CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Joni Ernst (R), Iowa

Interview

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BURNETT: OUTFRONT tonight, Republican Senator Joni Ernst.

And, Senator Ernst, thanks so much for your time tonight.

You know, just to be clear, of course, it wasn't a break-in, right? The FBI had had multiple search warrants for these locations and they had obtained these from a judge which felt there was probable cause, who felt there was probable cause for a possible crime.

The president called the raid on Michael Cohen's office in his words a, quote, attack on our country. Do you agree with that, Senator?

SEN. JONI ERNST (R), IOWA: Well, I can't speak for the president, but what I would want to know is what is the tie-in with the investigation? What are we talking about? Is it Russia? Is it elections collusion? That's what I would want to know.

And so, I want to know what the tie-in is with this addition to the investigation. I really want to know, was there collusion with the elections process? That's what we need to correct before we see any more involvement of Russia in our election cycle. That's at the heart of the matter.

BURNETT: It is at the heart of the matter. I just want to make sure I understand though if Bob Mueller uncovered something related to Stormy Daniels or bank fraud or something else, we do understand that some of these seizures were related to Stormy Daniels, and therefore referred it to another jurisdiction because he felt it was outside his purview.

Would you be OK with them pursuing it if indeed it was a crime and it was committed with perhaps the president's knowledge?

ERNST: If he had found actual evidence that there was something wrong, certainly that's fine. But going back to Robert Mueller, we really want to get at the heart of Russia in their investigation there with our elections process. So, anything other than that is kind of an aside and let that go where it may. But certainly from my perspective in Congress, I want to know about Russia and our election cycle.

BURNETT: And the president, of course, Senator, was asked whether he would fire Bob Mueller over this. He sidestepped the questions and said would I -- would I fire Bob Mueller, you know, sort -- didn't dismiss it, didn't answer in the affirmative though.

The Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has put out a statement warning the president not to do it and in saying in part, quote: The president is thinking of using this raid the fire special counsel Mueller or otherwise interfere with the chain of command and the Russia probe. We Democrats have one simple message for him: don't.

Obviously, Senator, you speak as a Republican tonight, do you agree with Senator Schumer? Should Mueller be off the table or would you be OK if the president fired Bob Mueller now?

ERNST: Well, the president has the ability to do that, but I don't see him doing that. I think we have come too far in the Russia investigation. And again, I think that that needs to be investigated fully and once Robert Mueller has come to the conclusion, whether there was collusion, wasn't collusion, how Russia was involved in the election cycle, then that means to be wrapped up and presented to Congress.

BURNETT: Senator, I want to turn to the other breaking story tonight. The president obviously all of this in the midst a meeting with his national security team on a crucial decision for this country, which is whether to strike Syria with missiles and whether such a strike is imminent.

Here is what he said about that.

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BURNETT: Senator, the president said that he's going to be making a decision tonight or very shortly thereafter do you have any sense of how imminent this is. Could a decision and a strike come tonight?

ERNST: I think a decision could come very soon and I know that the president will take the advice of his military commanders very seriously. The images that we see coming out of Syria are heartbreaking -- innocent men, women and children have been killed and thousands of others injured in this chemical attack. We need to take that seriously here in the United States, and I do believe that the president will act soon.

BURNETT: You know, and you talk about those images they are hard to watch. But it's important for people to see them to understand what we are talking about, to understand that these are human lives, these are children, these are people who have undergone horrific suffering in what appears to be a chemical attack. We know at least people are dead many more injured, perhaps the gas being so heavy that it sunk down into the basement where children and families were seeking refuge.

Senator, you know, you've served in the armed forces you've spent a long career doing so, you've spent time in the region. Do you support another strike?

ERNST: I do and I supported the president's strike last year about this same time as well. It is important that when these atrocities are committed that we act swiftly, and I believe the president will do that as a veteran, as the chairwoman of the emerging threats and capabilities, subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee. It is important to understand what is going on in Syria and then also, what are the connections with Iran and Russia? Those are also some of my concerns.

They continue to prop up the Bashar al-Assad regime and we can't have them involved in this region, especially when we see that they are not following through with getting rid of chemical weapons in Syria. We can't continue to see these types of deaths occur in an innocent civilian population.

BURNETT: Senator Ernst, thank you so much for your time tonight.

ERNST: Thanks, Erin. Thank you.

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