WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke with CNN’s Kate Bolduan today just as news broke that the DNC was filing a lawsuit accusing the Trump campaign, WikiLeaks and Russia of conspiring to affect the 2016 election.

Responding to criticism of the lawsuit possibly interfering with the Mueller probe, Menendez pointed out that the DNC lawsuit is a civil suit and said that “nothing is going to get in the way of Bob Mueller’s investigation, except for maybe Donald Trump.”

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Menendez was also asked about former FBI Director Jim Comey’s memos, particularly on new details that President Trump reportedly questioned his own choice of Flynn for National Security Advisor. “Even knowing information about him, [the President] still let him on as questions were raised about Flynn’s inappropriate engagements with foreign governments, so I think the President says whatever is convenient for him at a given moment,” Menendez said.

On reports that Vladimir Putin may meet with President Trump in the White House, Menendez said: “I think the President should be challenging President Vladimir Putin…if you can’t do it from abroad, I don’t know how you do it up front. And the reality is what we really need from this administration – what we’re waiting for - is not an invitation to Vladimir Putin, we’re waiting for an actual strategy as to how we’re going to counter Russia’s maligned aggression throughout the world.”

On Mike Pompeo’s nomination to be Secretary of State, Menendez rejected the idea that Democrats would vote down any nominee. “[Mike Pompeo] failed to show he was going to be an advocate for strong diplomacy as our first line of defense [and] he failed to be forthcoming about many issues we asked him,” he said.

Menendez rejected the notion that the Senate needs to confirm Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State so he is in the job when the Trump-Kim meeting occurs. Menendez said: “When that meeting is set is strictly up to the President, unless Kim Jong-Un is going to dictate when it happens. So he could nominate a new Secretary of State that would have the confidence of the Congress...otherwise I would have to accept a Secretary of State who falls far below the desirable qualifications to be secretary of State simply because there’s a meeting in North Korea.”

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