CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript Interview with Robert Menendez

Interview

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KEILAR: Exactly, what will the repercussions be. Alex, thank you so much for that report.

Let's talk about what the repercussions may be, should be with Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, who is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator, I want to thank you so much for coming on. You want more sanctions against Saudi Arabia; what should they be?

SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D-NJ): Well first of all, I do want to acknowledge that President Biden did what should have been done under the law when we as leaders on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked for this disclosure to take place. And President Trump basically, as he admitted to Bob Woodward, saved MBS from this disclosure.

So this was never about figuring out who was responsible for the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, this was about having the courage of holding those responsible accountable.

So I appreciate that the administration has listed some original actions. I certainly hope they will go beyond that. We should be looking at our weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, we should be looking at Magnitsky potential sanctions. I think there's a responsibility here to send a global message that you can, even if you're an ally of us, cannot kill someone with impunity, violate the international law and ultimately get away with it.

KEILAR: How do you balance -- how should the U.S. balance the relationship with Saudi Arabia, a key ally, and the fact that Saudi Arabia, MBS did something despicable here, that was so organized and you know, so involved?

MENENDEZ: Well, this is a challenge of the relationship. President Biden is trying to reset that relationship, first of all, engaging only the kind and not the crown prince, putting a series of sanctions on people who were engaged in this heinous crime.

And then thinking about how do you change the dynamics of our relationship with Saudi Arabia? For example, beyond the assassination of Khashoggi, we have Saudi Arabia's engagement in Yemen, which is a humanitarian disaster. Getting them to change their course there. So there are many ways in which the administration can use diplomatic and other sources to reimagine this relationship in a way that brings it within the context of the international order.

KEILAR: I want to turn now to these airstrikes that were carried out overnight against Iranian-backed militia just inside of Syria. CNN has learned congressional leadership were briefed ahead of the airstrikes, but key committees were not. Were you?

MENENDEZ: No, I was not. And I think the administration will be well served in the future of having key committees advise as well as congressional leadership.

But I do believe that the strikes are justified, based upon the fact of the attacks that we have taken by Iranian-backed militias against our facilities in Iraq, some which have caused injury and death. And it is a targeted strike in a way that sends a very clear message that you cannot hit our soldiers and our facilities with impunity and not face a consequence.

KEILAR: Do you know why you weren't briefed, have you registered this concern with the administration?

MENENDEZ: We have, but I'm not sure exactly whether it's the beginning of having the first experience in such a process, or there was some failure. But hopefully we won't have that again.

KEILAR: All right. We will be tracking that along with you, Senator Menendez, thank you so much for being with us today.

MENENDEZ: Thank you, good to be with you.

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