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Future of the Justice Department on the line. I want
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to bring in Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. He's a
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member of the Judiciary Committee. Senator, what is your reaction
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to what you just heard from Bill Cassidy today, the
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reasoning that he laid out and basically how he got
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to yes, even an unenthusiastic one.
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Deep disappointment because this vote is so cravingly wrong for
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the country as well as ulimately, I think for Senator Cassidy,
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I think it will go down as one of his
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graver mistakes. And not surprising because I have predicted along
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that Republicans would support Lanche in spite of his being
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unfit and his being more loyal to the president than
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to the Constitution or to the country. And so I
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am really disappointed, but not surprise.
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You know. At one point, Cassidy complained about what he
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described as a quote cycle of presidents using the DOJ
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to prosecute their enemies, and then he said this, Listen.
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I'm realistic that President Trump can be unrelenting on this,
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but this will be true no matter who the Attorney
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general is. When former Attorney General Bill Bohr endorsed mister Blanche.
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He said, mister Blanche will run the department as effectively
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as anyone can under President Trump. Some have called that
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thanked praise. I don't think that it is. I think
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it is a reality.
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As effectively as anyone can under President Trump. I mean,
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Cassidy was clear he had what he was saying were
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law fair concerns, But it sounds like he's taking those,
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recognizing that they might be real, and saying, well, it
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doesn't really matter, we can't do much about it anyway,
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and he might put someone worse in.
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That's why this vote is so equally disappointed, because, in effect,
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it's an abdication of responsibility. You know, the Senate of
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the United States, in its advice and consent function, has
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to take a stand in favor of the rule of
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law and against conflicts of interest and corruption, which Todd
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Blanche will enable President Trump to do. Whether it is
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the cryptocurrency corruption that has enabled Donald Trump to make
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one point four billion dollars last year a loan, or
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the Monuments and the Arch and the ballroom of the
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East Wing, which involves donations and contributions to his pack
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or other projects, or simply this sham Sledge fund I
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call it a thud fund one point eight billion dollars
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to the people who rioted and were convicted of felonies
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and then the tax community. He's enabling Donald Trump's corruption,
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and to say that somebody else would do the same thing,
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I think is really ducking and dodging an essential responsibility.
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I also can't help but think about the fact that
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Bill Cassidy has been in this position before. He was
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really the lynchpin on RFK Junior. He got some assurances
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that RFK Junior seemingly renegged on when it came to
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vaccine credibility. Vaccine denialism is what he ended up getting
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from RFK Junior. Not exactly shocking when you look at
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the pattern. But I wonder if there is a conversation
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among the Republicans that you talk to that this is
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an administration that going along to get along doesn't seem
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to work. Because he got on board with that and
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still got primaried effectively by a Trump backed candidate. I mean,
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is there a recognition of that, And if there is
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or there isn't, do you, as Democrats think that there
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is any future moment where these Republicans will vote any
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differently or does it not matter to the political stakes
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that they no longer have to be beholden to not
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change the underlying fact that they are just still Republicans.
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As I said when I was asked repeatedly what Republicans
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would do on this vote, I've seen this movie before,
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we all have, and unfortunately it has ended this way before.
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But ultimately, the answer to Republicans' lack of spine will
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be at the ballot box. Senator Cassidy was defeated because
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Donald Trump opposed him in the primary, and you would
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think he'd be liberated by in effect having nothing left
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to lose. That is part of why I'm so deeply disappointed,
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because this vote could have been a matter of conscience
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and conviction, and I think that his vote for Blanche
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is simply more evidence that the Trump cult is alive
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and well in the Republican Party. He has taken over
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that party, and Democrats need to be strong in mobilizing
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support at the ballot box against Republicans. We should have
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no illusions that somehow Republicans are going to break ranks
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and follow their conscience or conviction. We need to take
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back control of the Senate as well as the House.
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I think that's probably the right conclusion to draw. You know,
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we're talking about Cassidy's vote. It's really the promise of
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a vote. Do you have any sense of when the blanche,
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the vote itself is actually going to be.
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We are learning right now what the schedule is going
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to be for the rest of the day. We're voting
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on the Russian sanctions bill, which I champion with Senator Graham,
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really evidence that we can cooperate and work together on
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a bipartisan basis. The vote will be overwhelming in favor
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of scorching sledgehammer sanctions and tariffs against the purchasers of
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Russian oil and gas that are fueling Putin's war machine.
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His slaughter of Ukrainians literally every night with hundreds of
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missiles and drones. As you well know and others who
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are watching it is the war crime of this century.
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And we are saying to Vladmir Putin, and he's probably
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watching the Senate right now, we will stand with Ukraine
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and g Ukraine were saying you are not alone in
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a very bipartisan way.
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This is some of the final work that Senator Graham
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was doing before he died. You were his partner in this.
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You and I have had so many conversations about this
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bill because it's one of the rare pieces of legislation
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that had upwards of eighty co sponsors, it was bipartisan,
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and yet it sort of languished in the Senate for
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over a year because Republican leadership was waiting for a
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high sign from the White House to say, all right,
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go ahead, you can put it on the floor. Now,
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I understand the diplomatic reasons that that was done, but
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when you talk to the Ukrainians and when you and
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Senator Graham were having conversations with people like Zelenski, how
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much time and leverage was lost because this bill was
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waited on. I recognize what you're saying about the impact
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it'll have now, but it could have had that impact
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a year ago.
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That is a really important, excellent point. Ali and Senator
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Graham and I went to Ukraine together seven or eight times.
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I've been there ten times. And Zelensky came here just
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last week and his message to us was, we need
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the tariffs bill. It has been a constant refrain of
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mine and it was of Senator Graham's, and ultimately, fortunately
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the White House has sided with US. President Trump has
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said he will sign this bill. Ukraine has turned the tide.
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It is now taking back territory. It's reaching deep into
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Russia with missiles and drones, and I think President Trump
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has recognized that Zelensky has cards that he can play,
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Ukraine has tools that they can use to finish the job.
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Their fight is our fight because Putin will continue this
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slaughterish aggression against our allies, and we will have an
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obligation to put our own sons and daughters in harm's
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way if he attacked Poland or Sweden or Finland or
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any of the Baltic states, and so our own national
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security at state. That recognition underlying President Trump's support, I
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think is tremendously important. I'd argue it's overdue, but today
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we're taking an important step in the right direction.
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And I know you rushed here from the Senate floor
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to make this live shot with us. I really appreciate that.
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I can also give you an update. No vote is
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official until it's gabbled, but it does look like this
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sanctions built right now has enough support to pass the
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vote currently sixty five to nine, which makes sense a
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lot of bipartisan co sponsors. But Senator Richard Blumenthal, thank
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you for coming on talking with us about that and
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all the other news up in the Senate right now.
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Thank you
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Future of the Justice Department on the line. I want
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to bring in Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. He's a
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member of the Judiciary Committee. Senator, what is your reaction
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to what you just heard from Bill Cassidy today, the
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reasoning that he laid out and basically how he got
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to yes, even an unenthusiastic one.
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Deep disappointment because this vote is so cravingly wrong for
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the country as well as ulimately, I think for Senator Cassidy,
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I think it will go down as one of his
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graver mistakes. And not surprising because I have predicted along
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that Republicans would support Lanche in spite of his being
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unfit and his being more loyal to the president than
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to the Constitution or to the country. And so I
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am really disappointed, but not surprise.
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You know. At one point, Cassidy complained about what he
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described as a quote cycle of presidents using the DOJ
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to prosecute their enemies, and then he said this, Listen.
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I'm realistic that President Trump can be unrelenting on this,
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but this will be true no matter who the Attorney
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general is. When former Attorney General Bill Bohr endorsed mister Blanche.
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He said, mister Blanche will run the department as effectively
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as anyone can under President Trump. Some have called that
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thanked praise. I don't think that it is. I think
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it is a reality.
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As effectively as anyone can under President Trump. I mean,
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Cassidy was clear he had what he was saying were
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law fair concerns, But it sounds like he's taking those,
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recognizing that they might be real, and saying, well, it
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doesn't really matter, we can't do much about it anyway,
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and he might put someone worse in.
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That's why this vote is so equally disappointed, because, in effect,
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it's an abdication of responsibility. You know, the Senate of
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the United States, in its advice and consent function, has
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to take a stand in favor of the rule of
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law and against conflicts of interest and corruption, which Todd
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Blanche will enable President Trump to do. Whether it is
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the cryptocurrency corruption that has enabled Donald Trump to make
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one point four billion dollars last year a loan, or
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the Monuments and the Arch and the ballroom of the
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East Wing, which involves donations and contributions to his pack
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or other projects, or simply this sham Sledge fund I
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call it a thud fund one point eight billion dollars
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to the people who rioted and were convicted of felonies
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and then the tax community. He's enabling Donald Trump's corruption,
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and to say that somebody else would do the same thing,
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I think is really ducking and dodging an essential responsibility.
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I also can't help but think about the fact that
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Bill Cassidy has been in this position before. He was
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really the lynchpin on RFK Junior. He got some assurances
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that RFK Junior seemingly renegged on when it came to
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vaccine credibility. Vaccine denialism is what he ended up getting
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from RFK Junior. Not exactly shocking when you look at
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the pattern. But I wonder if there is a conversation
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among the Republicans that you talk to that this is
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an administration that going along to get along doesn't seem
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to work. Because he got on board with that and
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still got primaried effectively by a Trump backed candidate. I mean,
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is there a recognition of that, And if there is
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or there isn't, do you, as Democrats think that there
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is any future moment where these Republicans will vote any
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differently or does it not matter to the political stakes
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that they no longer have to be beholden to not
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change the underlying fact that they are just still Republicans.
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As I said when I was asked repeatedly what Republicans
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would do on this vote, I've seen this movie before,
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we all have, and unfortunately it has ended this way before.
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But ultimately, the answer to Republicans' lack of spine will
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be at the ballot box. Senator Cassidy was defeated because
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Donald Trump opposed him in the primary, and you would
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think he'd be liberated by in effect having nothing left
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to lose. That is part of why I'm so deeply disappointed,
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because this vote could have been a matter of conscience
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and conviction, and I think that his vote for Blanche
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is simply more evidence that the Trump cult is alive
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and well in the Republican Party. He has taken over
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that party, and Democrats need to be strong in mobilizing
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support at the ballot box against Republicans. We should have
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no illusions that somehow Republicans are going to break ranks
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and follow their conscience or conviction. We need to take
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back control of the Senate as well as the House.
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I think that's probably the right conclusion to draw. You know,
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we're talking about Cassidy's vote. It's really the promise of
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a vote. Do you have any sense of when the blanche,
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the vote itself is actually going to be.
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We are learning right now what the schedule is going
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to be for the rest of the day. We're voting
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on the Russian sanctions bill, which I champion with Senator Graham,
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really evidence that we can cooperate and work together on
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a bipartisan basis. The vote will be overwhelming in favor
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of scorching sledgehammer sanctions and tariffs against the purchasers of
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Russian oil and gas that are fueling Putin's war machine.
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His slaughter of Ukrainians literally every night with hundreds of
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missiles and drones. As you well know and others who
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are watching it is the war crime of this century.
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And we are saying to Vladmir Putin, and he's probably
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watching the Senate right now, we will stand with Ukraine
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and g Ukraine were saying you are not alone in
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a very bipartisan way.
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This is some of the final work that Senator Graham
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was doing before he died. You were his partner in this.
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You and I have had so many conversations about this
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bill because it's one of the rare pieces of legislation
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that had upwards of eighty co sponsors, it was bipartisan,
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and yet it sort of languished in the Senate for
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over a year because Republican leadership was waiting for a
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high sign from the White House to say, all right,
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go ahead, you can put it on the floor. Now,
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I understand the diplomatic reasons that that was done, but
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when you talk to the Ukrainians and when you and
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Senator Graham were having conversations with people like Zelenski, how
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much time and leverage was lost because this bill was
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waited on. I recognize what you're saying about the impact
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it'll have now, but it could have had that impact
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a year ago.
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That is a really important, excellent point. Ali and Senator
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Graham and I went to Ukraine together seven or eight times.
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I've been there ten times. And Zelensky came here just
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last week and his message to us was, we need
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the tariffs bill. It has been a constant refrain of
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mine and it was of Senator Graham's, and ultimately, fortunately
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the White House has sided with US. President Trump has
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said he will sign this bill. Ukraine has turned the tide.
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It is now taking back territory. It's reaching deep into
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Russia with missiles and drones, and I think President Trump
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has recognized that Zelensky has cards that he can play,
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Ukraine has tools that they can use to finish the job.
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Their fight is our fight because Putin will continue this
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slaughterish aggression against our allies, and we will have an
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obligation to put our own sons and daughters in harm's
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way if he attacked Poland or Sweden or Finland or
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any of the Baltic states, and so our own national
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security at state. That recognition underlying President Trump's support, I
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think is tremendously important. I'd argue it's overdue, but today
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we're taking an important step in the right direction.
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And I know you rushed here from the Senate floor
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to make this live shot with us. I really appreciate that.
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I can also give you an update. No vote is
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official until it's gabbled, but it does look like this
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sanctions built right now has enough support to pass the
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vote currently sixty five to nine, which makes sense a
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lot of bipartisan co sponsors. But Senator Richard Blumenthal, thank
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you for coming on talking with us about that and
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all the other news up in the Senate right now.
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Thank you
