CNN "Erin Burnett Outfront" - Transcript: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Discusses About The Effective Argument That House Managers Made Today

Interview

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BURNETT: All right. Phil Mattingly, thank you very much. Phil is going to stay with us as, again, we are in this brief break for the senators.

I want to bring in Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is on the Judiciary Committee and obviously in the room throughout the day. Senator, what do you think the most effective argument was that the House managers made today as they focus on this article of abuse of power, specifically?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): What was so striking to me is the graphic detail, the wealth of messages and phone calls, the breadth of this conspiracy, how many people it involved, how many messages and how much evidence there still is. The kinds of documents and witnesses that we want to show firsthand involvement of the President.

But I'll tell you what was so striking to me is how Donald Trump wanted a foreign country to investigate a U.S. citizen, a political rival and yet he never went to the Department of Justice of the United States supposedly to go after this criminality. It shows how he understood there was no there there and it was simply for personal venality and benefit that he sought the interference by this foreign leader in our country's election and how he pressured that foreign leader with hundreds of millions of dollars that were necessary to that country's defense against a common enemy, Russia. Our enemy, their enemy.

BURNETT: And you had Congressman Schiff make the argument of how much money Trump had approved before this happened and after to make the point. You had Congressman Garcia make the point you're talking about when Joe Biden got in and how he was doing in the polls and how that coincided with the timing of what the President did this past spring.

You just heard Phil also talking though about Republican senators and how closely they're paying attention in that room, Senator Blumenthal. Susan Collins specifically, he said she had two dozen pages of copious notes and that she literally flips the page of each presentation the second it changes on the screen. She's paying incredibly close attention.

You're in the room. Would you agree with that assessment of her and which other Republican senators do you see listening most closely?

BLUMENTHAL: I'm going to be very blunt, Erin. We've heard some of these Republican senators talk about their misgivings about the need for more evidence. We've heard them wringing their hands when they're home about more documents and witnesses.

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The proof will be in their voting. All of the rest of it is going through the motions, seeming to pay attention. The question is whether they're really listening and whether they understand how much is at stake here of an effort by the President to smear and sabotage a political rival. But more than a political rival, our country's basic security policy and the tests will be not what they say but how they vote.

BURNETT: So a letter from a National Security aide to Vice President Mike Pence, Jennifer Williams, was admitted as evidence late last night. Now, some people may not be aware but Jennifer Williams was on that call between Trump and Zelensky. She testified publicly to the House that Trump's behavior troubled her.

But then she then subsequently wrote this letter, an addendum of some sort. You have had a chance to read it. It is classified. What can you tell us about it and does it deserve to be classified?

BLUMENTHAL: The answer is yes or rather it should be declassified. It should be made public.

BURNETT: You've read it but it should be declassified.

BLUMENTHAL: Absolutely. It does not deserve to be classified. It should be made public. The American people deserve to see it. Regardless of which side it may help and I can't go into the details. But there is no question in my mind that it should be declassified because there is no national interest served by keeping it classified.

And I will tell you more broadly, Erin, that when the history of this era, a very dark one in our history is written, it will be the independent judiciary and our free press that are the heroes. Because there needs to be more openness and more declassification and more information and documents made available.

All of these documents coming out most recently are the result of courts ordering that they'd be released. And the Trump administration continues to stonewall, block these document, prevent witnesses from coming forward. That is a disgrace. The American people should be deeply outraged.

BURNETT: Senator Blumenthal, thanks very much for your time. I know you need to go back into the room and I want to get straight to our conversation here. Laura, obviously, you hear Senator Blumenthal responding to what he

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