CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Senator Bernie Sanders on the Middle East, Hillary Clinton, and the Election
Interview
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BLITZER: As the Republican presidential candidates prepare to take on one another in tonight's debate, Hillary Clinton and her main opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, they are in an increasingly sharp long-distance debate of their own. This list of issues where they have big differences is getting longer every day. Senator Sanders is joining us now here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
[17:40:10] Senator, thanks very much for coming in.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks.
BLITZER: Let's go through some major national security issues. First, you want to be commander in chief. The U.S. has now invited Iran to participate in peace talks involving the future of Syria. Talks are supposed to take place Friday in Vienna. Are you OK with that?
SANDERS: Absolutely I'm OK. Look, I think -- I strongly supported the president's initiative to negotiate an effort with Iran to make sure they don't get a nuclear weapon. And I think that opens the potential for us to do more.
The irony is you've got a lot of young people in Iran who look very positively at the United States of America. I think we have real opportunities to work with them. And if we can work together in Syria, I think it's a real step forward.
BLITZER: You don't care that they support this brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad?
SANDERS: Of course I care. Of course I care. But I also care that what you've got now in Syria is a horrendous human disaster. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of refugees. God knows how many people have been killed. I want to see that war end. And if we can have Iran, and I would hope Saudi Arabia, by the way, and Russia, involved in ending that war, I think that's a step forward.
BLITZER: The Pentagon is, with the blessings of the president apparently, ready to expand the U.S. combat role not only in Iraq against ISIS, but in Syria, as well. Are you OK with that?
SANDERS: Well, I have, you know, the devil is in the details, Wolf. And I haven't seen all the details. Clearly, we have got to do everything that we can to see that ISIS does not gain more territory. Clearly, we have got to arm and support those people in the region who are taking on ISIS. I think we need American troops there to provide the training to those groups.
BLITZER: Training has not gone well so far.
SANDERS: That has not gone well...
BLITZER: Hundreds of millions of dollars in there...
SANDERS: If your question is am I enthusiastic about seeing American troops re-enter combat, the answer is no.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about Hillary Clinton's comments on the V.A., the scandal involving the V.A. You were the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee. She said Friday night in an interview on MSNBC, she said, "Those problems at the V.A. were not as widespread as it has been made out to be." Since then, her campaign seems to have backtracked a bit on that.
You were chairman of the committee. Were those -- the reports of the scandals at the V.A. not as significant as they seem to be?
SANDERS: They were very -- I think -- I do know something about the issue, having been chairman for a couple of years. Yes, there were significant problems.
On the other hand if you talk to the major veterans organizations -- the American Legion, the VFW, the DAV -- what they will tell you is that at the end of the day, the V.A. provides high-quality health care to those veterans who are able to get into the system. One of the serious problems we had is that there were very long waiting lists. Those waiting lists were real. They were very serious problems. And legislation that I worked on with John McCain, I hope, will significantly improve that situation.
BLITZER: So when Hillary Clinton says they were not as widespread as it has been made out to be, was she wrong?
SANDERS: I don't want to get into -- you know, I don't know exactly what she meant. Clearly, there were problems. Clearly the V.A. provides good quality health care to millions of our veterans.
BLITZER: You know, you've been criticized by some veterans groups for not doing more oversight when you were chairman of that committee.
SANDERS: I know that. On the other hand, I must tell you, I received the highest awards that came from the American Legion and the VFW for my service to veterans. I will stand aside to no one in fighting to make sure the men and women who've put their lives on the line to defend this country get the quality health care they are entitled to and the benefits they need in a timely way.
BLITZER: Do you wish you would have, looking back, you would have been more assertive?
SANDERS: I did everything that I can. And I think if you talk to most -- look, you know, veterans organizations, like everybody else, they have differences of opinion. But, again, I am very proud to have received the highest award from the two largest veterans organizations in this country for the work I've done with veterans.
BLITZER: One of your top campaign strategists, Tad Devine, a man I know well, you know him well, he says it's unacceptable for the Clinton campaign to attack you on your gun record and also accuse you of sexism. Then he told Politico, he says, if the Clinton campaign continues to do so, in his words, "We're going to have to talk about other things involving the former secretary." What is he referring to?
SANDERS: I have not the slightest idea. Look, we are going to run an issue-oriented campaign. If I am attacked by Hillary Clinton, she has the right to attack me. She has the right to disagree with me. We have the right to disagree with her. Of course we're going to talk about her record. She is talking about my record. That's there. So, you know, I think you're going to see some give and take. And we will give back as strongly as we get.
BLITZER: Well, that's a threat -- he made a threat. He says -- he says, "We're not going to stand for it. We're not going to sit here and let her attack him. We're going to have to talk about other things if they do that." That's a threat.
SANDERS: Well, I am not making that threat. I don't know what Tad meant by that...
BLITZER: He's your top campaign strategist.
SANDERS: Well, that may be, but I am the candidate. I run my campaign. So I will tell you what I believe. And that is obviously if we are attacked and if we're attacked unfairly, if I am called a sexist, for example, or other charges are made against me, we will respond forcefully. Of course we will, to defend ourselves. And we will very forcefully express our disagreements with Secretary Clinton on Wall Street, on the USA Patriot Act, on the death penalty. On issues where we disagree. That's called politics.
BLITZER: As someone who's covered politics myself for a long time that sounds like your campaign has come up with what's called opposition research and you're ready to unload on Hillary Clinton if she continues to criticize and challenge you.
SANDERS: Not a question of criticizing. I mean, if they make unfounded criticisms, we are going to respond forcefully. If they express disagreements with us on an issue, that's called democracy.
BLITZER: But do you have a list of issues that you're ready to unveil in case she continues this?
SANDERS: We have a secret list in my pocket that I'm going to take out. No, I think we know Hillary Clinton's record. She knows my record. We're prepared to discuss her record.
BLITZER: The polls have you doing well in New Hampshire and neighboring state of Vermont. Not well, this latest Monmouth poll in Iowa, not well in South Carolina, in Florida or these other major states right now. How do you plan on --
SANDERS: But first of all those polls -- that poll was, I suspect we are behind in Iowa. The main Iowa poll is the "Des Moines Register" poll which I think had us down seven points. These polls are not accurate polls. I think we are behind in Iowa. We are now putting together a very strong ground organization, but it's not widely known, though, is Secretary Clinton's campaign has spent many, many millions of dollars on TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire. We have not yet spent a nickel. That is going to change.
BLITZER: This poll did not have Biden in the race.
SANDERS: Right.
BLITZER: That was a significant development because a lot of his potential supporters have gone to her, not to you.
SANDERS: Well, we'll see how that plays out. But again, we have not done one penny of TV advertisement. She has done millions of dollars. And I think once we're up on the air that will change.
BLITZER: Senator, thanks very much for coming in.
SANDERS: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Good luck on the campaign trail.
SANDERS: Thank you.
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