year, that deficit is now soaring back up again, and it's approaching a trillion dollars, and is projected to be over a trillion dollars for the next decade.

That makes it harder for us. We're running these record deficits at a time of record unemployment and where our economy continues to be relatively strong.

If we have a recession, this makes it even more difficult for the federal government to make investments to help us get out of a recession. So I'm concerned.

I'm also concerned, frankly, about the president's frequent reversals. This last week, we saw him make a fantastical offer to purchase Greenland from Denmark, but also on-again/off-again proposals about a potential payroll tax cut that his own administration was unaware he was seriously considering, until he overrode them publicly and said, no, no, I am thinking about that.

So it's unclear to me what his policy proposals will be to either reduce our deficits or to continue to strengthen our economy.

And, Brianna, I will remind you last, President Trump has repeatedly attacked Jay Powell and the independence of the Federal Reserve, something that I think is a very unwise move, indeed, in terms of economic policy.

KEILAR: The president is leaving for the G7 summit tomorrow. What should he be trying to achieve when he's on this trip?

COONS: He should be trying to strengthen our alliances.

Over the last seven decades, since the end of the Second World War, the United States has been made more secure and more prosperous by a global network of critical alliances in NATO, in Europe, and in countries like Japan and South Korea and the Asia Pacific.

Our rising adversaries China and Russia do not have networks of close alliances. China has nervous neighbors and customers and client states, but they don't have a network of alliances like we do.

And if President Trump is going to be successful in his tariff war with China, for which millions of Americans are paying dearly right now, he ought to be restrengthening and reinvigorating our alliances of common purpose against Chinese economic aggression.

Instead, I'm afraid we will see a repeat of last year, where he, frankly, threatened or challenged or shook up a lot of our alliances, and left the G7 with all of them wondering exactly what direction he's heading in.

KEILAR: He's calling for Russia to rejoin the group, at the same time as he's snubbing the Danish government by rescheduling his visit there.

What is the message that sends to NATO allies?

COONS: I think a negative one.

I will tell you, Brianna, the last time that I went to Denmark, it was with the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker, and the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. A bipartisan group of us went to four countries in Northern Europe. Denmark is a trusted and vital NATO ally that was among the first to come to our defense after 9/11.

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They have lost more than 40 Danish troops in combat, standing shoulder to shoulder with American troops in Afghanistan. And for our president to be advocating for Russia and for their return to the G7, when they have done nothing to step back from their aggression against Ukraine or their constant undermining of democracies in the West, and to also snub Denmark at the same time, I think shows a frighteningly off-balance set of priorities.

Our president ran as an unconventional president. He is overperforming in that category, and I think is puzzling or actively distancing our most important European allies. I hope he will reverse that trend at this G7 meeting.

KEILAR: Let's turn to the prospect of tougher gun laws, which appears to be in danger at this point in time.

The president has denied reports that he told the head of the NRA that background checks are off the table. That completely flies in the face of what our sources are telling us.

Why do you think in the Senate that the majority leader will not take this up?

COONS: Well, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, endorsed by the NRA, has relied very heavily on them for funding and for volunteers to help him remain the majority leader in the Senate.

President Trump is also someone who is endorsed by the NRA and very strongly supported by them. This flies in the face of what their constituents want. Poll after poll shows that 90 percent of Americans support stronger background checks as a way of keeping guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them.

This enjoys significant support from Republicans, from gun owners, and from, as I said, Americans as a whole. So I think this is going to be a real issue in the upcoming election. And President Trump should seize this moment to show some real leadership and to get background checks, universal background checks, a vote on the floor in the Senate, and get them signed into law.

He could do this, if he chose to stand up to the NRA. It would be an important moment, and it would help secure our public safety. But I'm afraid we're going to see a repeat of what he's done the last three times there was a major mass casualty shooting incident, where, initially, he comes out making very strong statements about his courage and his willingness to stand up and make us safer as a country, and then, within a matter of days, reverses course and slinks away in the face of a real challenge from the NRA.

KEILAR: Senator Chris Coons, thank you so much for joining us.

COONS: Thank you, Brianna.

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