MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: ZTE Corporation

Interview

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HAYES: Today the White House canceled its daily press briefing without explanation. I'm joined by Senator Richard Blumenthal, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, one of dozens of Democratic lawmakers suing the President for allegedly violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Senator, the deal that was just announced in Indonesia in which the Chinese government is going to give those half a billion dollars in loans, is that to your mind a violation of the Emoluments Clause on its face?

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT), SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: It stinks. It fails to pass the smell test and on its face, it violates the Emoluments Claus. In fact, there's no need for quid pro quo for it to violate the Emoluments Clause. Indeed, we've already included that Indonesian deal in our lawsuit. And that lawsuit Blumenthal versus Trump, I'm the lead plaintiff, was filed a year ago almost to the day, June 14th of last year and it will be argued in court June 7th. We're going to add these additional details to that lawsuit and I think they will figure prominently in this legal action.

HAYES: If the White House was set on convincing you there wasn't anything stinky about this, that it wasn't a quid pro quo, what could they do to convince you of that?

BLUMENTHAL: Well, the President for one has to come forward to the Congress and actually provide the details. So far, he's refused to do so. The Congress has to consent to these kinds of foreign benefits or payments and this deal is only one of numerous such deals that we name in the lawsuit that involve the President violating the Constitution. There's no question that the President of the United States is defying the Constitution and breaking the Emoluments Clause. But the mere fact that we're asking these questions shows how he has shattered the ethical norms and violated basic principles of law by failing to come to Congress and seek its consent and I hope the judge will agree.

HAYES: What was your reaction to the two ZTE tweets?

BLUMENTHAL: My reaction was that this kind of reversal of the United States banning this company which is so clearly betrayed the trust of our government and the forms of international law is unconscionable and inexplicable. I found it difficult to believe. Now we have some explanation. The timing and circumstantial evidence points to some kind of quid pro quo so we can't really know.

HAYES: You think that's plausible? You think it's plausible the President of the United States just straight up one for the other invests in my deal, I will get your company back on the good side of the U.S. government?

BLUMENTHAL: I hope and I really do hope that that kind of suspicion problems to be untrue. But the only way we'll know is for the President to come forward with the details. And so far he's refused to do so.

HAYES: I should note that one of the President's nominees for top counterintelligence office testified today on the security threat of ZTE. The intelligence community and federal law enforcements is on the record with this committee and the American people with respect to the threat posed by China telecom. He was asked if he would ever use a ZTE phone, he said, I would not, Senator and I would not recommend anyone else would use
it. Do you think the fears are justified?

BLUMENTHAL: The fears are certainly justified. We found to be not only that ZTE's products could be hackable by the Chinese, could be a security threat to our troops and others if they use them but also that ZTE has actually concealed evidence about its supposed compliance with an order that its separate senior personnel responsible for the betrayal. So I'm hoping that we will have our day in court for the sake of the American people, that we will show these Emoluments could have easily been avoided had the President simply divested himself from the Trump Organization. He continues to own the Trump Organization. And that's the kind of Emoluments violation that the Founders sought to directly stop and they regarded Congress as representatives of the American people in enforcing the Emoluments Claus. We're the only one who have standing to enforce it.
HAYES: All right, Senator Richard Blumenthal, thanks for joining me.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.

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