CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Jeanne Shaheen

Interview

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[10:34:16] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. And there's no question that the president did what his predecessors have not done, by sitting down for this summit with Kim Jong-un. But a big question remains this morning, and is it will this really lead to an agreement that makes the world safer?

With me now is Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. She sits on the Foreign Relations and the Armed Services Committee.

An important morning to have you. Thank you for being here, Senator.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Well, good morning.

HARLOW: Your read, is this a deal that net-net is advantageous to the United States as we sit here now?

SHAHEEN: Well, we don't know what the deal is yet. The fact is I think it's very important that the president did the sit-down and that we're talking about diplomacy rather than nuclear war. All Americans should want this effort to succeed.

[10:35:03] Several things concern me, though, about what we're hearing happened at this meeting, one that there aren't any details about how we progress next and what is actually going to be done to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. Second, that the president seems like he's already made a concession in saying we're not going to do military exercises with South Korea, and it was troubling because it seems that he didn't share that with South Korea in advance and I'm sure our other allies in the region, Japan, are also concerned about that.

And, third, there was no discussion about Kim Jong-un's human rights abuses, the labor camps that they're still operating in North Korea.

HARLOW: So, Senator, let's talk about that. Because this is what the president said when he was asked twice about human rights abuses and if it came up. He said, yes, it came up, and then said this.

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HARLOW: Here are just some of the human rights abuses on your screen so people can take through them.

Look, his critics, Senator, say, you know, he was equivocating a bit, sort of putting North Korea on par with others in human rights abuses, and, yes, there are other nations that carry out atrocious human rights abuses. But what do you need to see from this administration that will convince you that, yes, it takes the human rights atrocities seriously enough and will get Kim Jong-un to make concessions on that front as part of any deal?

SHAHEEN: Well, I'd like to see some public discussion about it. This is a brutal dictator, and for the president to talk to -- talk about him in terms that are more glowing than he talks about our neighbor to the north, Prime Minister Trudeau, is very disconcerting. So we need to see some action on this front. Kim Jong-un is a brutal dictator.

HARLOW: Senator Rubio says it is flattery, his words, the president is buttering up Kim Jong-un to get a deal. Do you agree?

SHAHEEN: I don't know what his motivation is. But I do know that in order to get a deal that denuclearizes the peninsula of Korea, that we need to see details. And the president has set a very high bar in his criticism of the Iran deal. So are we going to see verification anywhere, anytime, inspectors who can go into North Korea? Are we going to see a list of all of their sites? Are we going to see them dismantle their other missile and military efforts? Are we going to see them stop their cyberattacks and other efforts to interfere in the region? So I think these are all questions that we don't have answers to, and we really need to see the details.

HARLOW: The president stopping what he called this morning war games and that is these joint military exercises with South Korea. At least temporarily. It's a huge concession, it's a huge give to Kim Jong-un, a huge give to China as you well know, sitting on the Armed Services Committee.

Are you supportive of it at least in the near term if it gets the U.S. closer to a deal of what Secretary of State Pompeo has promised would be complete verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the peninsula?

SHAHEEN: Well, I'm concerned about making this kind of a concession before we see what we're going to get in exchange for that. And I don't think we know that yet. So I'm very troubled. I have heard from some of our military and former military leaders that they're very concerned about this kind of a concession. So I think the president acted too soon. We don't know what North Korea is going to do, and I think we really need to see some details, we need to hear plans.

HARLOW: Concerned, why? Can you elaborate on why you and some of your fellow senators -- and I'm wondering, are any of them Republican senators that have spoken to you this morning that are concerned? I mean, what is it that you think will be advantageous to North Korea? What do you worry about playing out in the near term with a halt at least of these joint military exercises?

SHAHEEN: Well, one big concern is anything that separates us from our allies, South Korea, from Japan, from our other allies in the region is a big concern. Because that gives China an advantage. And we're already worried about China's aggressive actions in the South China Seas and other places in Southeast Asia so I think that's one big reason to be concerned about it. Another is that we don't know what North Korea is going to give us in return. What we know is that these exercises have been a concern for North Korea for a very long time.

[10:40:02] They've been agitating because it means that they have to also provide military exercises and spend their dollars on that to show that they have an equal force. So that's a concern. Why are we giving this up until we know what we're going to get for it?

HARLOW: The president did say, look, I was agreed to after we signed this document that North Korea would dismantle this missile test site so we'll see what happens there.

Just quickly before you go, any Republican senators, any of your Republican counterparts who also came to you and expressed concern over this halt of joint military exercises?

SHAHEEN: I haven't had a chance to talk to -- to talk to any of my Republican colleagues this morning.

HARLOW: OK. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, I appreciate you being with us on an important morning. Thank you very much.

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