CNN "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Senatorial Candidate Jon Ossoff

Interview

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[09:48:05]

BASH: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I'm Dana Bash.

President Trump and president-elect Biden are both expected to campaign in Georgia. The two run-off races there that will decide control of the Senate are something that everybody is -- they're looking at.

Some Republicans are worried, though, that President Trump's claim of voter fraud will come back to bite them in a state, with voices on MAGA social media calling for a boycott of the vote.

Joining me now is Democratic candidate for Senate there Jon Ossoff.

We should note we did invite his opponent, Republican Senator David Perdue, to join us this morning. And he declined.

Thank you so much for joining me.

OSSOFF: Good morning.

BASH: So, the last time Georgia had a Senate run-off was 2008, as you will know. The Democrat barely got half as many votes as he did in November. The Republican ended up winning the run-off by 15 points. So, what makes you think this won't happen to you?

OSSOFF: Thank you for having me, Dana. Good morning.

Good morning, everybody.

And a lot has happened in Georgia in 12 years, an extraordinary movement to register voters, to mobilize communities, to train volunteers and get out the vote. This infrastructure that we have built here for the last eight years is extraordinary. And it's why Joe Biden carried the state.

And Georgia Democrats are motivated to participate, because we recognize that, to get out of this crisis, to get financial relief to businesses and families who are suffering, and to enact a broader legislative agenda, expanding voting rights and civil rights, investing in clean energy and addressing climate change, making sure that health care is affordable for every family, this requires victory in these two Senate run-offs.

We know the stakes. And we're motivated to make a difference.

BASH: Well, even on Election Day, though, when Joe Biden was on the ballot, Democrats lost almost a dozen seats nationwide in the House, didn't win majorities in about a dozen state legislative chambers that they were really targeting.

So, what makes you so sure that Republicans who voted for Biden won't use this, your race, as an opportunity to have a check on him?

[09:50:04]

OSSOFF: Well, what we need is the capacity for this incoming administration to govern in the midst of a crisis.

I mean, so many families here in Georgia and across the country can't feed themselves right now. Businesses are on the brink. Folks are looking at eviction and foreclosure.

And, look, let me just be very candid about this, because we all know what's going to happen if McConnell holds the Senate. He will try to do to Biden and Harris just like he tried to do to President Obama. It will be paralysis, partisan trench warfare, obstructionism as far as the eye can see, at a moment of crisis, when we need strong action.

BASH: So, let's talk about the virus, which is obviously overshadowing everything in this country, including your race.

The White House Coronavirus Task Force said that Georgia, your state, is -- quote -- "in the early stages of full resurgence," and that this is the moment to dramatically increase mitigation.

So, would you support harsher restrictions in Georgia, like closing restaurants and businesses temporarily?

OSSOFF: I think we should follow the expertise of public health experts, like those of the CDC, which is based here in Georgia.

And if that is the consensus of the public health community, we need to take that advice very seriously. And politicians need to recognize the limits of our own knowledge and wisdom. Epidemiologists who dedicate their careers and their training to studying the spread of infectious disease are qualified to advise us on the correct mitigation procedures.

And the problem we have had all year is that politicians have been suppressing and ignoring public health advice. It's time to trust the experts, listen to public health professionals in a public health crisis.

BASH: So, if they said shut things down temporarily, you would be all for it?

OSSOFF: If the CDC and its leadership gave a strong indication that those kinds of stronger mitigation measures are necessary to save lives and contain the spread of the virus, it would be malpractice for politicians to ignore that advice.

There are more than 2,000 Americans dying per day. The spread is out of control. And the problem is, we have ignored the public health experts. So, I will be listening to them and not to political consultants, pollsters, or folks who are looking out for their own financial interests, like my opponent.

BASH: On that note, according to "The New York Times," the Justice Department opened a probe into your opponent, Senator Perdue's stock sales the summer to look into possible insider trading.

You have called Perdue a -- quote -- "crook." But -- this is an important but -- the Justice Department closed the case. They didn't bring any charges. So, what evidence do you have to support your claim that he's a crook?

OSSOFF: Well, I think that the standard of conduct for a sitting U.S. senator needs to be higher than that he wasn't indicted for egregiously unethical misconduct.

Senator Perdue was buying up shares in manufacturers of vaccines and medical equipment and dumping his casino shares while he had access to classified briefings on COVID-19 and was telling the rest of us this was no deadlier than the flu.

And all year, Senator Perdue has been lying to the public and the press, insisting that he had no control over his stock trades.

But this new reporting reveals that, the FBI investigation, the banking records reveal he was, in fact, personally directing his own stock trades.

So, now Senator Perdue needs to come out of hiding. It's not enough for him to say, well, I wasn't prosecuted. He needs to explain why he's been lying all year about the level of personal control he has over his portfolio. This is grossly unethical misconduct for a sitting U.S. senator.

BASH: But calling him a crook suggests that he committed a crime, which, again, the Justice Department has found no evidence of. They didn't even pursue charges. Fair?

OSSOFF: No, I don't think so.

I think that a sitting U.S. senator exploiting his office, exploiting his access to privileged information, exploiting his power to enrich himself, while his own constituents are suffering and dying, absolutely makes Senator Perdue a crook.

And he's afraid to come out and debate me, because he won't answer these charges, because he can't defend the indefensible.

BASH: Before I let you go, Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed you yesterday. He is vying to be labor secretary in the Biden administration. So, he backed you. Do you support him in that endeavor?

OSSOFF: I'm not making recommendations to the administration on Cabinet picks.

But I appreciate the senator's support and look forward to working with him to fight for a $15 minimum wage, to put the interests of working families ahead of corporate lobbyists in Washington, to address this climate crisis, invest in clean energy, and look out for ordinary working people for a change, instead of people who have bought access and power in Washington.

BASH: OK, so you're not pushing to endorse a Cabinet pick. I understand that.

Do you want Senator Sanders to come down and campaign with you?

OSSOFF: We will see. I haven't had that kind of discussion with him, but I welcome his support.

[09:55:00]

And, again, look, I think that he advocacy for ensuring that health care is a human right in this country, for putting the interests of working families over corporate interests is welcome, is necessary, is appreciated, and so is his support.

BASH: OK, Jon Ossoff, I really appreciate you joining me this morning. Hope you had a nice holiday weekend. And we will talk to you probably a lot more in the next month-and-a-half, until January 5.

Appreciate it.

OSSOFF: Thank you, Dana. Appreciate it. Take care.

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