MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal
Interview
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HAYES: We brought you the bombshell story last night that Saudi a funded lobbyists paid for an estimated 500 rooms at President Trump`s D.C. hotel in the months after his election. Among other legal problems, the report will likely be of interest to people who have sued the president over alleged violations of the constitution`s emolument`s clause. It seems to be a clear-cut case of foreign money flowing through a lobbying firm into the president`s bank account.
One of those lawsuits recently got a big win in court when it was allowed to move forwards towards discovery. And joining me now, one of the main plaintiff in another lawsuit over the emoluments clause, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut?
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, (D) CONNECTICUT: My reaction to that story is that there is a despicable cruel irony in the Saudis using American veterans and putting them up in Trump hotels, benefiting the president, and then using them to lobby against a measure that would help the 9/11 families who are seeking to sue the Saudis.
So the Saudis are using veterans, paying the president in violation of the emoluments clause, and that $270,000 going to Donald Trump`s organization is only the tip of the iceberg as Donald Trump himself has said, he gets tens of millions of dollars in payments for the condos and rentals in New York
and in Chicago, all around the country, from the Saudis and other foreign governments. So it adds to the strength of our lawsuit.
HAYES: Yeah, I want to talk about this scheme that`s so bizarre. And it`s unclear if it was actually a lobbying scheme or essentially a pretense to put money in the president`s pocket, but the legislation was legislation you championed, right? And the legislation would have done what?
BLUMENTHAL: The legislation, which was successful -- and, in fact, we overwrote a presidential veto to achieve it -- gave the 9/11 families in an ongoing lawsuit the right to stay in court and extract from the Saudis some compensation for the Saudi`s responsibility for 9/11.
Remember, there is mounting evidence that the Saudis sponsored, perhaps financially supported, and endorsed the 9/11 attack through agents. And that`s what the 9/11 families are seeking to establish in court.
HAYES: Right. I want to be clear, through agents, right. I mean, not through official channels, obviously, and that is not completely established, just to be clear.
BLUMENTHAL: Correct. And the justice against state terrorism acts, sponsored terrorism act, JASTA as it was known, would give them jurisdiction over the Saudis.
HAYES: So, the Saudis pouring money into an American lobbying firm that has these veterans come to D.C., put them up, they get sent to the Hill to lobby on this.
You`ve got now one federal court that has okayed discovery in the D.C. -- in the Maryland, I think a New York AG lawsuit on the emoluments clause, how big a deal is that?
BLUMENTHAL: That is a very big deal to go forward with what`s known as discovery, which means that documents must be produced, other evidence must be presented in response to subpoenas, but equally important we`ve overcome a really plausible legal hurdle to this lawsuit against Donald Trump.
Remember, the name of our lawsuit is Blumenthal versus Trump. Why is going to court necessary here, because we can`t do our job unless the president is compelled by the courts to come to congress
HAYES: And say what`s happening?
BLUMENTHAL: Say what`s happened, not only in this instance, with $270,000 in payments to him personally, he`s never divested his interests, but also the payments from the Philippine government,
the other governments that have supported
HAYES: Trump properties.
BLUMENTHAL: Trump properties -- condos, apartments and hotel rooms.
HAYES: Matthew Whitaker is still the acting attorney general of the United States of America. It was, I think, four weeks ago that he said he was consulting ethics officials on possible recusal from the Mueller probe, and then they`ve just gone silent. Journalist after journalist, reporter after reporter, people that are in that building all the time trying to get some comment and they are just saying nothing
about what those ethics officials said. What gives?
BLUMENTHAL: They have to be embarrassed by the possibility that the ethics officials are going to say Matt Whitaker has no business doing this job, because he has no proper role as attorney general of the United States, even in an acting capacity.
He has said things that clearly require his recusal. He has done things like his participation in a massive consumer fraud that ought to require his removal. And so the ethics officials are silent, because whatever they say is going to be bad for Matt Whitaker.
HAYES: All right, Senator Richard Blumenthal, thank you very much.
BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.
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