CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Interview with Richard Blumenthal

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Manu, thank you very much. I want to go now to the Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal because he's on the Judiciary Committee and participated in the questioning of the former U.S. Attorney B.J. Pak today.

Senator, I appreciate your time and I do understand that there are restrictions on what you can tell us about what happened behind closed doors today. But, of course, we're learning tonight that Pak said he resigned because he found out Trump was going to fire him for pushing the big lie. And according to The New York Times, that was specifically the reason that Trump wanted to fire Pak for refusing to say there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia. Is that why Pak resigned?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Sitting through that interview today, a very extensive and intensive process, first of all, my impression was that B.J. Pak was telling the truth. He was forthright and forthcoming and he appeared voluntarily.

And second, my strong feeling was as well that he believed in the rule of law and he stood up for it. He was the top federal prosecutor in Atlanta, Georgia where Donald Trump was trying to show falsely that there was corruption in the local election. And Donald Trump would stop at nothing.

He mounted a pressure campaign to break the Department of Justice, including top officials there and he continued that pattern, even as it involved very improper pressure brought to bear seeking to overturn the election to overthrow democracy, to enlist the Department of Justice in the big lie and really corrupt and weaponize it.

BURNETT: So let me ask you, I mean, by the way, again, I emphasize that Pak was appointed by Trump in 2017. So then, of course, he wants to fire him because he won't support him in the big lie. That he's some never-Trumper or a political person. It was his person.

Did you, Sen. Blumenthal, learn anything from Pak's interview that surprised you even after everything you already know, that you were not previously aware of?

BLUMENTHAL: I know as a former United States Attorney myself, as well as a State Attorney General for some 20 years in Connecticut that an investigation is a little bit like piecing together mosaic. There are details that come to the fore that may not be surprising, but are important. And I think every one of these interviews produces very important information, but also leads as to additional witnesses and we know also that there is a pattern here.

Trump has surrounded himself by acolytes and sycophants who do his bidding and enable him to launch these kinds of improper pressure campaign.

BURNETT: So let me ask you in terms of other people you want to talk to, obviously the Chairman of your committee, Dick Durbin, told CNN he wants to interview the former president's former Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows who was obviously central to everything that was happening during this time. Do you have any indication Meadows would speak to the committee? Would you subpoena him? Do you believe he'll be forthright?

BLUMENTHAL: We've already asked some potential witnesses to come before us like Jeff Clark who did Trump's bidding, unlike other top officials. We have no guarantee they're going to appear. Our subpoena powers may be somewhat limited as a practical matter. I wish I could talk more about the details of what we've seen and heard.

You're absolutely right, Dick Durbin is the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee ultimately will make the call about whether to seek subpoena power and what other witnesses will be called. But there is plenty to do here and the American people deserve accountability. We need to know all of what happened, so it doesn't happen again.

And so whatever happens in the legal courts, we know that there is some justice in the court of public opinion as people assess who aided and abetted Donald Trump in this extraordinary pressure campaign.

BURNETT: So I want to ask you one more thing, the Senate finally passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, of course, overnight. And I know you're now focused immediately that was sort of the imbroglio.

[19:10:03]

You got the bipartisan infrastructure bill and Democrats are going to push everything else they wanted via reconciliation majority only vote $3.5 trillion on that right now. So you just need a majority but that means you need everybody, every single Democrat and hours after voting to do this, Sen. Joe Manchin said the price tag is too high, that 3.5 trillion. Are you opening to lower it if that's what it takes to get him on board or do you think they'll change mind?

BLUMENTHAL: We're all going to have to come together, Erin. We know that legislating is the art of the possible. The perfect can't be the enemy of the good. And what really impresses me and so excites and inspires me, having been here for 10 years and watched a lot of this function is how we've come together.

Now, the first measure was bipartisan and we're moving on to assess the human needs. And I think we can come together. I think it's an exciting, extraordinary once in a generation opportunity, we all have that sense about it.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Senator, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.

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