Transcript: Sen. Ben Cardin on "Face the Nation," April 8, 2018
President Trump blamed Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin for a suspected chemical attack on the town of Douma outside the Syrian capital on Sunday, tweeting that there would be a "big price" to pay. Syrian opposition groups and activists said dozens of people, including many children, were dead in the suspected attack, which both Syria and Russia have denied.
Sen. Ben Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He joined us to discuss the suspected attack, how the U.S. should respond and more.
The following is a transcript of the interview with Cardin that aired Sunday, April 8, 2018, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to a top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Maryland's Ben Cardin. Welcome to Face the Nation. The president said that there will be a big price for this chemical attack in Syria and he called out Vladimir Putin by name for backing the Assad regime. In your view, would a military response be justified?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Margaret, first it's good to be with you. Clearly there needs to be a response, it needs to be an international response. This is against international norms--
MARGARET BRENNAN: A military one?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Well first and foremost President Assad needs to be held accountable for his war crimes. Senator--
MARGARET BRENNAN: He hasn't been in the seven years of this war.
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Senator Rubio and I have introduced legislation that passed our committee that would hold the evidence accountable we need to make sure that there is a proceeding started by the international community to hold them responsible. This is not the first use of chemical weapons. Secondly, Congress passed very strong sanctions against both Russia and Iran. The Syrian regime under President Assad cannot exist without Russia's support and the activities of Iran. The United States, the international community need to take action against Russia and Iran for what they're doing in Syria. So we need to take a pretty strong response for another use of chemical weapons.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are there any briefings planned with the administration and do you think a military response is legally justified?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Well, I hope there will be briefing. Congress returns tomorrow. I hope that we will get a full briefing on the use of these chemical weapons. Unfortunately there's not a lot known because the Syrian regime has closed the area. So we were not going to have the direct information. So it will be challenging for us to know. Everything points to that this was controlled by President Assad and the-the again violation of international norms and there needs to be an international response.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On Russia you commended the president for his sanctioning of these Russian oligarchs and other high ranking officials these include Putin's own son in law and former bodyguard here. But you did criticize the president for not acting faster. What do you think these punitive actions? What's the effect of them?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Well it's been a long time since the president-- since the Congress passed the sanctions bill against Russia passed by 99 percent of the votes in Congress. The president was very slow to act. What I think our main complaint-- going to the oligarchs was very important very important sanction. I really applaud the people in the State Department and in Treasury for taking this action. What we didn't hear when these sanctions were imposed was the president of the United States saying this is the policy of our country. I was pleased that his tweet in regards to the Syrian issue the president mentioned Mr. Putin but --
MARGARET BRENNAN: By name --
SEN. BEN CARDIN: By name, that was a significant change. But he has not done that in regards to the sanctions imposed against the oligarchs and he certainly has not done that in regards to Mr. Putin's interference in our own country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You helped author a law that provides oversight for the nuclear deal with Iran along with your colleague Senator Corker who said on this program he expects the president to withdraw next month from that international agreement. Do you agree with Senator Corker?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Well I think both Senator Corker and I agree it be a mistake for the president to withdraw from the Iran agreement. If the United States violates the agreement, we are isolating America not Iran from the international community. By all indications Iran has not violated the agreement. Yes, I disagreed with the agreement from from the beginning, but this is an agreement. Iran is complying with it and the United States would be marginalized by withdrawing from the agreement. So I hope that the president will recognize that we need to work with our European allies to make sure we're in lockstep against Iran.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mike Pompeo his confirmation hearings will be this week as he goes up for this job of being secretary of state. You voted against him when he stood up for the CIA director position. Are you going to support him this time?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Well I've had a chance to talk to him briefly by phone. We'll have a meeting on Tuesday and then as you know the committee is holding his confirmation hearings this Thursday. So this is going to be a very busy week for Mr. Pompeo. I'm looking forward to asking him a lot of questions. I want to make sure that he will stand for the values of America, good governance, democracy, anti-corruption and use diplomacy as the head diplomat if confirmed and I want to make sure he'll be an independent voice in the Oval Office with the president.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you're open to voting yes this time?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: We're going to wait to see how this week goes. Obviously I have many questions.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I also want to ask you about another committee you're on as it relates to the environment. A lot of questions about Scott Pruitt, the EPA administrator. There's some speculation that the president even if he wanted to get rid of him which he's made clear he doesn't at this point, that he'd have a really hard time finding someone and getting him confirmed for that role.
SEN. BEN CARDIN: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you agree?
SEN. BEN CARDIN: I think it'd a challenge. There's so many positions open right now in the administration and there's so many weeks left before we get to the midterm elections I think it's going to be a challenge for us to get a cabinet level positions confirmed particularly one at EPA, my main complaint against Mr. Pruitt - Pruitt was his policies, his environmental policies. These ethic issues need to be resolved, they need be resolved in an open manner. And Congress has a role of oversight.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you don't think he should be fired over these ethics?
SEN. BEN CARDIN:No, I didn't say that. That's a decision that the president is going to have to make. This is a cabinet level position. It's up to the president the United States. I think what Congress' appropriate role is of course during confirmation and we don't have a confirmation process on this but the oversight of his ethics issues are certainly within the realm of Congress.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Senator Cardin thank you very much for all of your insights.
