You were absolutely, from an outsider's perspective
on a list to maybe be a running mate.
Obviously that's not what's happened
but is there a place for you officially in a Biden-Harris White House?
Oh goodness, no, no.
I am very interested in being as helpful as possible from the outside
but this is a chapter of my life where I'm going to spend in the private sector.
I'm just curious in terms of this strange interregnum period we're in now.
Are you in a position where you are being briefed on the status of the lawsuits?
I haven't been in touch with the Biden transition teams lawyers.
One of them in particular was our one White House counsel Bob Bauer.
Their take is is that the lawsuits are frivolous.
Perhaps even more importantly, 12 out of 12 courts have thrown them out so far.
And so I think it's a bit of a waste of time and energy
when we should be focused on the smooth transition of power.
What sort of things are not getting done?
Funds would flow in order for the president-elect to pay his transition staff.
They are up and running
and federal resources are normally used to pay their paychecks.
The memorandum of understanding would allow the federal agencies
all of them to share information with the transition team
that is not publicly available right now.
And that's everything from the presidential daily briefing
that President-elect Biden would be entitled to receive
together with Vice President-elect Harris.
And their people who have been cleared for top clearance for security purposes
would be able to get those briefings.
So obviously a lot can happen over this period of time
and our enemies around the world would see us as being vulnerable
in the event that there isn't this smooth transition of power
and want to take advantage of that.
So that's another disadvantage to the obstructionism we're seeing right now.
I think people remember that that was one of the reports about 9/11.
That the delay in the transition because of the recount in 2000
meant that there was a gap in in counterintelligence sharing.
Well that's exactly right.
And as a result a new regulation was put in place.
It would require this cooperation
but it has to happen at the president's request
and so far that has not happened.
To a degree, I realized people were prepared for a delay.
People were prepared for President Trump not taking it well.
But has any of this surprised you or surprised President-elect Biden
or Vice President-elect Harris?
I don't think so.
It's pretty consistent with what we've seen over the last four years.
At what point do these denials become dangerous for the United States?
Well as President-elect Biden said, right now he is not concerned.
You take it one day at a time.
You hope that President Trump at some point
recognizes the outcome of the election is clear.
And I know that the team around the president-elect will be ready to hit the ground running
and so that's where the focus has to be.
We can't control his lawsuits.
We can't control his lack of cooperation.
President-elect Biden said he's not considering a lawsuit right now
but in time when the electoral college gives their result
then my hope at that point in time, certainly if not sooner
we will see the Republicans who right now are remaining quiet in the Senate.
Although Republicans around the country are saying OK, enough is enough.
But when the Republicans in the Senate start to pivot
then I think we'll perhaps see a little more cooperation.
There are countries around the world where people have been similarly divided
and angry with each other
and in other parts of the world they've taken that to terrible extremes.
How dangerous is it for average Americans?
Well, right now I'm not worried about that.
We're just a few days after the independent networks call the election.
I think we have a long way to go before I would start to say the United States is in danger.
But I will say we do have a tradition in our country of cooperation.
I remember when I co-chaired President Obama's transition.
It was remarkable to me how incredibly supportive President Bush
and his team were to us in the transition.
We may have disagreed on matters of policy
but we believed that governance is one thing politics is another.
And in turn when President Trump was elected
President Obama demanded the same of us to ensure that there was that smooth transition.
Including, for example, a important report that was compiled
on how to handle a global pandemic, anticipating that one would come.
I'm curious what you make or or what the team makes of the changes at the pentagon?
What does that signal?
Well chaos, I suppose.
I have no insight into the decision making in the Trump administration whatsoever
but it is unusual to have changes in the cabinet during the transition.
They obviously disagreed as to whether or not the military
should be used to enforce domestic laws.
The secretary said he didn't think
so I guess I'm not that surprised that President Trump would do what he did
but all of that is in the short term.
I think where the focus of the American people and the people around the world ought to be
is the longer term and when I say longer I just mean January 20th
of what will be, what will happen.
And President-elect Biden has been very clear rejoining the Paris Climate Accord
where Canada and so many other countries have been a part of it.
And we pulled out four years ago
making sure that we rejoined the World Health Organization
so that we can be a part of the solution, the international solution
to tackle not only COVID-19 but whatever else comes along.
Making sure that the dreamers have certainty.
They've been in limbo for four years in our country
and he wants to put it into that tackling COVID-19 getting our economy going again.
These are all the issues that President-elect Biden is focusing on
which are not only good for the American people but good for the world.
And I'm curious, do you have anyone in your life
who fundamentally disagrees with you
in the sense of [they] may say things to you like the election was stolen
or President Trump won?
I frankly don't know anybody who believes that there was election fraud.
And even my Republican friends don't believe it.
The fact is that a lot of Donald Trump supporters
are having a really hard time with this.
And I'm just wondering how on Earth you govern in a climate like that?
I think when his supporters get a feel for President-elect Biden
after he takes office and his willingness to reach out to them
his willingness to say look, I campaigned as a Democrat
but I will be the president for all of America,
I'm hoping that some of the tensions will thaw
and I do think that there is just something very special and disarming
and sincere and authentic and real about my friend Joe Biden.
That will resonate broadly across the country.
And he has the ability to reach out the number of Republicans
who endorsed him all over the country who said no, this is the person
who I think is uniquely suited to lead the United States
and i'm willing to put country over politics.
That's what makes me hopeful.
Is he the sort of person who will pick up the phone
and call a Republican senator and say come on.
Oh absolutely and he did it all the time.
I watched him do it in the eight years that we were there
and I think that President-elect Biden will rely on those relationships that run deep.
I know those of you in Canada, our close ally, our approximate ally as well
will enjoy a much stronger working relationship.
All right well, thank you very, very much.
Thank you so much, stay safe.