CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: "Interview with Sen. Chris Coons"

Interview

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COOPER: More now on our breaking news. President Trump calling for new sanctions on Turkey and sending vice president -- the vice president there in hopes that he can work out a deal that his knee- jerk state craft blew up about a week ago.

Joining me now is Democratic Senator Coons, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator Coons, thanks for being with us.

To people who have been following this region closely, it is not stunning how quickly this situation has deteriorated after the president made the decision that he did.

When you hear people in the administration sort of pushing the idea that it was not the -- the president did not in effect green light Turkey's attack on the Kurds, do you buy that?

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I don't buy that at all. Frankly, this is what happens when an untested, unconventional president who doesn't rely on the advice of his diplomats and military advisors wanders into a very complex region and engages in erratic and ill-informed foreign policy. Frankly, after this development, many of our enemies are encouraged and some of our closest allies alarmed.

I am gravely concerned, Anderson, about what this means, not just for the Kurds who fought bravely alongside us in the efforts against ISIS but for the extent to which our allies in the region and the world view us as reliable. It was about I think six months ago that President Trump made this same tragically mistaken decision and as a result his secretary of defense, decorative former Marine Corps star, Jim Mattis, resigned in protest.

So, he had ample notice that if he made any move to withdraw our troops in northern Syria, that it would undermine our alliances, that it would encourage Erdogan and that it might very well result in chaos, we've seen that unfold faster than anyone might have expected.

COOPER: Well, also, I mean, if there's a deal with the Kurds and the Assad regime, then effectively, the Assad regime gets the 1/3 -- gets to retake the 1/3 of the country --

COONS: That's right.

COOPER: -- that has been out of its control, which is not only a victory for a dictatorial, you know, killer, it's also a victory for Russia and Iran who have been supporting the regime and, of course, for Turkey if they get this buffer zone.

COONS: That's right. And one of the things I'm most concerned about, Anderson, is that Hezbollah and other militias supported by Iran and the IRGC gain even more of a foothold in Syria, gain even more of a highway to send troops, and material and resources for Iran, across Iraq, through Syria, and into Lebanon.

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Now, this destabilizes the region.

The winners here, frankly as you put it, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Bashar al Assad, the murderer of Baghdad -- excuse me, of Damascus, the dictator of Syria who has massacred huge numbers of his own civilians and Iran.

So, on balance, this is a tragic day for the United States. All of us are urging President Trump to reverse course and to take forceful action. Sanctions will not make enough of a difference soon enough. The only thing that will make a difference here is for President Trump to reverse himself on this tragic and ill-informed decision.

COOPER: The question is, is that even possible at this point? I mean, if the Kurds --

COONS: It's very difficult.

COOPER: -- have seen this face of the administration, if they can make a deal with Assad, and Assad gets that territory back, I mean, U.S. -- would they be welcomed? I mean, even if the U.S. wanted to send, you know, several hundred special forces back in, it's not clear that they would be allowed there.

COONS: In talking with some contacts, some friends who served in our Armed Forces, I heard that, you know, throughout what has been a long and difficult campaign, where 10,000 Kurdish fighters died in the work against ISIS, it was often a struggle to make sure that they trusted American troops who fought alongside them that we wouldn't withdraw, that we wouldn't abandon them given how hard Erdogan and Turkey have pressed for the United States to abandon the YPG and our other allies in the region who fought so hard alongside us. I heard this directly from a member of the Delaware National Guard.

I agree with you, Anderson, the premise of your question. Trump may very well have shattered any hope of our regaining their trust and of regaining this critical foothold in the region. Only direct and forceful engagement with Erdogan, a frankly clear threat that this would undo our relationship, our strategic partnership of many decades as a NATO ally, might be enough to stop the Turkish assault. But frankly in terms of Russia and Syria and Iran, gaining a critical foothold, and the Kurds losing all faith in us, that damage maybe irretrievable.

COOPER: Senator Coons, I appreciate it. Thank you for being with us tonight.

I'm going to get the reaction to new polling in the Democratic race for the White House coming up. First, multiple breaking news stories on Rudy Giuliani. A witness on Capitol Hill today testifies about Giuliani's role in shadow diplomacy. Also, "The Wall Street Journal" says federal prosecutors are now

examining Rudy Giuliani's business dealings in Ukraine and his banking records as well. That's next.

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