CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Chris Coons

Interview

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[17:20:00]

BLITZER: President-elect Joe Biden's transition is clearly picking up a lot of speed right now. Today brought major new appointments and finally the start of classified daily intelligence briefings. Let's discuss with Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a very close ally of the President-elect.

Senator, thanks so much for joining us. First of all, what can you tell us about the president-elect's first presidential daily brief on this transition?

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Well, Wolf, it's a relief that finally the president-elect is getting the level of intelligence briefing that he should have had for weeks now and that will more fully prepare him after the inauguration to be ready to step into the role of commander- in-chief.

I can't tell you how the presidential daily briefing has changed under President Trump, but my gut hunch is that President-elect Biden was struck by the ways in which it's been restructured to meet the particular needs and the attention span and interests of our current president.

BLITZER: The Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also got a presidential daily -- a separate presidential daily brief today as well. We are getting new details, senator, of some of the top contenders for CIA director.

What is the President-elect weighing as he decides between these candidates and we got a bunch of pictures and names up on the screen right now. When can we expect him to announce who he wants to be the CIA director, and for that matter, Defense Secretary?

COONS: Wolf, I can't get into those conversations in detail with you. I'll simply tell you that I think the public announcements we have seen so far make it clear that President-elect Biden is intending to assemble -- is assembling an impressive cabinet and team of senior advisers, folks who have worked well together in the past, combined with folks who are bringing new talent and energy to his senior leadership team.

They do genuinely reflect the breadth and diversity of the United States of the American people, but they're also going to be ready to lead on the very first day. So, he is bringing competence, a great team with positive dynamics, and making history with a number of the senior team announcements that have already been made and I'm confident that the same will be true with Secretary of Defense and CIA director.

BLITZER: But what about the economic team? He's made some major announcements of his economic team and we have some pictures and some names up on the screen right now of those who have already been introduced and announced.

Do you believe they are ready to tackle the enormous challenges brought on by this coronavirus pandemic? Do you foresee any problems in Senate confirmation?

COONS: Well, absolutely they are ready to tackle this on day one. You know, one of the reasons I was an enthusiastic supporter of the president-elect during his campaign was his own previous experience when he and Barack Obama became president and vice president in early 2009, our economy was in free-fall and they had to lead a very difficult process of trying to cobble together a relief package over Republican resistance and to deliver the relief the American people and our economy needed. This situation in 2021 is going to be worse. It's going to be more

challenging. There is real promise because there are now several vaccines that are looking as if they are going to be effective, but we are struggling with an economy that needs more stimulus.

We are months past the point where we should have had a bipartisan agreement to provide another robust round of stimulus to meet the needs of America's schools and students, those who are facing eviction from housing, the needs that communities have got for the distribution of vaccines.

There is lots of additional investment we should be making. And the team that's been announced by the president-elect are folks who have seasoning and experience in dealing with just this kind of challenge in the past.

BLITZER: Within the past few minutes, Senator, the Wisconsin elections commission has finalized the state's presidential results affirming that the President-elect Joe Biden is the victor. He won after a recount of the state's two most populous counties.

Wisconsin elections commission chair, Ann Jacobs signed the official paper work stating that Biden, in her words, received the greatest number of votes, was entitled to Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes. It's now up to the governor, Tony Evers, a Democrat, to sign the paper work formally awarding those electoral votes to Biden. That is expected to happen tomorrow, that's the deadline.

So, what's your reaction because of the six battleground states that the president and his lawyers keep talking about where there was, you know, fraud and other irregularities, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona and Wisconsin.

[17:24:58]

All six of them have now officially certified that Biden has won. So what happens? Where is the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, your senate colleague? Why isn't he doing what so many world leaders have already done, recognizing the facts?

COONS: That's a great question, Wolf. It's been a relief that the transition formally is actually under way now with the presidential daily briefing, with the landing teams connecting and coordinating with agencies.

But it's long past time for my Republican colleagues here in the Senate to recognize what those six battleground states have recognized. Joe Biden won the election. And if Donald Trump has any compelling proof of the sorts of fraud or election mishaps that he has been alleging, he has failed to advance them in court. He has failed to bring them forward with any specifity.

And there were recent court actions just this weekend by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the third circuit making it clear that the absence of any compelling evidence means that his legal challenges to this election have come to a dead-end.

BLITZER: Chris Coons, the senator from Delaware, thanks so much for joining us.

COONS: Thank you, Wolf.

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