CNN "Erin Burnett Out Front" - Transcript: "Interview with Rep. Brad Schneider"

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan Collins. I want to go out front now to Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider. He recently returned from a congressional delegation trip to Israel and you know a lot about what is happening here right now.

Sir, look, I just want to start with this, at the heart of this for people who may not follow the specific details of a boycott movement. You have been critical of some comments these Congresswomen have made about Israel, the support that they have for the BDS movement, which is essentially boycotting Israel. You have called that movement, anti-semitic. You've introduced a resolution opposing it.

So I'm just making it clear, you don't agree with them. You don't agree with any of their point of view on this, but you think they should be still let into Israel, right?

REP. BRAD SCHNEIDER (D-IL): Absolutely. I've been critical of their attacks on the U.S.-Israel relationship, their support for the Boycott, divestment and Sanctions movement. I have called that movement anti-semitic for two basic reasons.

First is its absolute denial of the Jewish aspiration for a state in Israel and its refusal to support a two-state solution that will ultimately bring peace for Israelis and Palestinians. The BDS movement is anathema to that peace process. And that's why just last month you saw 398 Members of Congress, 209 Democrats and 189 Republicans vote in support of condemning BDS and our support for Israel.

Israel's always been bipartisan, but that doesn't change the fact that two Members of Congress going to Israel. A month ago we heard from the Ambassador of Israel to the United States a promise that they would be allowed to visit Israel. And today, the government reversed and went back on that promise and said they can't come. I think this was an unforced error, unnecessary and will do more damage than any chances of protecting Israel's reputation.

BURNETT: All right. I mean I guess from a very basic point of view if you don't go to a place to learn anything about it, you're not going to change your mind. But can I just ask you about Trump's role in this. I mean the White House today tried to say he didn't have anything to do with it but then he said that he did. Obviously, he made his point of view very clear and then he said he did call some people and talk to some people over there.

SCHNEIDER: Right.

BURNETT: And Ambassador Dermer, of course, is the one - he knows everything. He knows everyone. He's incredibly close to Prime Minister Netanyahu as well as to people here. Have you spoken to him today about this and Trump's role?

SCHNEIDER: Not today. I spoke to Ambassador Dermer yesterday. I expressed my concern about the pending decision. I told him that I thought it was the wrong decision that it would do more harm than good for sure and that I felt that the Israeli government should live up to the promise made last month that these two representatives would be allowed to visit Israel.

BURNETT: So do Trump emboldened them?

SCHNEIDER: I think Trump not just emboldened him. I think he pressured the government. He pressured Prime Minister Netanyahu. Trump put himself, interjected himself into this process, nothing is changed, as you said in the lead in, the positions of these two representatives was clear long before our Ambassador Dermer made the promise last month.

I don't think they were going to go to try to have their mind changed. I don't think they were going to make an effort to see the multi- facets of Israel and Palestinian conflict as we did last week. By the way, I just came home, as you mentioned, from a trip with more than 70 Members of Congress where we not only visited Israel but we went to Ramallah.

The Democrats had a meeting with Prime Minister Abbas. I was disappointed that Abbas refused to meet with the Republicans this week. But we had a chance to see the different aspects, the multiple perspectives, the challenges Israel faces in a very difficult region but also the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship and it's unfortunate that --

BURNETT: So what --

SCHNEIDER: Go ahead.

[19:10:03] BURNETT: So you're saying that people who support the movement that you see as anti-semitic should still be allowed to go even though as you point out they had put the location of where they were going as Palestine? I mean, look, they have a very clear political point of view on this.

SCHNEIDER: Right.

BURNETT: But just to be clear, when the President says in his tweet they hate Jews, OK, that's what he said, I'm just looking for the exact wording here so I could read it. But you saw the tweet.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, and I talked to the President and he said --

BURNETT: "They hate Israel and all Jewish people." Do you think that that's true?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I've had conversations with Tlaib and what I've said to her is she and I are going to always have a different narrative. I'm not going to change her mind, but I am confident that the work we did - I mean, I spent several months working with my colleagues trying to build support for House Resolution 246.

We had 398 members vote in support of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship in support of Israel security. And that the ultimate outcome down the road will be a negotiated agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. And 398 members of Congress, bipartisan, condemning BDS as antagonistic and unhelpful to moving that process forward.

Representative Tlaib and Omar have a different perspective. I'm not going to change their mind, but it doesn't change the fact that the overwhelming majority of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress both sides support Israel and Israel's security. BURNETT: Yes. I hear you. I'm just trying to get a direct answer,

regardless of the appropriateness of the President saying what he's saying, OK, it's inappropriate. But is there any merit in what he's saying? I mean you know her, she knows you, is what he's saying total BS or not?

SCHNEIDER: I think what he's saying is BS. What are you saying - I'm not going to get into name calling, I'm not going to try to put myself in the heart or minds of my colleagues, but what I do know is that the United States Congress supports Israel's security, has for the entire 71 years of Israel's existence has invested in that security that we benefit mutual beneficial outcomes of the relationship between the United States and Israel and we will continue to pursue that.

And the actions of this president, what he did today, what he's been doing for a while, by creating a wedge between Democrats and Republicans, that doesn't help Israel's security. It actually diminishes it and we need to make sure we preserve that bipartisan support in the Congress.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your time very much. I want our viewers to know Republicans did speak out also against this decision, including influential Senator Marco Rubio, foreign relations and others. Thank you very much, Congressman. I appreciate your time.

SCHNEIDER: Thank you, Erin. It's great to be here.

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