CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: Interview With Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut

Interview

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COOPER: Now, keeping them honest, whether or not it turns out the president broke even one law during the campaign, the investigation has everything to do with him because, and I'm going to say this slowly, it was his campaign -- his chairman, his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. His personal attorney and corporate fixer Michael Cohen. Campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. And Michael Flynn.

And it was Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. who met with Russians at Trump Tower. Michael Cohen told a judge he lied about campaign finance violations on behalf of and at the direction of President Trump. And now, Roger Stone is accused of coordinating with top campaign officials about his outreach to WikiLeaks.

And again, Sarah Sanders says it has nothing to do with the president, but here's what the indictment says, and I'm quoting. After the July 22nd, 2016 release of stolen Democratic National Committee e-mails by organization 1, a senior Trump campaign official was directed to contact Stone about any additional releases and what other damaging information organization 1 had regarding the Clinton campaign.

Stone thereafter told the Trump campaign about potential future releases of damaging material by organization 1. Now, organization 1 is WikiLeaks. The indictment makes that clear. Not clear who the senior campaign official is, nor who directed him or her to contact Roger Stone. But there aren't that many people who are senior to a senior campaign

official other than the candidate or someone very close to him. So, Sarah Sanders is wrong. This case and the larger investigation certainly is about the president, whether he was up to his eyebrows in wrongdoing, entirely innocent in every respect, or something in between. And you would think if he did nothing wrong the president would welcome the scrutiny.

Joining me now is Democratic senator from Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal.

Senator, is what's happening to Roger Stone in any way a legal lynching, which is what he called it?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Hardly. It is really the result of an extensive and expansive investigation.

[20:05:04] And the search that was conducted is in many ways perhaps as important as the indictment of him.

COOPER: How so?

BLUMENTHAL: But one way or the other -- well, they were looking for documents and other evidence that had to be in fact raided because they were fearful that he would destroy those documents and other evidence as part of an obstruction of justice. And that search indicates that this investigation is far from over, contrary to what Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker said, this investigation is very much proceeding and along with the delay in the sentencing of Manafort and Flynn, the extension of the grand jury, the proceedings in the Southern District of New York, which are active and ongoing, there are a lot of indication that's that search along with the prosecution of Roger Stone and the revelation that's may come from it are very, very important as signs that it is active and continuing.

But there is no way that Roger Stone received anything less than complete due process here.

COOPER: I want to ask you about those comments made by the Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker because it was just kind of odd, sort of rambling, certainly unexpected. I just want to play his comments for our viewers and then have you respond.

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COOPER: Do you have any idea what he was talking about? It just seemed sort of rambling and odd the things he brings up.

BLUMENTHAL: That kind of comment would be bizarre from the most inexperienced junior prosecutor and from the attorney general of the United States and acting attorney general, they are truly a disservice. Remember, Matt Whitaker is illegally in that office. My colleagues and I are suing to prevent him from serving. He also has a severe conflict of interest because of past disparaging comments he's made about the special counsel. And he ignored the professional advice of ethical experts in the Department of Justice to continue remaining in a supervisory role.

So, those comments, which are, you're absolutely right, rambling came at the end of a press conference on something completely different. He really was totally irresponsible in making them.

COOPER: I mean, this notion that decisions made by the special counsel are going to be reviewed by what he called the various means we have, I don't know what that means. And what various means do they have?

BLUMENTHAL: That is the mystery here. And there are no various means. The possibility of review seems incomprehensible.

But here's the important point. That every time he comments or anyone else in the administration comments in a disparaging way about the investigation they undermine its credibility. That's the agenda here. And I would just say that these kinds of comments give all the more weight and importance to transparency. That is, complete disclosure of a report by the special counsel.

I've introduced a bill just within the past few days with Senator Grassley that would require a report. And also mandate that it be made directly disclosable to the Congress and to the American public. The American public paid for this report. They deserve to know what it found.

COOPER: And about that legislation, which as you said you did with Grassley and have introduced, it would require, what, a summary of the final Mueller report submitted to Congress and the public or would it be the complete report?

BLUMENTHAL: Very important question, Anderson. The complete report, unabridged, uncensored, unsilenced. Obviously redacted to remove classified information, secret and potentially damaging information to our national security and maybe some of the privacy issues that, for example, Social Security numbers should not see the light of day. But the complete report.

And the reason is quite simply a special counsel is appointed in the most rare, significant, serious circumstances of violations of public trust. So, the public has a special need and right to know. And it may eventually leak, parts of it.

[20:10:00] It may be subpoenaed, parts of it. But the full report should be made known to the American people.

COOPER: Senator Blumenthal, appreciate your time. Thanks very much.

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