MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal
Interview
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VELSHI: General Barry McCaffrey. Lots of talk on Capitol Hill about what to do about Trump and Putin but once the brows of Republican members unfurl, what actually changes? I`m joined by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Senator, what are your real options on Capitol Hill?
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: We have a lot of real options and my hope is that we will come together on a bipartisan basis. We are in a 9/11 moment. Listen to our Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats who has said the red lights are blinking just as they did before 9/11. There is objective and verifiable evidence, again his words, about pervasive and ongoing attacks on our democracy and the discussion you just had with General McCaffrey about our allies all the more pertinent now that we come together with our allies because they like our nation are under attack from Vladimir Putin.
VELSHI: The good news Senator is for Americans who think Congress is entirely dysfunctional on the issue of Russia and sanctions not only has it been bipartisan it`s been overwhelmingly so. It has been overwhelming. In fact, 98 to -- not too many issues get 98 votes. And here is the really outrageous irony here, Ali. President Trump has failed utterly refused to implement those sanctions against Russian energy, Russian financial, and Russian institutions generally that were required. They`re not discretion or it they`re mandatory. And here`s something else that Congress needs to do and I think will have bipartisan support for it.
Next week, Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State will be coming to testify before the Foreign Relations Committee. I think we need those translator notes and the translator herself to come brief us about what was said privately because as important as that press conference was where President Trump was a complete patsy a pushover an appeaser also equally if not more important is what he said privately to Vladimir.
VELSHI: Which we don`t know anything about.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Senator, yesterday we heard from Senator Rand Paul who supported President Trump`s overtures and is going to Russia himself to continue them. But I was a little surprised to hear from -- to hear from senator Rubio this afternoon on his reaction to the President`s attempted correction this afternoon. Let`s listen together.
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VELSHI: Senator, how do people who are otherwise national defense and national security hawks come up with stuff like that you know there are really steps that we can take that should be bipartisan and the explanation that Donald Trump gave to be -- today to the nation was totally backhanded and half-heart. It was too little too late too far away and I think it does nothing to undo the damage. But we ought to not only require those sanctions to be imposed but also to order our cyber command to go on the offensive and we`ve talked about this on the Armed Services Committee and cripple and penetrate those operations that are aimed at the United States at our elections because it will continue unless the Russians are made to pay a price. And by the way -
VELSHI: Until we get a full-throated embrace of the -- of the fact that the Russians have been responsible for this that`s going to be hard because our intelligence chiefs and our FBI heads and our CIA heads are getting those walking orders from the President.
BLUMENTHAL: They are receiving none of the necessary orders from the President and another order ought to be to expose the hidden wealth that Vladimir Putin has around the world along with his oligarchs that they have accrued as a result of corruption within Russia. That kind of name and shame will be important as well.
VELSHI: Senator, good to talk to you. Thank you for joining me tonight, Senator Richard Blumenthal.
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