WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined “Morning Joe” on MSNBC to discuss foreign policy under the Trump administration, including recent comments made by Stephen Miller, senior adviser to President Trump, and by General Michael Flynn, current National Security Advisor to President Trump.

“I was very troubled that Steve Bannon was elevated and earlier that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was apparently sidelined. So I’m concerned, both about Mike Flynn’s, General Flynn’s, uneven relationship with the truth, the very embarrassing situation he put the Vice President in, and I do think if President Trump is going to continue to be a stronger effective voice in international relations, he has to have a National Security Advisor he can trust and a National Security Council that is functional,” said Senator Coons. “He has got a strong Secretary of Defense, a promising Secretary of State. But if his National Security Advisor is untrustworthy and his National Security Council staff is in turmoil, that’s a big deal for us in terms of international relations.”

Full video and audio available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on Stephen Miller’s latest words: “That is a simply stunning statement. The idea that a senior adviser to the President would go on camera and say the President’s authority will not be questioned shows both a striking lack of understanding of the structure of our government, a complete lack of respect for judicial independence. It’s going to make the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch a lot harder and will make the question of judicial independence more pressing, and if the President doesn’t walk that back, I think the President will have more and more problems on a bipartisan basis. Privately, I know many [Senate Republicans] are concerned. Publicly, I’m waiting to see some action. But, the challenge isn’t talk; it’s actions at this point." 

Senator Coons on President Trump’s meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister: “As a candidate, President Trump said a lot of alarming things about pushing back our nuclear umbrella from Japan from South Korea, about perhaps moving away from the 'One China' policy, and just in the last few days, we’ve seen him reverse those positions in the face of a North Korean nuclear missile launch that could threaten American bases in Japan and American property territory in Guam. He stood clearly shoulder-to-shoulder with our Japanese allies. I am hopeful he’ll take stronger steps to defend them. He is now realizing we need China’s help in pushing back on Korea’s aggressive actions, and I think he is beginning to get his feet under him and realizing that the global environment is a very difficult one." 

Senator Coons on the Trump administration’s approach to global foreign policy: “The role of Mike Flynn, the National Security Advisor, is even more concerning. You just had up a piece from The New York Times that talks about turmoil on the National Security Council. Typically, it’s the National Security Advisor who is closest to the President and makes sure the information flow to the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense continues and that the process is professional and appropriate and thorough. Turmoil is not a word I like to hear describing the National Security Council. And I was very troubled that Steve Bannon was elevated and earlier that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was apparently sidelined. So I’m concerned, both about Mike Flynn’s, General Flynn’s, uneven relationship with the truth, the very embarrassing situation he put the Vice President in, and I do think if President Trump is going to continue to be a stronger effective voice in international relations, he has to have a National Security Advisor he can trust and a National Security Council that is functional. He has got a strong Secretary of Defense, a promising Secretary of State. But if his National Security Advisor is untrustworthy and untruthful, and his National Security Council staff is in turmoil, that’s a big deal for us in terms of international relations.”

Senator Coons on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s comments about North Korea: "This I think will be the first big challenge for President Trump, which is confronting North Korea’s aggressive nuclear weapons program. The Senate can and should on a bipartisan basis take tougher action. We are making progress in assembling a bipartisan group of Senators to insist that sanctions against Russia be rolled back without approval by the Senate, and I think we can and should step up and take stronger action against North Korea and against Chinese firms that have been involved in supporting North Korea’s programs. Frankly, the President needs to take control of his national security apparatus. If Mike Flynn genuinely lied, and there’s lots of evidence about this, and if I were president, I would dismiss the National Security Advisor who had lied to the Vice President and who was on record as having lied to me."

 

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