CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Mazie Hirono
Interview
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[10:32:57] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump has accepted the offer to meet with Kim Jong-un by the end of May. And this morning, Vice President Pence says it is all because of the president's strategy to isolate the North Korean regime.
Joining me now, Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono from the state of Hawaii.
Senator, there is no state in the country that has a more direct interest in security on the Korean Peninsula than Hawaii as evidenced by the false alarm of a missile attack in Hawaii that happened earlier this year. Your reaction to the news of this meeting?
SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D), HAWAII: Right. Any path that leads to a diplomatic resolution to ease tensions in the Korean Peninsula and leads to a denuclearized North Korea is a good thing. At the same time, I want to set the record straight that this did not just happen overnight because the first direct sanctions to -- on North Korea, those were passed in 2015, we've had a coalition of countries through our own efforts and through the United Nations' efforts to impose more sanctions on North Korea, and so it's been a process of imposing these kinds of sanctions.
That has had a negative economic impact on North Korea. And I think we should also acknowledge the role that South Korea has played recently to make sure that we have an environment.
Now these are serious negotiations, I hope that we do not have what I would characterize as the Tuesday Trump, who goes in and has these one-on-one talks with Kim Jong-un, promises all kinds of things and then on Thursday he walks back. We need to have a full government preparation to these talks because it is that serious. There is a lot at stake.
BERMAN: This administration has put new sanctions on North Korea as part of the maximum pressure strategy. Do you believe that maximum pressure strategy contributed to this diplomatic breakthrough?
HIRONO: Well, as I said, that these kinds of sanctions have been imposed since 2015 or thereabouts. So it has been a process that bringing us to this pass. And so here we are, and what I'm concerned about is, are we going to be prepared to deal with North Korea, Kim Jong-un, and the way that's going to denuclearize North Korea? [10:35:12] This requires preparation. And right now one would think
that it is the State Department that should lead these efforts and we have kind of a hollowed out State Department and that so many people have left the special envoy from the State Department on North Korean issues left. We do not have an ambassador to South Korea. And so we have a State Department that I don't think is prepared as it should be.
Now these kinds of discussions will also include the Department of Defense. It includes the Department of Energy because somebody has to know what a denuclearized North Korea means and that requires technical expertise.
BERMAN: Sure.
HIRONO: So there are a lot of entities that need to be brought in, not to mention we have our allies, too.
BERMAN: No. Look, I hear your concerns. I hear your concerns. I also hear you trying to spread some of the credit for this to the past administration and to other countries as well. You seem unwilling --
HIRONO: I think that's fair and realistic.
BERMAN: Are you unwilling, though, to give this administration any credit for this?
HIRONO: Oh, well, you know what, U.N. -- our ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley has played a role. And the president's saber rattling, who knows what that has done. But it's all brought, I think -- to say that it's all been the president I think is totally unfair. So I'm just saying that let's just give credit where credit is due.
BERMAN: Sure. It doesn't all have --
HIRONO: And then --
BERMAN: It doesn't all have to be him. The question is, though, some of it him?
HIRONO: Well, one would hope so. But, you know, going forward, I'm really concerned that he's not going to be prepared enough to do one- on-one discussions with Kim Jong-un because I personally have experienced his direct discussions with people, having what I call the Tuesday Trump where he --
BERMAN: Right.
HIRONO: -- promised a whole group of us, things that would happen with regard to the Dreamers. And then by Thursday it's all gone.
BERMAN: Let me shift gears if I can to the issue with Stephanie Clifford, AKA, Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress who is suing the president. You know, on the past, you've called on the president to resign calling him an admitted sexual predator. This was by all accounts a consensual act allegedly. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, say she doesn't really see a role for Congress in this matter. Do you see a role for Congress in this matter?
HIRONO: I think it's part and parcel of the Mueller investigation as to what was going on with the Trump team. And there may be allegations that have to do with campaign spending violations. Various things like that.
BERMAN: I was --
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BERMAN: This is the first time I've heard any accusation that Stormy Daniels has anything to do with Russia. Isn't the Robert Mueller investigation about possible Russia collusion?
HIRONO: It's a conspiracy, a collusion, I don't think it's illegal. But his investigation has to continue and it can be -- it can include a whole number of things.
Our role in Congress is to try to counter the Russians, make sure that we are countering the Russian interference with our elections and I can tell you that --
BERMAN: Senator, I wasn't -- but just to be clear, I'm not asking about Russia, I was asking about Stormy Daniels, the porn actress, who is suing the president over this alleged hush money that was paid to her by the president's personal lawyer 10 days before the campaign.
Do you see a congressional role in dealing with the questions surrounding that?
HIRONO: Not particularly. But as I say, there may have been some campaign spending violations, but our role should be very much focused on Russian interference with our elections and whatever the Trump team did and collusion or conspiracy with that, which is also part of Mueller's investigation.
The investigation that absolutely has to go forward with regard to the Russian interference because -- and all the testimony that has come before the committee that I sit on, which is the Armed Services Committee, there's been acknowledgement that that interference is continuing in the 2018 elections and that there is no one agency that is prepared to take the lead to counter the Russian interference with what is -- what they refer to as informational warfare.
So, you know, you have that. And our elections are right around the corner. I would like our committees, especially the Judiciary Committee on which I sit to pay attention to those aspects of what's going on.
BERMAN: Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, a pleasure to have you on with us. Thanks so much.
HIRONO: Same here.
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