CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D)

Interview

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BERMAN: So, bottom line, in the space of single interview, one of the president's lawyers said the president did nothing wrong but if he did, it wasn't a crime. He said the president was trying to do business with Russia far longer than he led us to believe. He said the president may have been lying to the American public but hey, it's not like he was under oath or anything.

But as if to remind everyone of the true stakes involved, two new reports to the Senate Intelligence Committee detailed just how extensive Russia's social media effort was during the 2016 campaign, to hurt Hillary Clinton, especially among African-American voters, by suppressing turnout, to boost WikiLeaks and support Donald Trump. At the end of the day, that's what this is about.

The president, though, sees it differently. Thank you, he tweeted yesterday, commenting on a piece in the "Wall Street Journal," people are starting to see and understand what this witch hunt is all about.

And perhaps they are. But not in the way he thinks because the same day he tweeted that, a new NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll was showing that 62 percent of Americans do not believe President Trump is telling the truth about the Russia probe.

Meantime, the FBI director that President Trump fired was back on Capitol Hill today testifying before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees. It took place behind closed doors.

Afterwards, though, James Comey spoke out accusing the president and Republican lawmakers of damaging the bureau's reputation, and in the president's case, he says, lying about it. He also slammed the president for calling Michael Cohen a rat. We have to stop being numb to it, Comey said. Joining us now, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrat

Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Senator Blumenthal, I want to start by getting your reaction to this breaking news from "The Washington Post" that months after the president took office, Russian disinformation teams were specifically targeting special counsel Robert Mueller. What do you see there?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: What I see is that the sprawling, sweeping, Russian disinformation campaign is continuing. And it is continuing to echo and mirror, the Trump White House in its attack on Mueller, in its attempt to divide and disrupt and destroy our democracy. That is the Russian playbook.

It began early in this century, and it is continuing, and it is continuing with more intense pace and affect, because it's part of Vladimir Putin's overall strategy. And anybody who has any doubt about it, should go back and read the February and October indictments from the special counsel, which show how this operation is managed from the Russian side. Elena Khusyaynova indictment provides in stunning detail as well.

BERMAN: Some 5,000 tweets, and retweets specifically about Robert Mueller. It is fascinating.

Moving on, I want to play a clip to our viewers of what former FBI Director James Comey said today after he was grilled again behind closed doors by two congressional committees on the FBI's handling of the Clinton e-mail investigation and the Russia investigation. Listen to this.

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BERMAN: Do you feel, Senator, there has been a failure to stand up?

BLUMENTHAL: There has been absolutely a failure on the part of my Republican colleagues to stand up, to speak out, and to push back against Donald Trump.

Unfortunately, I think my Republican colleagues need to find the Senate lost and found for their consciences, because history will judge them very harshly if they fail at this critical moment when we know the Russians are continuing this attack on our democracy as demonstrated by this report. That report shows they are mirroring and echoing the Trump continuing campaign against the special counsel.

BERMAN: I thought there was a lot fascinating about what Rudy Giuliani said yesterday, but suggesting that collusion is not a crime, that even if the president did hear from Roger Stone about WikiLeaks, that was not a crime, acknowledging that maybe the president did lie but he wasn't under oath. All of those admissions, moving the goal post so far, not to mention the fact he allowed for the possibility the president was negotiating on Trump Tower Moscow all the way up until the election.

Do you think there's a strategy behind Rudy Giuliani coming out with these admissions now?

BLUMENTHAL: I hope that Rudy Giuliani has his malpractice insurance paid up because I don't see a strategy. I see simply damaging admissions on behalf of his client. And moving the goal post, as you just put it, John, is exactly the right way to term it, because what they're doing is trying to say, in effect, conspiracy is not a crime. It is a crime.

And the president need not have known all of the ends of the conspiracy. He need not all of what the Russians were trying to do for his campaign, he need not know all of the collusion that was taking place or the obstruction of justice. It is still a crime.

And there is a credible case now of obstruction of justice against the president of the United States.

BERMAN: Along those lines, Rudy Giuliani said yesterday of the possibility that the president would testify or answer questions from Robert Mueller. Giuliani said over my dead body, but, you know, I could be dead.

Do you think presidential testimony is absolutely necessary for Robert Mueller?

BLUMENTHAL: For Donald Trump, testimony would be necessary to exonerate himself, but as you know, having covered him and as the American people know having watched him, Donald Trump's connection to facts and evidence is very tenuous. And so I doubt that he will ever be a witness voluntarily. It will take a subpoena and there should be one from the special counsel or from the Southern District of New York.

John, remember that the most advanced edge, the point of the spear now in this investigation is in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, where that unindicted co-conspirator, individual number one is having a very bad time.

BERMAN: We should note as of now, we have no reporting on any subpoenas being issued by either entity, but obviously we're watching very closely.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat from Connecticut, thanks so much for being with us.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you, John.

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