CNN "Wolf" - Transcript: Muslim Ban
Interview
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
SCIUTTO: The backlash over Donald Trump's proposal on banning Muslims from entering the U.S. is providing Democratic presidential candidates with a fund-raising opportunity. Both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton sent e-mails to supporters with a call to support to fight Trump.
For more on the Democratic reaction to Trump, I am joined by the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, and she is Congresswoman Debbie Wassermann Schultz.
Thank you for joining us.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, (D-CA), CHAIRWOMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Thank you, Jim. It is great to be with you today.
SCIUTTO: And now, the conventional wisdom is that these comments help Democrats in 2016 and it will weaken the support of whoever the Republican candidate is. But I wonder, is that definite? Because clearly, he is giving voice to a certain part of the party, and that support is proving more durable than many expected. I feel like every month people say he is eventually going to burn out, and not just the national numbers, but the numbers in the local races, Iowa and New Hampshire, are still solid for him. So, you know, how do you rectify those two?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, the way I look at this, Jim, is that our responsibility as Americans, my responsibility as the leader of one of the two major national parties is to sound the alarm bell here. I mean, what is coming out of the Republican side of the presidential field is nothing short of un-American for a variety of reasons. One is that just that Donald Trump is hurtling us towards a repeat of the McCarthy era it can be called nothing less than that. God forbid this man would become president, and actually implement the outrageous proposal that we would not allow Muslims to come into our country wholesale, and even ban Muslim Americans from traveling back into the country is just the -- cries out for a unified condemnation which has not come in any shape or form from the are Republican side, and here is what I mean. Mealy mouthed criticism that has come from some of the presidential candidates and unfortunately the Republican Party chairman, Mr. Priebus, is outrageous. What they need to do is unequivocally state that one of their candidates for president would not support this man if he were the nominee, and every one of them continues to have raised the right hand and stand by that pledge to support this man if he is their nominee. And you know, the poem that that came after World War II and the Holocaust that said -- that talks about I didn't speak up, and then they came for me, applies here. And we are speaking up, and we will continue to speak up.
[13:40:21] SCIUTTO: And let me ask you this, because the argument that you just made was echoed by Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail yesterday in effect saying that all of the Republican candidates, that it is a product of the campaign as a whole, and not just one candidate.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: That is right.
SCIUTTO: And I wonder what you think needs to be said and what phrase is necessary for them to say, because some were quick, Jeb Bush and others, were quick to come out to say I don't represent that. Paul Ryan's speech was pretty clear, and it violates not only the law but the Constitution and the spirit of the country. What do you need to hear them say?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: How about them not saying the things that they have said. Because it is not just Donald Trump that has said that Muslims are unacceptable for admission to the country. Jeb Bush suggested that we should only admit Christian refugees and not Muslim refugees. Chris Christie would have denied 3-year-old orphans if they were Muslim into this country. And Marco Rubio said after the Paris attacks not only should we be considering interment, but he actually suggested that maybe we should close down cafes and diners where Muslims gather, and in fact, compared them to the Nazi Party. I mean, so --
(CROSSTALK)
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: They are all in the same boat.
SCIUTTO: And so you have run a lot of campaigns, and you know how they work, and candidates don't say stuff unless they believe that there is an audience for that stuff.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: That is right.
SCIUTTO: And in your view, are those comments or what you call mealy mouthed reposts, as it were, to Donald Trump's comments, is that the because they are hearing from their polling, from the focus groups, et cetera, that there is public support for these kinds of positions?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: The Republican party as a whole since the development and strengthening of the Tea Party as the base has been absolutely petrified to the not alienate that base. All of them running for president understand that their pathway to the nomination will not occur without making sure that they have that Tea Party extremist base. Their supporters support these concepts, and embrace that notion. Their supporters are not a majority of the country, and so, really, getting back to the opening questions, you know, at the end of the day, that is why the 45th president of the United States will be the Democratic nominee, because when we have our nominee versus their nominee, certainly, the sense of their nominee is going to be coming from this collection of the right wing extreme bigots who would take our country backwards to the McCarthy era policies that I think that most Americans, I am sure that most Americans reject, that is why our nominee will ultimately be president of the United States.
SCIUTTO: Final question. You heard Donald Trump float the idea and not for the first time that he would be willing to possibly run as a third-party candidate. Is that good news for the Democrats if that were to happen?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, you know what goes on, on their side of the aisle is not of concern to me in terms of the political machinations, but what is of concern is a member of Congress and as an American and as the party leader is that we make sure that we support our constitution, our constitutional principles, and that we continue to be the beacon of hope and democracy and freedom and welcoming people who are freeing, and who are fleeing oppression. That is with what the Democratic Party stands for and the Republican Party stands for turn turning the clock back to the McCarthy era, and that is the contrast here.
SCIUTTO: Those are strong words, Debbie Wassermann Schultz. We appreciate having you on.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thank you so much.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source