CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Richard Blumenthal

Interview

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Joining us right now one of the jurors, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat of Connecticut. Senator Blumenthal, Minority Leader Schumer said today that at least at this point it seems like there won't be witnesses. Do you think he's right?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Still an uphill battle to get witnesses. But I feel those kinds of questions that we saw today from the moderates, when was the hold put on this aid? When was interest first expressed about Biden? Couldn't be answered because we don't have witnesses who could testify to it or documents, black and white, and the documents don't lie. That the American people deserve to see.

That's the kind of evidence that is basic to any trial. And I think any moderate, really any juror would demand that kind of evidence. And very strikingly, those two questions were only a couple of the questions that couldn't really be adequately answered based on this record because of the defiance, the blanket blocking of those documents, not just now, but repeatedly in the past in the course of this investigation.

And my Republican colleagues can't complain about not seeing anything if they put blinders on and history will haunt them.

COOPER: Senators largely used their question and answer time to ask questions of their own side, Republicans to Republicans, Democrats to Democrats. Why that approach though? Why not use the time to challenge the other side's argument?

BLUMENTHAL: Well, one of my questions was to the other side about when they knew, in effect, about the Bolton book and whether they were discouraged from telling us about it, what they did in response. I think that's still an area where we need further questioning, and they were, in my view, possibly vague in their response.

They said there was no consultation between the NSC staff and the White House counsel, but I am going to be demanding further answers.

I asked about also a statement by the other side, which was really astonishing, that a candidate for political office can accept aid from a foreign government or individual, anything of value under the current law is really prohibited.

And yet, of course, the president said he would accept it and, in fact, has invited China and Ukraine to investigate a political rival. And yet they were saying, and we challenged them through the House managers on this point, which is so fundamental because we know foreign interference in our elections is a real threat, an ongoing and increasing threat in the next election.

COOPER: I want to get back to that in just a moment. But just alluding to something you just said a moment ago, do you worry that the White House, President Trump, others around him are putting -- would put pressure or are putting pressure on the national Security Council staff to slow walk any classified examination of Bolton's book?

BLUMENTHAL: I deeply worry about it. I am alarmed because of the polarization, in fact, the weaponization of national security for political purposes by this White House.

And we've seen from this investigation and others that the national security staff is subject to pressure on matters less consequential to the president than this one, the so-called publishing date is March 17, and I would not be surprised at all if the censorship by the White House and its review extend well beyond that date and Bolton is forced to go to court to challenge the review and the censorship and the delay.

So, they're going to keep it under wraps as long as possible. But that's just one element, of course, of the cover up that we're seeing unfolding in real time.

COOPER: Professor Dershowitz his argument today that, quote, "If the president does something he thinks will get him elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment."

If -- I mean, I'm no -- I'm not a lawyer at all. I do not understand that argument. If that is the standard, what does that open the door to? If you can do anything just because you believe it's so important that you get elected and that it's in the public interest, isn't that opening the door to kind of all sorts of potentially inappropriate behavior?

[23:20:06]

BLUMENTHAL: It's more than opening the door. It is kind of throwing it wide for all kinds of views. Anything that's done for reelection purposes is OK? That can't be the law. And, in fact, it isn't the law.

And yet, Professor Dershowitz is, in effect, arguing if there is an abuse of power and it aids in reelection and it doesn't violate a specific technical criminal law, it's OK. And I think that is one of the most astonishing statements I have seen on the floor of the United States Senate whether an impeachment trial or any other kind of proceeding.

But let me just express my alarm, where it goes and the lowering of the bar, the expectations, the standards to which it leads because I think the bar already has been set low enough for political campaigns and this kind of statement is deeply damaging to our democracy. It's why we're challenging on it.

Granted there is no specific charge of bribery in the article of impeachment on abuse of power, but the elements of bribery have all been charged. I have urged that bribery be regarded as having been proved already

because the president clearly sought something of value, an investigation and smear of his political opponent in return for something that he had the power to do, namely, the release of these hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer military funds to a foreign government struggling to survive.

And I think that saying that there's no abuse of power, nothing wrong as long as the president feels it aids him in his reelection is absolutely reprehensible and irresponsible.

COOPER: Senator Blumenthal, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.

COOPER: We got much more ahead tonight including more of the president's words for John Bolton, choice words for Bolton, lot of them.

Plus, there's a second recording of the president. That's just one headline from our exclusive interview with Lev Parnas. He joins me ahead.

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