Transcript: Sen. Bob Corker on "Face the Nation," Oct. 29, 2017
"Face the Nation" sat down on Sunday with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and one of President Trump's toughest critics within the Republican Party.
He discussed the latest developments regarding special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling, as well as tax reform, North Korea tensions, and more.
What follows is a transcript of the interview, which aired Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, on "Face the Nation."
JOHN DICKERSON: And now to what we do know. One of the president's toughest critics within the Republican Party is Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker. He joins us from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Senator, I want to start with the sealed indictments. Things are pretty volatile in Washington these days. What do you think this is going to do to getting things done, say, on tax cuts and that kind of thing?
SENATOR BOB CORKER: Well, John, I have no idea. I don't know the substance. I have no knowledge. Like you, we'll wait and see what happens. But most of us are focused on the policies we have to deal with on behalf of the American people, and right now you know that's been a sideshow. As something develops that's more serious, obviously it will take up some space. But I just have no way of determining that.
JOHN DICKERSON: You've given some advice to the president, he has not often listened. But given if this comes out on Monday, what's your guidance in terms of trying to stick to those issues you want to-- your guidance for the president?
SENATOR BOB CORKER: Look, we've got a short window of time to deliver on tax reform, something that I want to see happen on behalf of the American people. And at least those of us in Congress, it's our job to write those bills and to pass those bills. That's where our focus needs to stay. Again, I just don't know enough about-- I know nothing actually about what's happening on the other front so.
JOHN DICKERSON: Before we get to tax cuts, while we're in the Russian neighbor. In August Congress passed sanctions on Russia. The administration has not been doing what they're supposed to do. Where do things stand on that?
SENATOR BOB CORKER: Actually they did release the information towards the end of this last week. We had been inquiring. I think they did a very good first step. I have to give them credit for that. We want to stay involved. Congress on a vote of ninety-eight to two in the United States Senate, which is rare, pushed for this.
But I do think the initial steps they've taken have been very good. We want that followed through on. But I have to say, look, it takes a while. OFAC, the Department of Treasury that deals with this, has been overwhelmed with all of the sanctions issues they have underway. And again, I thought Thursdayof last week was a very good day.
JOHN DICKERSON: Let's talk taxes. You said that there are some, quote, "ridiculous" things in tax reform that don't do anything to help economic growth. What are those things?
SENATOR BOB CORKER: Yeah, now, you know, here's the deal. When you pass tax reform, I don't think, John, people understand what we're getting ready to do. In the Senate we passed a trillion and a half deficit kind of thing. But it's really different than what people think. $500 billion of that was just to sync up between current law and current policy.
So you have a trillion dollars that we can use for dynamic scoring in the event dynamic scoring shows that we can use that trillion dollars. Four trillion in addition to that though is through what's called tax reform where basically you're getting rid of credits, deductions, the kind of things that have been in our code for years which makes it so complex, if you will, for people to fill out their income forms.
But also things that really don't move our economy along. So you're getting rid of those four trillion dollars and you're moving them over to try to do something that creates growth. This is going to be the biggest tax re-write since 1986, complicated. People are going to be coming in from all around the country to protect those pet things that they have.
But in doing this, when you start writing the code, you do do some things that in my opinion are not pro-growth. I'm not criticizing that. I'm just saying that, look, I understand where we are. Some things that would really cause our economy to grow would be reducing corporate rates to 20%, dealing with the territorial issues. Those are the kind of things that grow our economy. We're having to do a whole lot more to get by in. But that's just the process we go through in Washington.
JOHN DICKERSON: You said the White House should step aside and let Congress. You think that's going to happen?
SENATOR BOB CORKER: Well, that was really in reference to taking things off the table on the front end. I sat down with our tax writers who I have tremendous respect for. They're having great difficulty just getting to $3.6 trillion. They've got to get the other $400 billion in place for any of this to work.
And by the way, John, when groups start rallying, when they start rallying against things and they succeed, everything starts unraveling. So the point I was trying to make is, look, we've got tough decisions to make. Let's leave everything, the whole cafeteria of the code, out there. Let the tax writers do their job. If you start taking things off the table on the front end, we're not going to get where we need to go.
JOHN DICKERSON: Let me move to North Korea. You've been critical of the president and his Tweets on this. But what is actually the president doing to get in the way of the diplomacy you think should be happening?
SENATOR BOB CORKER: Yeah, so let's face it. Our greatest partner is China. We have a state department and a Secretary of State whose job is to exercise full diplomacy to keep our men and women in uniform out of harm's way. Every military leader wants the State Department and our Secretary of State to be successful when they do that.
When our Secretary of State is sitting down with a partner that matters most, China, trying to negotiate something that would resolve and keep us from going into military conflict with North Korea which brings in South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia, and he's knee-capped by the president, it hurts our nation. It hurts our efforts.
It leads us more fully towards the conflict that most of us would like to see resolved in another way. The Tweets that are sent out mocking a leader of another country raises tensions in the region. And so if people are sitting there, they know they've got an erratic leader in North Korea, they've lived with three erratic leaders. Actually this is the third one.
And then when we start exhibiting some of those same tendencies, it creates an air that leads again more fully towards conflict. Where what we need to be doing is supporting the efforts that Secretary Tillerson and Secretary Mattis who's involved in this diplomacy are carrying out.
JOHN DICKERSON: You're making a national security point here. Your colleagues seem not to have heard you. They have said that this is a family squabble. Ted Cruz compared it to a high school squabble. Others have said you're hurting the Republican party by making these critiques. Is it just that they're not hearing what you're saying?
SENATOR BOB CORKER: Well, look, John, each of us has an election certificate. And we try to do the best job that we can. Look, I care deeply about our country. It's why I ran for the Senate. I care even more deeply about it now having been there 11 years. I've been in the foreign relations area the entire time I've been there.
I'm chairman. I have coffees with Tillerson often. I talk with him. I talk with national security folks not only here, but around the world. And I have a good sense of what is happening. I'm just speaking to that. That's my job. And I'll continue to do so.
JOHN DICKERSON: All right, Senator Corker, thanks so much for being with us.
