Senator Richard Blumenthal Calls For Tougher Russian Sanctions | Morning Joe

WITH THE RUSSIANS? I'M NOT SURE THAT KUSHNER WILL
BE AN ANTI-RUSSIAN FORCE. >> WE OBVIOUSLY COULD TALK ABOUT
PARIS. WE HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT PARIS.
WE WILL END TODAY WITH TWO MORE STORIES THAT I'M SURE YOU'RE
GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT. AND YOUR SENATE COLLEAGUES ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT. ONE WAS MICHAEL ISIKOF'S STORY
ABOUT GETTING SANCTIONS LIFTED WITHOUT LETTING ANYBODY ELSE
KNOW ABOUT THAT. AND THE SECOND STORY WAS THAT
JARED KUSHNER MET THIS RUSSIAN SPY WHO HAPPENED TO RUN A BANK
CONNECTED TO VLADIMIR PUTIN. >> CONFLICTING EXPLANATIONS.
>> AND RUSSIANS SAY IT WAS ABOUT HIM GETTING MONEY FOR HIS
BUSINESS AND THE AMERICANS ARE SAYING IT WAS ABOUT DIPLOMACY.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON THOSE TWO EXPLOSIVE STORIES?
>> WHAT IS MOST STRIKING ABOUT ALL OF THESE DISCUSSIONS WITH
THE RUSSIANS, WHETHER BY MICHAEL FLYNN OR JEFF SESSIONS, NOW THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL OR JARED KUSHNER IS THE CONCEALMENT
AFTERWARD. THEY HAD NOT ONLY THESE SECRET
DISCUSSIONS BEFORE DONALD TRUMP TOOK OFFICE BUT AFTERWARDS AND
CONCEALED THEM, LIED ABOUT THEM IN CLEARANCE FORMS AND NOW WE
NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS DISCUSSED.
THAT'S WHY I'VE ADVOCATED THAT JEFF SESSIONS BE BROUGHT BACK
BEFORE THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND THAT JARED KUSHNER COME
CLEAN, IN EFFECT, AND TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS DISCUSSED IN THOSE
SECRET MEETINGS THAT THEN WERE NOT DISCLOSED.
PERHAPS HIS SECURITY CLEARANCE OUGHT TO BE REVIEWED AND HIS
BRIEFINGS, THE SECURITY BRIEFINGS HE HAS EVERY MORNING
OUGHT TO BE SUSPENDED. BUT THE JUSHS COMMITTEE AND
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE OUGHT TO CONTINUE THEIR REVIEW SO WE CAN
GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT WAS DISCUSSED AND WHY THERE WAS THIS
PATTERN OF CONCEALMENT OF THE SECRET DISCUSSIONS WITH THE
RUSSIAN. >> MARK HALPERIN?
>> WHAT IS YOUR THEORY OF THE CASE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH
THE TRUMP TEAM AND THE RUSSIANS BOTH DURING THE ELECTION AND THE
TRANSITION? >> MY STRONG GUESS OR SUSPICION
IS THAT THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT LIFTING THE SANCTIONS,
ENCOURAGING RUSSIANS TO THINK THAT THE SANCTIONS, IN FACT,
WOULD BE ABDICATED ONCE PRESIDENT TRUMP CAME INTO POWER,
WHICH UNDERMINED PRESIDENT OBAMA'S POLICY OF BEING TOUGH
WITH THE RUSSIANS BECAUSE OF THEIR VIOLATION OF THE INF
TREATY, BECAUSE OF THEIR TESTING US AROUND THE WORLD.
WHAT IS STRIKING HERE IS THE BETRAYAL OF REPUBLICAN
PRINCIPLES AND VALUES, AS YOU SAID EARLIER.
AND THE FACT THAT THE RUSSIANS REALLY ARE TESTING US
SUCCESSFULLY AROUND THE WORLD. AND I THINK NEED TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE. >> SENATOR, WHAT ARE THE TOP TWO
QUESTIONS SENATE DEMOCRATS WANT TO HEAR FROM DIRECTOR COMEY WHEN
HE COMES TO CAPITOL HILL? >> IN HIS WORDS, WHETHER HE WILL
CONFIRM THE ACCOUNTS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED VERY RELIABLY,
INCREDIBLY, ABOUT DONALD TRUMP'S COMMAND FOR LOYALTY, THE PLEDGE
OF LOYALTY THAT HE ASKED COMEY TO GIVE, THE REQUEST BY DONALD
TRUMP TO SHUT DOWN THE FLYNN INVESTIGATION AND WHAT THE TONE
AND SUBSTANCE OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS WAS.
SO, THE QUESTION IS, WHAT DID DONALD TRUMP SAY TO HIM AND WHAT
DID HE SAY TO DONALD TRUMP? AND WHAT OTHER DISCUSSIONS WERE
THERE THAT INVOLVED, APPARENTLY, DONALD TRUMP'S EFFORT TO SHUT
DOWN THE INVESTIGATION OF FLYNN, PERHAPS TO SHUT DOWN THE
INVESTIGATION ENTIRELY OF RUSSIAN MEDDLING AND CONCLUSION
EFFORTS. >> KATTY KAY?
>> THE WHITE HOUSE'S RESPONSE ROLLING BACK SANCTIONS AGAINST
RUSSIA VERY EARLY ON IN THE ADMINISTRATION IS THAT THEY WERE
LOOKING FOR PLANS FOR SANCTIONS FOR ALL COUNTRIES ACROSS THE
BOARD AND THERE WAS NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS.
WHAT DO YOU READ INTO THAT STORY AND HOW SIGNIFICANT IS IT IN THE
CONTEXT OF ALL OF THESE MEETINGS WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT?
>> THERE IS A REAL CONSENSUS IN CONGRESS, AT LEAST AMONG MANY OF
MY COLLEAGUES, ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS, THAT SANCTIONS AGAINST
RUSSIA NEED TO BE INTENSIFIED, NOT DIMINISHED.
AND THAT WAS THE TREND THAT THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WAS
FOLLOWING, HOWEVER HAPHAZARDLY. AND MANY OF US CRITICIZED THE
LACK OF MORE INTENSE SANCTIONS UNTIL THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.
NOW THAT WE SEE THE APPARENT INITIATIVE ON THE PART OF THE
TRUMP TRANSITION TEAM TO SEND A SIGNAL THAT THESE SANCTIONS
WOULD BE LIFTED, IT IS A VERY, VERY DISMAYING PROCESS.
AND I THINK IT CALLS FOR BIPARTISAN EFFORT.
AND I'M CERTAINLY HELPING TO LEAD IT.
TO INCREASE SANCTIONS THROUGH LEGISLATION.
WE HAVE A BILL AND I HOPE IT WILL CONTINUE ON A BIPARTISAN
BASIS. >> JEREMY BASH?
>> SENATOR, AS A FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL, LET ME ASK YOU A LEGAL
QUESTION. IF THE PRESIDENT TRIES TO ASSERT
PRIVILEGE TO BLOCK COMEY'S TESTIMONY, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR
RESPONSE? >> THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES HAS WAIVED THAT PRIVILEGE.
HE HAS TALKED ABOUT THEM PUBLICLY.
IF EVER THERE WERE A PRIVILEGE. LEGALLY I WOULD SAY THERE ISN'T.
IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT WAS WAIVED BY THE PRESIDENT WHEN HE
TALKED ABOUT THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
EVEN MORE PRACTICALLY IMPORTANT, HOW WOULD IT EVER BE ENFORCED?
IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES REALLY GOING TO TRY TO GO
TO COURT TO MUZZLE JIM COMEY AS HE APPEARS BEFORE THE SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE? I DON'T THINK SO.
HE SHOULD NOT DO SO. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES OUGHT TO BE COOPERATING. NOT CHARACTERIZING THESE
INVESTIGATIONS AS A WITCH HUNT OR A CHARADE.
HE SHOULD WANT THE TRUTH TO COME OUT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
WHETHER IT'S PRESIDENT BANNON OR TRUMP, THEY OUGHT TO BE
COOPERATING. NOT JUST THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR.
I CALLED FOR A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR EARLY AND REPEATEDLY
TO DO THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BUT ALSO THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE AND THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE SO THAT WE PREVENT
THIS KIND OF RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN OUR DEMOCRATIC
INSTITUTIONS IN THE FUTURE. REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE
TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT. THEY OUGHT TO BE A WILLING AND
COOPERATIVE PARTY TO THE EFFORT. >> PRESIDENT BANNON OR PRESIDENT
TRUMP.

Senator Richard Blumenthal Calls For Tougher Russian Sanctions | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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