MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Interview

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HAYES:  Now, Adam Schiff was just one of a list of Democratic targets sent out by of all people the Trump 2020 Campaign that had a memo about how guess that you`re booking might be unreliable.  They don`t like when people are factually unreliable.  And joining me now is another lawmaker on that list Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.  He sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Good to have you here, Senator.
 
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT), SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE:  Thank you.
 
SCHIFF:  I want to read you the quote that was in the booking memo from the Trump 2020 campaign because it was something he said to me.  On October 17th of last year, the evidence is pretty clear that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.  Were you wrong?
 
BLUMENTHAL:  I was right and you`ve just heard why I was right from Adam Schiff and I can give you a list of the evidence of collusion.
 
HAYES:  But isn`t that defining collusion down?  You`re -- what you`re saying is a collusion appropriately names the -- what we already know about the publicly accessible information behavior of the Trump campaign.
 
BLUMENTHAL:  What we have publicly accessible like the Trump Tower meeting involving the president`s son-in-law, campaign manager and son, or the providing of private polling data to the Russians while they were conducting a social media manipulation campaign, aiding Trump, or the Trump Tower negotiations for a Moscow Tower.  All of these instances and there are many more are already in the public domain.
 
What we don`t have is the Trump-Mueller report.  We have the Barr book report.  And there is likely to be a lot more evidence of the conspiracy even if it doesn`t rise to the level of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
 
HAYES:  So I want to -- I want to put some markers down in advance right.  I mean, my position on this is I have no idea what`s in that report.  I am inclined to think there will not be a substantial or shocking distance between the summary is provided by Barr the actual report itself.  What is your expectation?
 
BLUMENTHAL:  My expectation is that there will be more evidence of both conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians but also more evidence of obstruction.  And the reason that`s important is number one, the Barr book report, its summary of the Mueller report says that it did not exonerate the president.
 
HAYES:  Explicitly quoted.  One of the few things it quotes is that an explicit non exoneration from Bob Mueller.
 
BLUMENTHAL:  One of those 42 words that he quote is that there`s no exoneration.  And obstruction is fundamental here because it involves the hindering of an investigation which might have disclosed more evidence of that conspiracy like criminal intent.  But here`s the main point, Chris, none of us know what is in the Mueller report.  The American people deserve.  They paid for it.
 
They need to know everything that is in it.  And the failure to disclose it fully and completely would smack of a cover-up and forever taint attorney- general.
 
HAYES:  It does seem to me -- it`s a weird thing because nominally everybody agrees that it should come out.  I saw polling today 75 percent of people, 420-0 in the House, unanimous consent to -- for a similar resolution.  The Senate`s been denied twice now launched by Mitch McConnell launched by Rand Paul.
 
Barr doesn`t seem to be covering things up or at least dragging his feet or does he?  I mean, what do you think the status of this is?
 
BLUMENTHAL:  Well, the Attorney General William Barr has been extraordinarily adroit.  This letter is elegantly but brazenly in a way avoidance of the truth.  He has framed the headlines, he has created the message.  We have yet to see the substance.  And he said in response to my urging him to support my legislation with Senator Graham, Senator Grassley, bipartisan, that he would look at it but he couldn`t commit to it.
 
And that legislation would require full and complete disclosure.  He has yet to commit to it.  My fear is he will redact it.  He will resort to executive privilege.  He will say that certain parts of it should be kept private for reasons that relate to the confidentiality of individuals.  We need to see the whole report.
 
HAYES:  Are you confident that should there be redactions or things withheld for any of three reasons -- and as I track them I think it`s classified information, grand jury secrecy, and assertions of executive privilege.  I think those are three categories.  Is it your expectation that those redactions will be flagged as such in the report, meaning you will know that there are portions not there?
 
BLUMENTHAL:  My hope is that they will flag them.  I have no confidence that the attorney general will.  I think given his --
 
HAYES:  So you think he just edit it out.
 
BLUMENTHAL:  He may just edit it out --
 
HAYES:  You don`t trust that he -- you don`t have any --
 
BLUMENTHAL:  I have no confidence in the Barr version if it is redacted without any explanation as to either of those legitimate reasons.  The 6E order of grand jury secrecy, the need for confidentiality based on ongoing investigations, or certain privacy interests that may be asserted.  But my fear is he will resort to executive privilege which has no basis whatsoever.
 
HAYES:  All right, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, good to have you back.  Thank you very much.
 
BLUMENTHAL:  Thank you.

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