CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview With Rep. Richard Blumenthal

Interview

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BLITZER: We're looking ahead to the next big steps in the Trump impeachment saga, after the House Judiciary Committee sent articles of impeachment to the full House earlier this morning.

Joining us now, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who will be making judgments during a Senate trial. We assume that will happen in early January.

Senator, thanks so much for joining us.

And, as you heard, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, says he's coordinating fully -- in his words -- with the White House on the upcoming Senate impeachment trial.

Do you believe that's appropriate?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): It is improper.

He said not only that he's coordinating, but he is taking his cue from the White House. He seems to be abandoning all pretense or semblance of objectivity and independence. And it's also unprecedented.

In every one of the past impeachment proceedings, Republicans and Democrats have worked together. And especially in the Clinton impeachment proceeding, there was cooperation between Daschle and Lott, the majority and minority leaders, to come up with a framework of procedures that was approved unanimously by the United States Senate.

So I think it's really regrettable that the majority leader is already undermining the credibility of this proceeding in the eyes of the American people.

BLITZER: Some Democrats in the House, including Representative Val Demings of Florida, they have suggested that Mitch McConnell should think about recusing himself from this upcoming trial in the Senate.

You think that's necessary?

BLUMENTHAL: I think it's unlikely, but I think he should really change the tone and substance of his approach.

[18:25:04]

And, you know, Wolf, realistically, he is more than just the foreman of the jury, as some of our House colleagues have characterized him, because the foreman of a jury has only one vote.

And Mitch McConnell potentially controls a lot of votes through the sway and influence he has over his fellow Republicans. And that's why he should really take himself out of this kind of coordination with the White House, meeting with lawyers.

He's undermining the credibility of the Senate, not just himself.

BLITZER: As you know, it takes a simple majority in the House to impeach a president, but it takes a two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict a president.

There are 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats. Do you see any scenario at all in which the president will be convicted and removed from office by the Senate?

BLUMENTHAL: The American people really deserve the truth here.

They deserve the facts. And Donald Trump has stonewalled the House committees. They have done an extraordinary job, given the obstacles, the sweeping obstruction that he has shown.

And I hope my Republican colleagues will be offended by that obstruction. And it's one of the articles of impeachment. I hope they will also be offended by his seeming to sell out American national interests and, in effect, shake down a foreign leader to benefit himself with American aid, military aid, that was so necessary to Ukraine.

I have hope that my Republican colleagues will, in fact, face their obligation under the Constitution. This vote will be for the history books. It will haunt them. And so will history and the voters in November as well. And so I see anywhere between five and 10 who may, in fact, face that

historic duty. It may not come to the 67 that we need or the -- part of that vote that we need from Republicans.

But I still have hope, even though I have been disappointed in the past.

BLITZER: Senator Blumenthal, thanks so much for joining us.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.

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