MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders
Interview
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HAYES: Senator Lindsey Graham explaining why he switched his position and voted yes to debating a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen, a resolution co-sponsored by
one Republican Mike Lee of Utah and introduced by independent senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. And Senator Sanders joins me now.
You got passed the procedural hurdle today. Explain what happened today.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: What happened is by a very good vote, we got this
resolution discharged from the foreign relations committee. My expectation is that next week, there will be the vote on final passage. And I think we will lose a number of the Republicans who voted with us today, but I hope and believe we have the 51 votes that we`ll need to finally get the United States out of this disastrous and destructive war in Yemen.
HAYES: What exactly would this resolution do? What would it require?
SANDERS: What it would do is end U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen. As you mentioned, Chris, and I think a lot of Americans don`t know this, we are looking at the worst humanitarian crisis on the face of the Earth. 85,000 children have already starved to death, and what the UN is telling us is that millions more may starve in the imminent future. We`re looking at 10,000 new cases of cholera every single week.
And all of this has been brought upon by the Saudi-led invasion that took place three years ago, of which we are a part. And it seems pretty clear to me, and I guess a majority of the members of the Senate, that the United States should not be following the lead of a despotic, authoritarian government in Saudi Arabia, who are engaged in a very adventuristic military effort, which should end as soon as possible.
HAYES: The last time this came up on the floor, I think you got 44 votes and it failed.
SANDERS: That`s right.
HAYES: I wonder how much after what has happened with Khashoggi has altered the trajectory. They don`t relate to each other in any direct way, except for the fact that it`s Mohammed bin Salman who directed the killing of Khashoggi and the cover-up of it and is also directing this war in Yemen.
SANDERS: I think that murder of Khashoggi kind of exposed to every member of the senate just how reckless and cruel and despotic the Saudi regime is. And I think that played a significant factor, was a significant factor in us getting the vote we got today.
But I will tell you that I think more and more senators understand that the constitution of the United States is pretty clear, it is the congress that is authorized to make war, not a president of the United States. And I think you`re seeing Democrats and Republicans want to take back that constitutional responsibility, which we have abdicated for a very long time.
HAYES: The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been out front in advocating against this resolution, and for a partnership with Saudi Arabia, no matter what they did with Khashoggi. He referred to critics, who were upset about that murder of an American resident journalist as caterwauling.
He came today to brief members of the U.S. Senate. Was he persuasive?
SANDERS: Well, I guess not. I think we started the day with, I think, 52 or 53 votes, and we ended up with 63 votes. So I guess it wasn`t terribly effective.
But at the end of the day, I think there is growing antagonism in congress, and in this country, against the kind of despotic rule and arrogance that we`re seeing from Saudi Arabia.
HAYES: I want to give you the argument -- this is a tweet from Pompeo, but it`s broadly the argument of those who support U.S. backing of the Saudi regime. This is the tweet: "Iran`s regime has no interest in easing Yemeni`s suffering. The mullahs don`t even care for ordinary Iranians. Saudi Arabia has invested billions to relieve suffering in Yemen, Iran has invested zero." That`s a reference to the idea that Iran is backing the Houthi rebels who are one party in this war with the Saudi-backed forces. What do you say?
SANDERS: Well, what the secretary forgot to tell us that it was Saudi Arabia that intervened in this civil war in Yemen, that has caused this humanitarian disaster.
HAYES: They are currently, we should say, blocking a port in Hodeidah that is a huge part of why there is such starvation on the precipice.
Do you think you can win this? I mean, the question is what is the administration going to do -- Mitch McConnell and the administration are going to get their heads together and try to do something to kill this in the next week.
SANDERS: This is what I think, we have come a very long way since March when Senator Lee and I got 44 votes. I think now we have virtually the entire Democratic caucus, which is 49 votes. I think we can count on half a dozen Republicans.
HAYES: Yeah, those numbers look pretty good from what I saw today, particularly with Jack Reed and others signing on. Senator Bernie Sanders, thank you.
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