THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR 'THIS WEEK' on January 15, 2017 and it will be updated.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And with that, let me bring in Senator Bernie Sanders, our first guest this morning. Senator Sanders, thank you for joining me this morning.
You know, Congressman Lewis has now been joined by Senator Cory Booker who has also said anyone who attacks Representative John Lewis loses legitimacy, in my eyes, especially someone who made such a craven effort to legitimize Barack Obama. Are John Lewis and Cory Booker right to say that Donald Trump won't be a legitimate president?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Well, what Cory Booker and John Lewis are right about is to talk about the racist past of Donald Trump.
We all remember that Trump was one of the leaders of the so-called birther movement trying to delegitimize the presidency of our first African-American president Barack Obama, which is an outrage.
So, I think right now, the focus has got to be on how we hold Trump accountable. What has been doing in the last week, attacking Hollywood actresses for criticizing him, I mean what would is this guy living in?
But right now what my job is, and I think the job of Democrats and Republicans, is to protect the middle class and working families of this country from some devastating ideas that Trump has proposed.
You will remember, George...
STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think Donald Trump will be a legitimate president?
SANDERS: Well, I think he's going to be inaugurated this week. I have great concerns, and apparently Republicans do as well, and there's going to be an investigation about the role that Russian hacking played in getting him elected.
Do I think Russians supported him? Do I think they tried to get him elected? Do I think it worked against Clinton? I do. And that is something that has to be investigated.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Does that make him illegitimate?
SANDERS: But right now, what my job is -- pardon me? Those are just words. Right now, what my -- my job is right now going beyond media conflicts and words is to say that Donald Trump, among other things, told the American people he would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and right now Republicans in the House and Senate are doing just that.
So, I want Trump to send out a tweet saying that he's going to keep his campaign promises. He's not going to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Right now, today, all across this country there are going to be rallies led by Democrats and others to fight against the devastating impact of repeal of the Affordable Care Act. 20 million people thrown off of health insurance, prescription drug prices raising for seniors, privatization of Medicare: devastation. And we've got to fight back against that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Can you stop it, though? I mean, President Obama told me last week that he thinks Obamacare is going to survive. But repeal can pass simply with Republican votes.
SANDERS: Well, I think what has to happen -- look, nobody thinks that Obamacare is perfect. It has its problems. But every American has got to recognize, we are the only major country on Earth not to guarantee health care to all people. We pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs because the pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry is out of control ripping us off.
So, what sensible people have got to do is not simply repeal the Affordable Care Act without any alternative, but you've got to sit down and say it's OK, what are the problems. How do we address it? How do we move to universal health care? How do we lower prescription drug costs? How do we make sure that people don't have outrageous deductibles? You just don't throw 20 million people off of health insurance. You don't privatize Medicare.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But if that repeal happens within the real world, if that repeal happens, will you and other Democrats support piecemeal, step by step reforms, then, to put back some of the protections that were included in Obamacare?
SANDERS: Look, it goes without saying that it would be totally -- and by the way, George, the vast majority of the American people agree with me and many others. You don't simply repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. Republicans have had six years to come up with a replacement. They got nothing.
So sensible people have got to work together.
But to answer your question, do we do away with protecting of the American people with pre -- to make sure that if you have an illness you can get insurance? Do we make sure that young people stay on their parents' health insurance? Do we make sure that there are no caps if you're dealing with cancer and you deal with preexisting conditions? It goes without saying that those patient protections have got to stay in place.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And let me go back to this Russia issue, which you've talked about at the beginning. A lot of Democrats are disturbed with the FBI Director James Comey, especially after he came up and briefings this week refused to answers questions about whether he's investigating possible contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Some think he should even step down. Do you?
SANDERS: I think that Comey acted in an outrageous way during the campaign. And, you know, no one can say that this was the decisive and this was what elected Trump, but clearly his behavior during the campaign in terms of what he said in the week or two before the election was unacceptable. And it is interesting that he is not doing investigations about the possible -- possible ties between Trump's campaign and the Russians.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Should he step down?
SANDERS: I think he should take a hard look at what he has done. And I think it would not be a bad thing for the American people if he did step down.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And finally, are you going to attend the inauguration this week?
SANDERS: Pardon me?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you going to attend the inauguration this week?
SANDERS: Yeah, I will. Yes.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Sanders, I know you're on your way to a rally. I know you're on your way to a rally. You're at the airport right now. Thanks for joining us this morning.
SANDERS: Thank you.
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