CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript:

Interview

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BLITZER: All right, Joe.

We'll stand by outside that briefing and speak to some of the members afterwards and get the latest.

Joe Johns reporting from Capitol Hill.

The heated debate on Capitol Hill obviously showing, at least at this point, no signs of stopping in the Mark Amodei ahead.

And joining us now, Senator Marco Rubio from Florida.

He's a key member of the Foreign Relations, as well as Intelligence Committees.

Senator Rubio, the majority leader, Harry Reid, in the Senate, he says a lot of the Republicans, not necessarily you, but a lot of Republicans are simply doing this criticism of the president and this swap for political reasons, because they don't want the president to be seen as getting a political victory.

To which you say?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: I'm not sure what kind of political victory he is talking about. I think across this country, this issue has been largely criticized because it makes no sense. You have just traded an American service member in exchange for five extremely dangerous individuals who, by -- in all likelihood, will rejoin the fight against the United States sooner rather than later.

And he did so, by the way, in complete violation of the law, including his own members, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, for example, Dianne Feinstein, someone who is well respected around here for her seriousness on these issues, wasn't even consulted or notified, as the law required.

BLITZER: But an American soldier is on his way home after spending five years in captivity.

Aren't you happy about that?

RUBIO: We are, of course. I mean no one is lamenting the fact that an American will be reunited with his family in the United States.

But that's not what's being criticized. What's being criticized is the process by which it was done. And the process by which it was done has put in danger now countless American men and women in uniform across this -- across the globe. We've -- what the president has done here is sent a very clear message and incentive, that if you can get your hands on an American serviceman or woman, you can trade them for as many as five terrorists.

BLITZER: So what would you have done if the secretary of Defense says there's an opening, the government of Qatar now says they can bring this guy home, Sergeant Bergdahl, in exchange for these five Taliban detainees?

What would you have done if you had been president?

RUBIO: I would have done everything short of endanger the national security of the United States, which is what he has done. He has returned five dangerous terrorists to the battlefield. This American is going to go home to his family. These five members of the Taliban are going to go back to the battlefield, and including a couple of them that were very serious members of the Taliban, senior members of the Taliban, commanders within the Taliban, are going to return right back to the battlefield and proceed to continue to attack and plot to kill Americans.

BLITZER: So you would have rejected this deal.

Would you have come up with a counter-proposal to try to free Sergeant Bergdahl?

RUBIO: Again, I would have explored any option available to us that would have been within the national security of the United States.

By the way, it's not just me that would have rejected this. This deal was widely criticized when he first brought it before the members of Congress in both parties, primarily for the reasons that I have outlined here. And that is that you don't free five dangerous criminals, murderers, members of the Taliban, and return them to the battlefield, as they have done.

BLITZER: What about this notion that he was gravely ill?

RUBIO: Well, they've provided no evidence of that. Of course, we're going to have a meeting here in a few minutes where I hope they'll provide evidence of that fact. And if that's the case, then that's something that may be involved in our future calculus.

But as of -- as of now, they've provided zero evidence of that being a fact.

And beyond that, I would say to you that that's not a justification that they have made beyond some pronouncements in the media. What they've largely said is that this was an effort to further reconciliation between the Taliban and the government in Afghanistan.

And, again, I just don't believe that that is legitimate, and, in fact, that that's what this will lead to.

What this will lead to is five member -- terrorist members of the Taliban returning to the battlefield to kill Americans.

BLITZER: Do you believe these five Taliban detainees who were detained at GITMO for the last 12 or 13 years actually had American blood on their hands?

RUBIO: Absolutely. Not only do I believe they did, I believe, unfortunately, they may again in the future. These are five of the most dangerous individuals we had as enemy combatants. And the fact that they're now going to be soon rejoining the fight against America, at least most of them will be, um, is something that we should all be very concerned about.

And what we should be even more concerned about is this has sent a very powerful message to enemies of America across the globe, from Iran to North Korea to, of course, all these non-state actors in North Africa and the Middle East that there's great value in capturing an American, because if you do, you can get some of your own prisoners released.

BLITZER: Did -- do you believe you know the details of his disappearance from that base, Sergeant Bergdahl?

RUBIO: They have not shared that fully with us. And I have not commented on it, because I think that's a matter for the criminal justice system within the military. There's a process for them to review that and, if, in fact, there are reasons to charge him in court-martial or what have you, I leave that up to them.

I'll tell you, I'm not here to criticize Sergeant Bergdahl. I think that we're all happy that he's back with his family.

What I criticize is the process the president has followed, because it has endangered Americans now and in the future.

BLITZER: I heard Senator Lindsey Graham say words -- and I'll paraphrase him. He says it's going to be impossible -- this is Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- for them to flow prisoners out of GITMO now without a huge backlash. Then he goes on to say this: "There will be people on our side," meaning the Republican side, "calling for his impeachment if he did that."

Are you with Senator Graham on that?

RUBIO: Well, I'm not, at this point, calling for impeachment. This president has two years left in his term. We hope they pass quickly, that he will -- that we can somehow have a majority here in the Senate so we can limit the amount of damage he's doing to our economy and to our national security.

I'm not sure that's the right approach. And to be honest with you, I'm not sure there's many people here that are focused on that right now.

BLITZER: I read the letter that you wrote Secretary Hagel. And you asked a whole bunch of questions. One of the questions you asked is, "Is the U.S. Government providing Qatar any additional money, monitoring technology or personnel support to track the released detainees?"

Do you have inside information you can share with us --

RUBIO: No. And we're --

BLITZER: -- on what promises may have been provided to Qatar in exchange for their working out this deal?

RUBIO: Well, the notification they made to Congress is still classified, so -- and I don't want to violate that. Suffice it to say that I am concerned about the ability or the willingness of the Qatari government to monitor these individuals even for the limited period of time that they are obligated to do so. And a -- and I -- that's why I continue to say that I fully anticipate that most, if not all, of these five men will soon return to the battlefield and -- and plot to kill Americans and our allies in that region and, potentially, around the world.

BLITZER: As far as you know, Senator, we know that in exchange for these five detainees, Bergdahl is now free.

But was there anything else in this deal?

Did the Qataris do anything to try to sweeten the pot, specifically provide money to the Taliban or the Haqqani Network?

RUBIO: Well, again, that's not anything we've been made aware of, and unfortunately, part of the notifica -- the notification that was provided to Congress is still classified at this point. But I just remain concerned about their willingness, and, quite frankly, their capability of monitoring these individuals. And if you understand anything about this region of the world, once these individuals are released there, it's going to be very difficult, even if they really wanted to, to monitor them and their communications.

BLITZER: Senator Rubio, thanks very much for coming in.

RUBIO: Thanks. Thank you, Wolf.

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