MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Interview

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MADDOW:  It is a common beltway assumption that the special counsel Robert Mueller is going to make some kind of report about the Russia investigation.  Is it common enough assumption that one member of the president`s legal team -- well, one person adjacent to the president`s legal team recently suggested that the team would be allowed to edit the Mueller report before anybody else saw it.  I don`t think that`s how it works. 
 
The Senate is about to start voting on whether or not to confirm William Barr to be the next attorney general of the United States, a significant portion of Barr`s confirmation process, thus far, has centered on the idea of a Mueller report and Barr`s vague answers, thus far, as to whether or not he`d ever let such a report see the light of day. 
 
But honestly, we don`t know that`s how it`s going to happen.  An eventual Mueller report seems to be more of an assumption than certainty for now and if William Bar is going to be confirmed, so is the idea that Americans would ever get a chance to read any it, if one of those report does some day exist. 
 
But now, there is this, the Special Counsel Transparency Act, introduced today.  It would, quote, guarantee that every special counsel does a report complete with findings and evidence and that it be disclosed directly to Congress and the American people.  To be more specific, quote: The Special Counsel Transparency Act introduced today requires any special counsel produce a report to Congress at the conclusion of an investigation or within two weeks of a removal, transfer or resignation of a special counsel.  The report must include all factual findings and underlying evidence. 
 
Oh.  Well that would seem to cover it.  Here is the kicker: this transparency act that was just introduced today, this isn`t just a Democratic wish list kind of thing.  The co-sponsors of the measure about a Mueller report are Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and also Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, both of whom serve on the Judiciary Committee and that means this might go somewhere. 
 
Joining us now is Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.  He is a Democratic senator.  He`s a member of the Judiciary Committee. 
 
Sir, thank you very much for being with us tonight. 
 
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT:  Thank you, Rachel. 
 
MADDOW:  So, this a -- I am not surprised to see you pursuing this because of the way you have talked about the need for transparency around the Russia investigation in general and with the special counsel`s office in particular.  I am -- I am surprised to see Senator Grassley as your co- sponsor here.  I wonder if you could give us some of the back story as to how you and he came to a meeting of the minds of this. 
 
BLUMENTHAL:  I`m proud that Senator Grassley, who is champion of whistle- blowers and transparency, has agreed to join this legislation and there is a really simple idea behind it, which is the public`s right to know.  He and I have worked on other legislation that involves transparency and full disclosure and of course, you`ve been a great champion of it.  So, while we may seem to be an odd couple, Grassley and me, so would perhaps you and Senator Grassley. 
 
MADDOW:  Oh, yes. 
 
BLUMENTHAL:  But I think he is heeding and hearing what many of us have heard and heeded from the American public.  A real desire that there be full disclosure when there is a special counsel who is appointed only in the most serious and significant circumstances involving grave violations of public trust and no assurance here that the public will eventually know because William Barr has been at best ambiguous on this topic. 
 
MADDOW:  And on the Judiciary Committee, you obviously have an absolutely key role to play in this whole part of this scandal and this investigation.  We know that the Judiciary Committee will be voting on whether or not to confirm Mr. Barr as the next attorney general, controversy and vagueness in the answers how he would treat any eventual Mueller report has been a big source of concern I think for a lot of people observing those hearings.  But with Senator Grassley as your co-sponsor here, I`m struck by the fact that he`s no longer the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he was until this new Congress started.  I know he`s still on the committee.  Lindsey Graham is going to be the chair of Judiciary going forward. 
 
Do you have any sense of how Lindsey Graham feels about this or whether or not former Chairman Grassley has talked to him about it? 
 
BLUMENTHAL:  I`m going to be talking to Senator Graham and others on the committee, but in my conversations so far, there has been a lot of receptivity, even tentative support among my Republican colleagues.  Of course, there has been among Democrats, as well.  But I think that it`s important to understand that the president`s allies ought to be in favor of full disclosure, as well, because they claimed that the facts and evidence would vindicate him. 
 
So, I`m hoping that there will be, in fact, strong bipartisan support.  In fact, William Barr has perhaps indicated in his written responses that he`ll be bound by the rules and regulations.  He may provide for full disclosure.  He should.  But his statute if passed would make it clear and compulsory and the public really needs and deserves it. 
 
MADDOW:  Senator, I have one last matter related to this that I want to ask you about and I`m not sure if you can answer this and if you can`t, I don`t mean to pry -- actually, I do mean to pry.  I don`t mean to push. 
 
But the -- one of the things that we`ve been watching from outside the Mueller investigation, trying to anticipate not only what he`s likely to do next but how his case is coming together as it relates to a larger scandal is that we`ve been watching as people are charged with lying to Congress.  We`ve seen that with Roger Stone.  We`ve seen that with Michael Cohen.  We saw reference to lies to Congress in the Sam Patten indictment, as well. 
 
One of the things we`ve been trying to track is whether or not witnesses who have testified in the Russia investigation and various committees before Congress, whether their testimony has been conveyed to the special counsel, whether Mueller`s office has received official transcripts from witness testimony in a way that might indicate that he`s considering potential similar charges against any other witnesses. 
 
Can you tell us if other Judiciary Committee witnesses have had their testimony sent over to Mueller, sent to the special counsel`s office as yet? 
 
BLUMENTHAL:  Very simply, Rachel, I`m barred from saying whether any testimony has been conveyed to the special counsel.  But I can tell you this much, I was in the room when a great many of these witnesses appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee behind closed doors.  I think many of them should be called back to testify in public and I hope that will be true of other congressional committees, as well, because behind closed doors, there was questions, serious issues concerning their truthfulness and that issue pertained particularly to Donald Trump Jr. in a number of contentions before our committee.
 
So, I think this common thread of lying to Congress and particularly to congressional committees may in snare a number of others potential targets in this special counsel`s investigation and become a matter of criminal action. 
 
MADDOW:  Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, sir, thank you.  I know this is going to be a very busy week this week and next week as well.  Thanks for taking time for us.  Much appreciated. 
 
BLUMENTHAL:  Thank you. 

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