CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Mueller Investigation

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Let's talk about all these breaking stories. Joining us, Senator Angus King. He is an independent who serves on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees.

Senator, thanks for joining us.

SEN. ANGUS KING (I), MAINE: Sure, Wolf. How are you?

BLITZER: I'm good. Thank you.

The White House today said they don't think firing Robert Mueller would be productive. They indicated that President Trump will continue to cooperate with the investigation. But are you seeing signs that the president is getting ready to go on the offensive against Robert Mueller?

KING: Well, I think it's significant.

Number one, I'm delighted to hear those comments today and those reassurances. I would like to hear them from the president himself.

But there was no comment from the White House and from the president in his tweets about Mueller for months and months, three or four months. And then all of the sudden over the weekend there came this whole bunch of tweets that came out that were very critical, calling it a witch-hunt, mentioning Mueller by name.

And I think that's what worried everyone. And I hear the various people saying, well, it's not necessary. We have been assured it's not going happen.

The problem is, if it does happen and there is nothing in place in the way of legislation, then I don't know what happens. I don't know how we respond. That's why I signed on some time ago, and I think Lindsey Graham is one of the people that sponsored it, a bill that would protect the special counsel with proper safeguards.

And that could be in place. And it could be passed this weekend if it was appended to the spending bill. I think, you know, with the circumstances that we have seen in the last month -- year-and-a-half saying that we have got assurances it won't happen doesn't necessarily mean it won't happen. So I think we ought to be prepared.

BLITZER: Yes, it doesn't look like the Republican leadership wants to attach that kind of legislation to the spending bill. But we will see over the next few days.

Do you still think, Senator, the president will agree to an interview with the special counsel?

KING: I think that's entirely up to the president and his lawyers. I think it's a -- it's a kind of high-wire act because whatever he says is going to be subject to a great deal of checking.

[18:15:03]

And if you will recall, some of -- Mr. Flynn, for example, ended up getting into trouble for not telling the truth to federal investigators. That in itself is a crime.

So he's got to be very careful if he is going to have that interview. And, you know, if I were betting, I would be inclined to think that they probably will not have that kind of sit-down. But we will see.

I know that they're doing some negotiating with the special counsel right now.

BLITZER: Yes. And the president is really clearly getting irritated by some of the subjects that are likely to come up in such an interview. That's why he has apparently gone a little bit more on the offensive.

Your committee, Senator, the Senate Intelligence Committee, is unified in your recommendations for election security here in the United States. Were you surprised President Trump didn't bring up this issue in his phone call with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, today?

KING: Well, I wish he had. I wish he would bring it up with the American people. One of the problems with this whole situation is that the president won't separate the issue of what the Russians did from whether or not his campaign was involved.

Those are two entirely different issues. And if he is maintaining, as he has his right, that nothing, there was no collusion, no cooperation, that doesn't change what they did. I read a 40-page classified report just this afternoon, Wolf, on the Russian efforts to intervene in state election systems, 21 states.

And it was positively chilling. And it was -- there is no doubt that they did it. And I wish he would bring it up with President Putin. Of course, in the past, he has brought it up. President Putin told him he didn't do it, and the president has said, well, President Putin said he didn't do it. And that's been the end of it.

But I wish he would make this statement to the American people, because we're not going to be able to defend ourselves against this kind of aggression unless we have a national consensus that we have to confront it. And right now, the country is divided.

Occasionally, I get e-mails from people saying, why are you wasting all this time on this Russian thing? It's a witch-hunt or it's a hoax. And that's what they're hearing from the president.

BLITZER: Yes, it's a very serious issue that needs to be investigated.

Senator King, thanks so much for joining us.

KING: Thank you, Wolf.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source