MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Interview

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HAYES: Joining me now is Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of  Connecticut, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Well, two of your  colleagues, the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham say hey,  don`t worry about it. What do you think?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: Well, I am worried about it and  so worried about it that we are thinking about ways that we can attach the  special prosecutor protection legislation to other bills that may be moving  through the United States Senate, must pass bills relating to  appropriations for the continuing resolution, equally important. We`re  thinking about legislation to assure there is disclosure of all the  findings and evidence in that investigation in the event that Robert  Mueller is in fact fired so the public knows and so that the investigators  are held accountable.

HAYES: What do you -- what is your interpretation of the president  unprompted bringing up the Mueller investigation when asked about Whitaker?  It`s another one of those Lester Holt moments where he just says what is on  his mind clearly and you really understated it. Matt Whitaker is  manifestly unqualified for this job except that he serves the President`s  purpose of cutting by a thousand cuts and dealing death to this  investigation. It`s a kind of slow motion Saturday Night Massacre.

HAYES: Well, my question about that is what would -- so obviously, firing  Mueller I think would precipitate some kind of massive crisis right? But  it seems to me that that should -- if you believe there`s something  untoward happening here with Whitaker, they`re probably going to do  something more subtle like you just suggested. How would your legislation  protect that?

BLUMENTHAL: The Special Counsel Protection Legislation would prevent the  firing but the legislation that we`re contemplating would require complete  disclosure of all the evidence and findings so it would diminish the  incentive for strangling this investigation. It would also assure more  funding so that the continuation of the present appropriate from them,  moneys been appropriated would be assured.

HAYES: Right. So you don`t have much leverage in the minority right now  in the Senate for less than one used to in the United States Senate. Jeff  Flake was in the majority, has said he supports this legislation, he and  Jeff -- he and Coons tried to bring it up. They were defeated by Mitch  McConnell. Flake is now saying he won`t vote for any judges in this lame  duck session unless it happens. Collins refuses to do the same. What is  your sense -- are there other Republicans who can go that Flake route to  get you the leverage you would need?

BLUMENTHAL: I think there are other Republicans and they need to step  forward. The story of this Congress has been quite, unfortunately, the  abdication of responsibility by Republicans there. I hope Jeff Flake  sticks to that commitment, but we need the legislation --

HAYES: We need more than that. Don`t you?

BLUMENTHAL: We need more than just him and we need more than just Jeff  Flake because he`s going to be leaving and we need the muscle to make sure  that the Senate votes on this.

Mueller tomorrow and shut down the investigation, that the overwhelming majority of Republican colleagues would be fine with it and try to protect the President?

BLUMENTHAL: There`ll be a firestorm if he fires the Special Counsel.  There`ll be a constitutional conflagration, but --

HAYES: Don`t you think Mitch McConnell is just going to huddle the team  together off the antechamber and say look, guys, this is what we signed up  for. We protect this guy no matter what and we`re the majority and screw  them.

BLUMENTHAL: I think they have to take a lesson from this last election.  The American people want that investigation completed.

HAYES: What do you think about Whitaker`s status as the Acting Attorney  General? I mean there`s concerns about him. You had harsh words for his  qualifications. And this is someone who was elbow deep in this various  scammy company. The FTC you know ordered it to pay back $27 million  dollars I think. The FBI has a criminal investigation. We`ve got you  know, evidence now that he was active and essentially trying to silence  people who pointed out the scamminess of this company. I mean, is -- what  do you think of Whitaker in this role independent of what he`s doing the  Mueller investigation?

BLUMENTHAL: He is there illegally.

HAYES: You think he`s illegal there.

BLUMENTHAL: I think that the President`s failed to comply with the advice  and consent requirement in the Constitution and we are researching and  actively considering, I`m talking to a number of my colleagues about legal  action that we could take. I think that there`ll be more challenges to the  actions that he may take while he`s in office. But here is the bottom line  on this appointment. If there is an effort to fire Bob Mueller, there will  be a firestorm, maybe not among my Republican colleagues but among the  American people, there`ll be another clear Saturday Night Massacre.

And that`s the strategy here of the Republicans to do it in slow motion so  as to avoid that overt firestorm.

HAYES: All right, Senator Richard Blumenthal, thank you for your time  tonight.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you

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