CNN "The Lead with Jake Tapper" - Transcript: Interview with Alex Padilla

Interview

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TAPPER: Let's talk about this with the senator, a Democratic senator, Alex Padilla of California specifically.

Senator, thanks so much for joining us.

The vote seems guaranteed to fail at this point. Democrats do not have ten Republican allies who are going to vote to create this commission. So I guess the question is what comes next? Should Speaker Pelosi launch a select committee that is run by Democrats instead of a more bipartisan effort?

SEN. ALEX PADILLA (D-CA): So, well, first, Jake, let me say this is absolutely outrageous that they're going to choose loyalty to Trump over loyalty to the oath of office and to defend the Constitution against, you know, all enemies foreign and domestic. It's outrageous, and particularly the timing -- we're getting ready to celebrate Memorial Day, when we honor those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation and our democracy. That's really the travesty here, too.

You know, if the commission is not created -- by the way, a bipartisan commission based on the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, if Republicans can't make themselves to support that, we still have to find the answers. And so, there's peaceful investigations going on in the existing committees. I think a select committee would certainly be in order.

To not conduct an investigation like it's been proposed is like suggesting that all we need to do after 9/11 was improve airport security. We know that the causes are much deeper than that.

TAPPER: You're in favor of eliminating the Senate filibuster in order to pass this commission and achieve other legislation.

[16:10:01]

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, obviously the key swing vote on this, he's been very clear he opposes getting rid of the filibuster -- even today. Take a listen.

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MANCHIN: I'm not ready to destroy our government. I'm not willing to destroy our government, no. I think we'll come together. You have to have faith there's 10 good people.

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TAPPER: What do you think?

PADILLA: Yeah. Look, I would like to believe there's ten good people at the other side of the aisle, too. But are there ten people willing to do the right thing on the floor of the Senate? That's the question.

And if there's not, then the question is going to come back to Democrats, are we going to let the filibuster get in the way? Not just of creating this commission to investigate the insurrection, but all the other things that we know are urgently needed to improve the country -- investing in our infrastructure, criminal justice reform, immigration reform, battling climate change and so much more. The filibuster has been used to obstruct for far too long.

TAPPER: There was just a mass shooting in San Jose in your home state, the state you represent. I know you're in favor of further gun restrictions, restrictions on gun ownership. I don't know if you're familiar with "The Wall Street Journal" story that says that this individual, the suspect, had actually been questioned by the Department of Homeland Security.

Have you seen the story?

PADILLA: I've seen the headline. I have not read the entire story.

But yet again, you know, it's one thing for one state to have strong gun safety laws. But unless we have a national policy, we're going to continue to find these loopholes and these red flags haven't been detained previously, whether it is anger management issues, substance issues, whatever the case may be. It should remind us of the urgency with or without a filibuster to advance background checks and other common sense reforms.

TAPPER: I guess the question is so often these things happen, these horrific things happen. We saw it happen in Indiana. We saw it happen in Connecticut. It happens all he time.

Law enforcement is aware of these individuals and then they don't do anything. They don't take the step to make sure that they can't get guns. They don't keep tabs. And there are ways to prevent the shootings besides just more laws.

PADILLA: No, I hear you. But I disagree. So they're aware of this. To be able to take the next steps, we do need the laws, whether it's, you know, the required background checks or cooling off period or limitation on the type of weapons somebody can purchase.

You have progressive states like California doing the right thing. But we need the consistency of strong common sense gun safety laws nationwide, and that's where, again, Congress has failed to act because of the filibuster.

TAPPER: Let me ask you another question about something that happened in California. Last week in California, in Los Angeles, there were anti-Semitic attacks against Jewish-Americans from pro-Palestinian demonstrators. We've heard some Jewish groups say that they think progressives and Democratic leaders have been way too quiet in specifically condemning anti-Semitic words and attacks in the United States in the last week.

Why do you think that is?

PADILLA: Yeah. Look, I know it's very tense times for our friends in the Jewish community, for everything that's been going for several weeks now. Hate has no place, not in Los Angeles, not in California, not across the country whether it's hate driven by anti-Semitic sentiment. We've seen the rise in hate crimes, attacking the AAPI community during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Look, any member of a community of color knows all too well the hate and the crime that's driven by hate that needs to be addressed. It's one of the reasons why I was pleased to see it become a priority for Merrick Garland, our new attorney general -- significant change from the prior administration and couldn't come soon enough.

TAPPER: Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California, thanks so much for your time today. I appreciate it.

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