CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Senator John Kennedy

Interview

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SCIUTTO: Welcome back. A lot of news breaking this morning. And we're joined now by Senator John Kennedy, he's Republican from Louisiana, member of the Budget, Banking and Appropriations and Judiciary Committees.

Senator Kennedy, thanks very much for taking the time this morning.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R), LOUISIANA: You bet, Jim.

SCIUTTO: First, I want to start. You've seen the announcement, our reporting and others, on the announcement that the president will withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria. And the president claiming a short time ago that the U.S. has defeated ISIS in Syria. In fact the latest Pentagon I.G. report says that there are still 30,000 ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Do you disagree with the president's claim, that ISIS is defeated?

KENNEDY: I don't know yet what I think about the president's actions, Jim. I'm not trying to dodge the question. I want to hear -- I want to get a briefing from the White House and I want to talk to General Mattis. I think we have for the most part 95 percent driven ISIS out of the Middle East. Having said that, I want to understand the impact that this will have on our Kurdish friends. We would not have been able to defeat ISIS without help from the Kurds. And I want to make sure we're not leaving them high and dry.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you, this clearly serves Russia's interests. It serves Iran's interests there. They don't like having U.S. forces on the ground. It takes pressure off of ISIS there. How would this serve U.S. interests at all particularly from a president who criticized President Obama for withdrawing forces too quickly from Iraq which allowed ISIS to then reconstitute there?

KENNEDY: Well, it could -- it could serve American interests. I mean, we have spilled a lot of blood and spent a lot of taxpayer money in the Middle East including but not limited to Syria. I just don't know yet. I'm really not trying to dodge your question. General Mattis, President Trump have information that you and I don't have. I will be briefed again. I think for the most part we have defeated ISIS. It doesn't mean there are not still some terrorists left. There are. I don't like spend a penny more than we have to in the Middle East. But I am worried about how -- concerned would be the right word. I don't know enough to be worried about the impact this would have on our Kurdish friends.

SCIUTTO: In fairness to you, I just want you to know because you can't see this where you are standing. We've been showing footage, that CNN exclusive, it's drone footage from the aftermath of a battle with ISIS just within the last several days in a part of Syria called Hajin.

KENNEDY: Right.

SCIUTTO: How can there still be -- the picture, just if I can describe to you, it's devastating. It looks like Dresden after World War II. I mean how can you have fighting like this within the last few days and ISIS being defeated?

KENNEDY: Well, we're -- I didn't say they were totally defeated by I do think they're 95 plus percent defeated. We're certainly in much better shape today than we were this time last year and the year before. And number two, we're not the only country fighting ISIS in the Middle East. Iraq is, as well. So is Iran. So are other Middle Eastern countries. And I'm happy to see them doing more of their part. And again --

SCIUTTO: So you're saying we're going to rely on Iran in part to fight ISIS now, the U.S. is?

KENNEDY: No, I didn't say that.

SCIUTTO: OK.

KENNEDY: I said there are other countries in the Middle East fighting ISIS along with the United States.

SCIUTTO: Understood. OK. I want to move on, if I can, to the budget debate of course. That's atop of your -- Republicans' and Democrats' agenda. We just learned that Senator Mitch McConnell, the GOP majority leader, of course, says that a short--term continuing resolution is coming here. Not clear whether -- it looks like the president is not going to get his $5 billion for the wall. You have said the wall is necessary. That walls work.

Do you believe that the president has let you down on this?

KENNEDY: No. I think I'm biased, of course. But I think Mrs. Pelosi let us down. I did not believe from day one that Mrs. Pelosi would ever agree to a penny for the border wall because she wants to be speaker of the House. And I think it would be fair to say that the new House of Representatives will be further to the left than the former House of Representatives.

[10:20:07] And many of them will not vote for her for speaker if she is seen as giving in to the president. That is just the political reality here. I do think border walls work. They are working right now in San Diego. And in El Paso, Yuma, the West Bank in the Israel, they are working in Bulgaria, India, Saudi Arabia. But this debate is more than just about border security.

My position on immigration is very simple. Legal immigration makes us stronger. Illegal immigration is illegal and one way to stop it is enhancing border security.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you about another topic if I can because we appreciate having you on. You are aware of Michael Flynn -- retired General Michael Flynn's court appearance yesterday. As you know the president, his supporters and the White House have repeatedly alleged that he was tricked into lying to the FBI. In that courtroom yesterday Flynn himself repeatedly alleged that he was tricked into lying by the FBI. And yet in that courtroom yesterday Flynn himself repeatedly asked by the judge and his lawyers repeatedly asked by the judge said in no uncertain terms they were not entrapped. And yet Sarah Sanders then repeated the ambush claim some hours after that.

Is there any evidence in your view that general Flynn was tricked or mistreated by the FBI? And if so, why does Flynn and his lawyers say otherwise?

KENNEDY: No. I read the 302 from Mr. Flynn. As you know, a 302 is the FBI agent's summary of the interview. It's on the Internet. I encourage everybody to go read the 302 and draw your own conclusions. I have read it. I see no indication that Mr. Flynn was tricked. There were no trick questions. I don't think he was coerced. He was given several opportunities to tell the truth. And he told a bald faced lie. And that's just the fact. And I think he owes --

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SCIUTTO: Did the White House then telling a lie now --

KENNEDY: I think he knows --

SCIUTTO: So sorry. If I could finish, I was just to say, is the White House then telling a lie by continuing to claim that he was tricked?

KENNEDY: I don't speak for the White House and I don't work for the White House. I do think that Mr. Flynn, 33 years as an army general with a deep background in national security, he had to know there was a good chance that the FBI knew about his conversation with the Russian ambassador and he chose not to tell the truth. And I think he owes an apology to the American people.

I think he owes an apology for President Trump. I think he let him down. President Trump picked him to be the national security adviser for the most powerful and in my judgment the greatest country in all of human history. And he paid -- repaid the president by lying to the FBI. It's a serious matter. And I think he did it. Now let's -- you know, acts have consequences.

SCIUTTO: And you're right, his service deserves to be noted. I've talked to a lot of folks who served with him. They make the same point.

KENNEDY: Well, and his service deserves to be noted. But let me tell you, Mr. Flynn, and I didn't like this either, he was an unregistered foreign agent for Turkey, not while he was national security adviser now. But he was unregistered for the longest time. He was taking money from President Erdogan in Turkey and writing op-ed pieces in support of Mr. Erdogan. Without disclosing that to the American people.

Now that is a violation of law.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

KENNEDY: And I don't think it's a testament to his character. He did not do it while he was working for the president. But I'm just thinking of the country and the president down.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And two of his colleagues now have been indicted for that.

Senator John Kennedy, thanks very much for taking the time and taking the hard questions.

KENNEDY: You bet, Jim.

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