CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Kennedy

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

KENNEDY: Not to know what they're capable of. The question, Brooke, was is Kim lying to the president? And I don't know. I don't know. (CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: No. The question, Senator Kennedy, is why does the president keep supporting these murderous men?

KENNEDY: I don't know. You'll have to ask him that question to get your answer. I'm just saying it's an interesting discussion. I don't know how we'll ever resolve it. But to me, Kim is responsible any way, just as Vladimir Putin is responsible for the things that his government does, as is the ayatollah and Iran.

BALDWIN: So why on earth is the president of the United States not defending an American citizen or his family?

KENNEDY: You'll have to ask him that, Brooke. I wasn't there. I have heard him defend --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Mr. Trump, if you're watching, come on to CNN.

KENNEDY: Maybe he'll call in.

BALDWIN: I think there's a better chance of a lot of things, but Mr. Trump, call us. You know the number.

Speaking of MbS, you are very vocal about Saudi Arabia. And just this week, the Senate is pushing the Trump administration for a complete report on Jamal Khashoggi's murder at the same time the president's own son-in-law was in Saudi Arabia meeting with Mohammad bin Salman, the man the CIA says ordered the killing.

Any thoughts on that, Senator Kennedy?

KENNEDY: I'm sorry. I thought you were going to play a tape.

Brooke, one of the hardest things that a president, any president has to do is deal with an authoritarian government that doesn't share American values, but whose interests are important to us. And if we just refuse to deal with any country that doesn't share our Western values, the world would be a more dangerous place. Now, I've been very critical of the prince. Whether he knew it or not, he's responsible.

BALDWIN: Right.

KENNEDY: But I've also said we couldn't sever ties completely with Saudi Arabia because it's in our interests, the security interests of the Middle East and Israel and the United States to have some sort of dialogue. I don't know how you -- Saudi Arabia's a major player in the Middle East. I don't know how --

BALDWIN: Sure.

KENNEDY: -- you can deal with the problems in the Middle East without talking to Saudi Arabia. And whether we like it or not, Prince Mohammad bin Salman is in charge.

BALDWIN: Let me ask you about, switching gears, Michael Cohen.

KENNEDY: Sure.

BALDWIN: Michael Cohen, the president's former attorney. Let me just start with you, Senator, on those hush money payments to those women. Cohen came to Capitol Hill yesterday with those checks paying him back, checks signed by President Trump, right, so after he took office. Unlike your House colleagues on that committee, are you bothered by that?

KENNEDY: You know, I've been asked repeatedly, Brooke, since that happened and I think -- I think you're asking the same thing, you know. If Mr. Cohen's testimony is true, does that erase his problems with the president? Well, that's like asking if I murder somebody, am I a murder? I would be if I murdered somebody. I don't know if Michael Cohen is telling the truth of not. I have to look at -- I have to look at --

(CROSSTALK)

[14:35:23] KENNEDY: Let me just finish my thought.

BALDWIN: Sure.

KENNEDY: I have to look at his credibility. We know that in the past he's been convicted. He's lied to the Federal Elections Commission. He's lied to Congress. He's lied to banks when he borrowed money. He lied to the IRS --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Sure. And he's going to prison.

KENNEDY: And he's going to prison.

BALDWIN: Let me -- if I may, let me interject.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Tell me with a straight face -- let's flip the script and say, President Hillary Clinton, if there were a President Hillary Clinton and she conspired with her personal lawyer to pay off people to keep quiet about her affairs in order to keep it secret from the American people before a presidential election, and also detailed tax frauds in her foundation, the Republicans, you tell me, Senator Kennedy, the Republicans wouldn't want to talk to her lawyer? Really?

KENNEDY: If the shoe were on the other foot and I were asked to judge the veracity of a witness against a President Clinton, as I am with respect to President Trump, I would just say, look, let me look at corroboration but let me look at their background, their character. It's just a fact, Brooke. Mr. Cohen is a convicted liar. To me --

(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: You'd be asking those questions? You'd be asking those questions?

KENNEDY: Sure, I would. But I think he's an angry man. He's bitter. He's a little unbalanced. I'm not saying he's crazy or as my son might say, I'm not saying he's a bunny bowler, but he's a little unbalanced. And --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: A bunny bowler? You bring some new vocabulary, Senator, to the conversation.

KENNEDY: But take a nonsensical approach. Would I take his check? And the answer's probably not and I don't think he would --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Can you tell me why not a single Republican defended the substance of the allegations regarding the president? They ripped into him, liar, liar, pants on fire. Where was the defense of the president?

KENNEDY: The guy doesn't have a good background for veracity, Brooke.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: That's not what I'm asking about. I'm asking about the president and the accusations.

KENNEDY: He did -- Mr. Cohen has presented all that information to the special counsel. I assume he's going to look at it --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: His signature was on the check, Senator Kennedy.

KENNEDY: Right. And the issue is, is that a violation of the federal campaign finance laws and you can argue that one round or flat. They're good arguments on both sides. I happen to believe it isn't a violation of the campaign finance laws but a lawyer smarter than me could probably make an argument --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Why not?

(CROSSTALK)

KENNEDY: You have to prove intent and I don't think you can prove it in a case like that. The federal election statutes are primarily meant to be civil. That doesn't mean that you can't have a criminal violation of the FEC provisions, but that's just my personal opinion.

But I'll tell you this, if -- if the special counsel thinks that anybody violated the FEC laws in a criminal way, I suspect he'll bring an indictment. But I also make this prediction. He's not going to do it solely on the testimony of Mr. Cohen and have Mr. Cohen as his only witness.

BALDWIN: Of course. Of course.

KENNEDY: For obvious reasons.

BALDWIN: To your point for corroboration, absolutely right.

Senator John Kennedy, a pleasure. Come back.

KENNEDY: Thanks, Brooke.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source