Transcript: Sen. Tom Cotton on "Face the Nation," July 14, 2024
The following is a transcript of an interview with Sen. Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, on "Face the Nation" that aired on July 14, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're back now with Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton. Senator, thank you for joining us. And it is a difficult morning for many people waking up to this news. I wonder what your message is to Americans in this moment.
SEN. TOM COTTON: Well, it's a difficult day for Americans, Margaret. I want to join President Trump and express- expressing my gratitude for the Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers who acted so quickly, skillfully and bravely to protect him and the supporters at the rally and express my condolences to the family of the man who was killed by the shooter and those who are still in critical condition. Today, I had a chance to speak with President Trump this morning. He's doing well. He's in good spirits. He's very grateful for the prayers that Americans have sent to him and all those who are affected at the rally. He's also focused on moving ahead to the convention this week in Milwaukee. So it's a tough day. But President Trump is resilient as his- are his supporters and as is our nation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And Senator I saw last night Leader McConnell issued a statement in which he said very clearly, "violence has no place in our politics." I imagine you would associate yourself with the Leader's sentiment.
SEN. COTTON: Of course, Margaret. Unfortunately, we've seen a few instances of violence in recent years. Throughout our history, there's been sporadic speights of violence. It has no place in America, or in the American political tradition. Robust, strong campaigns, contrasting ideas between candidates and parties, of course, is central to American democracy. But we settle those differences through political debates and through elections. We don't settle them through violence. So what happened yesterday is extremely regrettable. It's not consistent with the American spirit. And I'm very grateful again, that President Trump miraculously survived and is going to move forward with the convention this week and this campaign, because that's how we settle our political differences in America.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Couldn't agree more. I- I want to ask you since you sit on both the Senate Intelligence and the Senate Judiciary Committees, you are in a unique position to- to know and be aware of what is a very heightened threat environment in this country. Director Wray of the FBI has repeatedly warned of it on many fronts from homegrown violent extremist, jihadist inspired extremists, state sponsored organizations. In- in this moment, we know very little in the early hours about this 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania who, this- has been identified as carrying out this attack. But tell me your thoughts on the threat environment where we- that we are in right now.
SEN. COTTON: Well, as President Trump said, I think it's important that we not jump to any conclusions about the shooter. I've seen the reports that he's a registered Republican and that he's given to left wing causes. I think we need to let investigators fully develop this situation and get all the facts before we jump to any conclusions. Again, like President Trump said, I do want to commend the Secret Service agents on the side to protect, not only him but all the other people at that rally. Unfortunately, there was death and some critical injuries and we continue to pray for them. We hope this is just a one off incident and nothing like this will happen again. Again, the way we settle political differences in America is with vigorous debates and campaigns and ultimately elections, not through political violence.
MARGARET BRENNAN: In terms of the security of other individuals, including lawmakers, you know, what you're referring to these recent incidents just in recent years, including the the attack on Paul Pelosi, the the husband of the former Speaker of the House, the concerns about an individual who turned himself in but had appeared outside justice Kavanaugh's home with a weapon. For lawmakers, what do you think about the security posture right now? Do you think it needs to be increased further?
SEN. COTTON: Well, first off, let me speak about the immediate upcoming event in Milwaukee, the Republican National Convention. President Trump has said it's going on as planned. I will be there next week. I look forward to speaking on behalf of President Trump. I encourage all the delegates and everyone else who's going to the convention to go there with confidence that it will be frankly, maybe the safest place in America over the next week. There have been threats on occasion against legislators; there was an attempted mass murder of a Republican Congressman at a baseball practice a few years ago, Steve Scalise, Congressman for Louisiana, was gravely injured. Obviously the Capitol Police did a great job in that moment. They do a great job trying to protect us, not only in the Capitol, but make sure we're aware of threats. The President is different from 535 legislators. That's why he has the Secret Service and full time details. That's why campaigns, like President Trump's, have it. But I think the Capitol police do a great job in trying to protect all legislators and I'm confident that the Capitol Police, the Secret Service, local law enforcement, and every other law enforcement agency next week at the Republican National Convention, again will make it probably the safest place in America. I look forward to being there as President Trump.
MARGARET BRENNANl: I know you are expected to speak and were expected to speak on national security issues. I wonder how this changes, perhaps the party platform or at least your thinking.
SEN. COTTON: Marg- Margaret, I think we have to move on with this campaign despite this horrific shooting. The parties do have very different ideas. President Biden and President Trump have very different records. We look forward to contrasting that. I'm sure that conventional change in some manner and some of the focus that you have, but we still need to care for that vigorous debate of ideas on to Election Day this November. So again, I look forward to being there. I'm fully confident law enforcement protecting everyone who is- is there. I look forward to hearing what President Trump has to say as well. I think the American people will welcome a convention that contrasts ideas after this horrific shooting.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Earlier this morning, that head of the Sec- the spokesperson for the Secret Service issued a statement saying there were untrue assertions that the former president's team requested additional security and that it was rebuffed. The Secret Service is calling that absolutely false. The Speaker of the House is calling for the director of the Secret Service to come up and testify. I- I wonder what you know, if anything, since you spoke to Donald Trump about the state of his concern regarding his detail or whether he was confident?
SEN. COTTON: Well, Margaret, I'm not privy to the details about the protection that the Secret Service provides to Donald Trump. That's something that the campaign and the Secret Service would keep very closely held. Donald Trump, again, expressed his gratitude for the Secret Service agents who protected him, along with all the other law enforcement officers who secured the scene and neutralized the shooter promptly. I think it's fair to say that there was a lapse in the planning for the security at this event that allowed a shooter to get within 125 or 150 yards from the dais. There should be an investigation of that. I suspect the Secret Service will welcome and cooperate with that as well. But none of that, as President Trump said, is to take away from the skill and the bravery of the agents around him and the law enforcement officers on the site who neutralized the shooter right away before he could kill or wound anyone else. and who protected President Trump and gotten away from the site properly.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So just quickly, 125-250 yards do that. You know that to be the confirmed distance of the shooter to the former president?
SEN. COTTON: Margaret, I can't say that's been--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --Okay
SEN. COTTON: --Confirmed by government authority. That's what I've seen from the overhead imagery that's run in various media- media outlets. That's, again, not coming from a government agency, that's coming from what I've seen in published reports and overhead satellite imagery.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Cotton, we'll be hearing from you later this week at the Convention.Thank you for joining us this morning.