CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Ed Markey

Interview

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SCIUTTO: But with midterm elections less than three weeks away now, Congress out of session, is there any real pressure today on the administration to hold Saudi Arabia accountable?

Let's discuss with the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, Ed Markey.

Senator Markey, thanks very much for taking the time this morning.

SEN. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Good morning. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: You know, it's difficult not to put too fine a point on it, but this is an alleged murder of a journalist, resident here in the U.S., but not a permanent resident, the dismembering of his body and cover-up, according to Turkish officials here.

What do you make of the president taking the Saudis at their word on this while even members of his own party -- Graham, Corker, Rubio -- all based on what they know already discussing penalties for Saudi Arabia?

MARKEY: Well, all fingers point towards the Saudi royal family. I don't think there is any debate over that except in the mind of the president of the United States, unfortunately. And I think what you're hearing from the Republican side is just being echoed on the Democratic side as well. We have to take very strong, firm action. We need an impartial investigation of what happened. We have to get to the bottom of it.

All the circumstantial evidence does point towards the royal family. And then we have to impose sanctions on the Saudi government so that we not only teach the Saudi government a lesson, we teach any other authoritarian regime in the world that the United States is not going to stand on the sidelines when international norms are being violated.

HARLOW: Senator, you called this a turning point in the U.S. relationship with Saudi. And I think no matter how this plays out, that that's pretty clear that things have changed. Certainly in the minds of every member in Congress, practically, if not in the president's mind.

At the same time, you know that Saudi Arabia is very important when it comes to being our ally and putting sustained pressure on Iran. Are you worried that Iran could gain power in the region if the U.S. breaks with Saudis?

MARKEY: Well, I am afraid that the president has pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, which was being verified in a way that led to the very clear conclusion that there was no additional capacity for a nuclear weapon that Iran was seeking or was able to obtain. And instead, he wants to have a cut-off of oil from Iran beginning on November 5th. Well, if that's the case, then he needs Saudi Arabia in order to produce the oil.

So that's going to create an incredible conundrum for the United States because they've got us over a barrel of oil over a policy that Trump is engaging in, in breaking the Iran nuclear deal. And now the Saudis are just going to give us an offer that President Trump can't refuse which is --

HARLOW: So you are worried?

MARKEY: I am very concerned. I'm also very concerned that the Saudi Arabians want us to sell them nuclear power plants with uranium and with plutonium that could be used for nuclear weapons program. That negotiation is ongoing right now as well. So whether it be oil or nuclear weapons, unless the president takes a very strong stand against the Saudis, there's going to be a message sent that we side with them, regardless of what they do in the Middle East, Yemen, nukes, oil, we're with them all the way. All in.

And the Iranians are going to be the excuse for him doing it, but the consequences for the American moral and political leadership around the world is going to be absolutely catastrophic, and we need the president to stand up rather than being in denial.

You just can't have Mnuchin go there later on this week for a conference. That's the wrong signal. You can't continue the nuclear talks. You can't have a president of the United States begging the Saudis to please produce more oil for us to produce -- for us to consume while simultaneously rolling back the fuel economy standards for the vehicles.

SCIUTTO: Right.

HARLOW: OK --

MARKEY: Which we drive in our country. It is an absolutely upside down policy the president has, and we are going to pay a long-term price which is why the Congress has to step up to be the policeman here in the Middle East.

SCIUTTO: Senator, we've talked a lot about the president's investment, diplomatic investment with the Saudis regarding Iran, regarding Mideast peace, et cetera, as influencing possibly his defense of the Saudis on this case. One thing we haven't talked much about are questions about his business' involvement with Saudi Arabia. The president has publicly said in the past that Saudis invest millions of dollars in his properties, et cetera.

Are you concerned that the president's personal interests could be influencing his decision here?

MARKEY: I don't think there is any question that he feels that he has a very special relationship with the Saudis going back to his own personal financial interest over decades. I think that's clouding his judgment, without question, as well as his ideological perspective in terms of siding with Saudi against any other country in the region. And so this combination is very dangerous for the national security of our country.

But it goes back to his own historic personal conflict of interest in the financial stake, which the Saudis have had in Trump properties over the years.

SCIUTTO: So it begs the question, what is the Senate going to do about it, right? If the Senate is the check here on the president on this key foreign policy issue, you have Republican colleagues of yours, Rubio, Graham talking about sanctioning Saudi Arabia.

HARLOW: Or MBS, you know, having --

SCIUTTO: Having to go, Graham went that far. Do -- is there a bipartisan discussion today about hard moves to penalize Saudi Arabia?

MARKEY: Yes. I think that any Saudi arms deal with the United States is now on the table for rejection. We came very close, a 53-47 vote that barely preserved a sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia just a year ago. But I think a lot of that support that the Republicans gave to the president a year ago has now evaporated. And so I believe that any further arms deals to Saudi Arabia are now on the table and very likely to be rejected if it cannot be proven that the Saudi royal family did not order this hit on the journalist.

HARLOW: Briefly on that point of the arms deal, though, you've heard the president say and make the case, and some of your fellow senators on the Republican side say, if you stop the arms deals, if you cut this off, you open the door to Russia and the Russians. Concerning to you? Should it be considered?

MARKEY: I think that it's complicated for the Saudis to be cutting arms deals with other countries in the world as well. But I don't think that we, as the moral, political, military leader of the world should allow ourselves to be compromised, to be turned into nothing more than just an adjunct to another country's foreign policy.

If we're sending weapons into another country, it should have something attached to it. And that is the values of our country and how those weapons are used. In Yemen, that is not the case. That's an out of control humanitarian crisis that is using American weapons in order to perpetuate that conflict.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MARKEY: And the same thing is true going forward after what has happened here in Turkey. We just have to reestablish our relationship with Saudi Arabia based upon a set of values that is consistent with long-term U.S. interest. That is not the case right now. And I think on a bipartisan basis, that consensus is being created in the Congress.

SCIUTTO: Of course, the U.S. could ground the Saudi airports tomorrow if they didn't send their part to the Russians. HARLOW: Re-authorizing the weapons sales.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And Russians couldn't get them back up in the air.

Senator Ed Markey, thanks very much for taking the time.

HARLOW: Thank you.

MARKEY: Thank you.

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