MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal
Interview
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HAYES: For more the President`s Mueller interview and how the midterms are playing into his deliberations I`m joined by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator, a colleague of yours in the House Adam Schiff said this in response to the Giuliani no obstruction offer. "Giuliani`s new offer the special counsel, you can ask the President conspiracy but only if Trumps answers can be limited to no collusion, no collusion, no conclusion, as for obstruction of justice, no questions at all. Enough is enough, time for a subpoena. Do you agree?
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT), SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I agree. It is really at the point where a subpoena from the special counsel would be entirely appropriate. This offer of a limited interview would be laughed out of his office if Rudy Giuliani were still U.S. Attorney. As a prosecutor, as U.S. Attorney in Connecticut, I would have laughed it out of my office. And I think that the special counsel in fairness to the country ought to talk about a subpoena and give the Giuliani and Trump camp a definite time limit on complying and then go to court if necessary and that action may eventually go to the United States Supreme Court where as you know, the nominee in question believes very strongly that maybe the Nixon tapes case ought to be reconsidered and the President should be above the law.
HAYES: We mentioned that last night. Brett Kavanaugh is saying that at an event I think in 1999 that maybe the Nixon tapes, the unanimous Nixon tapes case decided wrongly. The issue here right is the subpoenas a powerful thing that brings us to Congress right? What would change if the -- if there was a congressional majority in either House of Democrats with subpoena power?
BLUMENTHAL: There would be committees who could compel truth-telling by public officials or at least production of records not only tax returns from Donald Trump but also internal files from within agencies. There would be no need to rely on freedom of information requests which can be delay delayed by these agencies. There would be compelled production of those kinds of evidentiary documents from the EPA, from the Department of Labor, from all kinds of agencies that may be concealing and hiding relevant evidence that in turn may show illegality on the part of the Trump campaign. The American people really want accountability. They want change. That`s what this poll and what I`m hearing from my constituents shows and that`s what the recent election shows as well.
HAYES: The President today after -- I mean we`re still sort of dealing with the fallout of that astounding performance in Helsinki and you know then the "wouldn`t-would" absurdity and then he sort of threw it all out yesterday and was back to hoax. And then today he said this. "I`m very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming election. Based on the fact no president has been tougher on Russia than me. They will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely don`t want Trump." Vladimir Putin literally stood next the president and said he wanted Trump. What is that about?
BLUMENTHAL: The American people really are in fact believing what they see and hear. What they`re watching is a president who puts his own interests above America, in fact, blames America first instead of putting America first and Vladimir Putin loves it. In fact, as you just pointed out, Chris, he said in that now-infamous press conference that he wanted Trump to win not Trump`s opponent. So what we have here is an effort to deny what Americans can see and hear and that`s why the poll numbers are moving
against it. But more fundamentally and really importantly this nation is under attack. That`s what Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence said. The warning lights are blinking red again and it is an attack on our
electoral process, the pillars of our democracy. And whether you believe that the Russians want Trump or the Democrats when the point is to stop this attack on America.
HAYES: All right, Senator Richard Blumenthal, thanks for your time tonight.
BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.
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