Story highlights "We're not going to just oppose things to oppose them," he said

Schumer said the Republicans have adopted "hard-right" politics

Washington (CNN) Sen. Chuck Schumer said Democrats will work with President-elect Donald Trump -- if he abandons his Republican comrades.

"The only way we're going to work with him is if he moves completely in our direction and abandons his Republican colleagues. That's not going to happen very often," the New York Democrat and incoming Senate minority leader told CNN's Dana Bash. "And I'm even less optimistic that any of that could happen seeing his Cabinet choices."

Schumer said Democrats will focus on holding Trump accountable.

"Ninety, 95% of the time we'll be holding his feet to the fire and holding him accountable," he said. "But we're Democrats. We're not going to just oppose things to oppose them."

The GOP has been run by a "hard-right" tea party-like group of people proposing ideas Trump can't support, Schumer said.

Read More