CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Ebola Outbreak

Interview

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COSTELLO: Let's talk some more about this with Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen. Welcome, sir, and thank you for being here.

REP. STEVE COHEN, D-TENNESSEE: Nice to be with you.

COSTELLO: You heard what Kaci Hickox's neighbors said, why doesn't she stay in her house for 21 days and call it a day, calm fears? What is the big deal?

COHEN: The big deal is that she has a right as a citizen of the United States -- unless she's committed some criminal act or is a danger to the welfare of the public -- to have freedom of access of movement. The doctor, as he said, science says she has no symptoms.

This is just part of a fear, it's kind of understandable, but unfortunately, it's been stirred up and caused by fearmongering politicians who see poll-driven numbers in their anticipation of next Tuesday's election to try to take the Senate for Republicans and for the White House in 2016 for Republicans, who are doing everything they can to avoid science. Same Republicans who many don't accept evolution, don't accept climate change and don't accept biology. We had them in 2012 saying women couldn't get impregnated when they were raped. They refused science. They'll say whatever they think is attractive to their base and have done that in this circumstance.

COSTELLO: But, Sir, you have to agree that people are so confused because the federal government didn't come out strongly enough with some sort of policy. I know President Obama posed with health care workers who just came back from West Africa yesterday. They're not under any quarantine, although some of them came back less than 21 days ago. Why didn't the president do something like this sooner?

COHEN: I can't speak for the president. I do know that I have faith in the CDC. We really haven't had a great problem. One person came back from Dallas. That -- Mr. Duncan, he passed. The two nurses were treated immediately. I think we learned the proper protocols, and maybe the way they put their equipment on, they're free of Ebola. The doctor in New York followed all the protocols. He's being treated. Nobody else has had Ebola. It's not really--

COSTELLO: But as far as the federal government, where is Ron Klain, this Ebola czar? Why doesn't he come out and strongly say what the federal government's policies are? And by the way, the states have the right to institute whatever policies they want above what the CDC recommends.

COHEN: The states can do that. And I think Governor LePage has taken a page out of Christie's book. It's just -- doing the most drastic things possible, this quarantine type measure, he can't be considered particularly wrong because he can't fail. But the likelihood of any failure is almost infinitesimal. And they're doing what the public has been driven to think, and they are appealing to the public, which I understand, and politicians should respond to the public, but they should respond to science first. And there hasn't been a single scientist that has come out and said that these people that come back from serving the populations in those three African countries should, unless they show symptoms, be under any particular house arrest or observation, and the lady in Maine shows no symptoms.

COSTELLO: But wouldn't it be helpful for Ron Klain to come out and say all of these things? Don't you wonder why he's not?

COHEN: I don't know why he isn't, but I'm sure there's a good reason. He's very -- he is outstanding on policy, he's been an outstanding government official. I think the CDC has come out and made statements--

COSTELLO: Then why not come out and say something?

COHEN: Well, the CDC has been making statements, Carol, and they don't listen to the CDC. I don't think they have been listening -- they wouldn't listen to -- Francis Collins said something, he's probably as brilliant a man as there is on the universe -- the universe almost. They wouldn't listen to him. They don't listen to 97, 98 percent, whatever it is, of the scientists who say there's climate change. Ron Klain saying something doesn't make any difference. I think this is strictly driven by politics, fear mongering, and I think we'll look upon it one day like Terry Schiavo.

COSTELLO: All right. Congressman Steve Cohen, thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate it.

COHEN: You're welcome, Carol. You're safe.

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