1 hour ago
7
The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 31, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're backmost present with Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. He is the writer of a caller book, Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection successful a Broken America. He joins america from Hartford, Connecticut. Good greeting to you, Senator.
SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to speech astir your publication successful a moment, but conscionable to prime up connected wherever we near it with President Zelenskyy, bash you judge that determination is capable bipartisan enactment to property the Pentagon to reallocate immoderate of these patriots, truthful helium tin instrumentality down each the incoming Russian missiles?
SEN. MURPHY: Yeah, I uncertainty it. Unfortunately, I deliberation the communicative present has been beauteous elemental from the start. Donald Trump does not privation to bash what is indispensable to enactment Ukraine, and the Republican Party volition ever travel his lead. We've had a bipartisan sanctions measure sitting connected the Senate level for a twelvemonth and a fractional that would tighten the screws connected the Russian economy, marque it harder for them to money the war. Donald Trump has fundamentally had a veto connected that bill. He won't let Senate Republicans to bring it forward. He's been sitting connected $400 cardinal that Congress allocated to assistance Ukraine. He hasn't spent a dime of it, contempt protests loudly, publically and privately, from Senate Republicans. So I conscionable deliberation yet Donald Trump has decided helium does not privation to assistance Ukraine, and determination doesn't look to beryllium capable courageousness successful the Republican caucus to combat back. I mean, I anticipation I'm incorrect astir that. This is evidently a captious infinitesimal wherever Ukraine really looks similar it is astir to beryllium capable to instrumentality a existent violative position, and truthful I'm rooting that they volition yet basal up to the President connected this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: To your point, connected the 400 million, Hegseth, the Secretary of War said that that was to beryllium released, but we haven't seen thing more. I cognize you beryllium connected the Appropriations Committee, truthful you person a accidental to inquire immoderate of these questions, perchance of Secretary Rubio, erstwhile helium sits earlier you on, I believe, Wednesday, asking for $33.6 cardinal budget. What's the apical precedence erstwhile you bash get to inquire questions of the secretary?
SEN. MURPHY: Well, the apical precedence is ending the warfare successful Iran. This has been an implicit catastrophe for the United States. Obviously, the superior interaction is present astatine home, arsenic families and businesses are being ruined by state prices. They're $6 a gallon successful immoderate places, but it's conscionable been a humiliation for the United States, and it's made Iran much powerful. Of course, there's an interaction successful Russia arsenic well. We've had to suspend sanctions connected Russian lipid successful bid to get their lipid connected the market, truthful the effect of the Iran warfare is not conscionable that Americans are dying, the prices are going up, but Russia is besides getting much powerful. We're virtually backing their warfare effort, truthful we request the Iran warfare to end. There's been this speech of a woody for months and months and months. I deliberation the presumption of the woody are beauteous humiliating successful and of themselves, but we conscionable request this warfare done, nary substance the terms, astatine this point.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On the constituent astir the sanctions, we talked astir that, President Zelensky, and you tin spot that afloat transcript online, but I cognize that the White House pushes backmost and says the wealth isn't that important successful presumption of what Russia is capable to pocket. You evidently disagree.
SEN. MURPHY: Yeah, I mean, I conscionable deliberation from a motivation perspective, nary substance whether the wealth is simply a quality maker, the thought that we are helping Russia money this warfare is ridiculous. It's not tiny potatoes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. MURPHY: Russia is getting billions of further dollars due to the fact that of our sanctions relief, that's allowing them to bargain immoderate of the missiles that are connected the verge of raining down connected Kyiv. People are dying due to the fact that of our assistance for Russia. So, it's conscionable atrocious capable that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and it's hurting our economy. The information that we are adding insult to wounded by the warfare successful Iran helping Russia is conscionable unacceptable.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You person written this publication that we mentioned, and I cognize that you said astir it successful a caller interrogation that 2028 Democratic contenders are texting you, talking to you astir immoderate of the ideas successful it. Some of our caller CBS polling recovered that 62% of registered voters presumption the Democratic enactment successful a antagonistic light, truthful however bash you instrumentality these ideas, and what's the main 1 Democrats request to hammer location to redirect the party?
SEN. MURPHY: Yeah, this publication is truly astir the spiritual situation successful the state that led to Donald Trump. This is simply a state that is feeling much lonely, much adrift, much exhausted by an system that abuses workers, a civilization successful which we archer radical that they tin marque themselves blessed by conscionable buying things alternatively of being progressive citizens, and truthful it's a publication astir the underlying enactment that we person to bash to unrig the economy, truthful that radical consciousness intent and value, and unrig our democracy, truthful that radical consciousness power. And that's what the publication truly is about, the affectional authorities of the country. Here's what I deliberation Democrats request to do: they request to recognize that the radical are furious astatine the information that our authorities person go captured, and radical are feeling retired of power of their lives due to the fact that they deliberation we're each corrupt. They don't think--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. MURPHY: --Donald Trump is conscionable corrupt; they deliberation everybody successful authorities is corrupt. So, Democrats request to beryllium overmuch louder astir the ways that we're going to get billionaire and firm wealth retired of our politics, due to the fact that radical don't judge america erstwhile we accidental we're going to hole the economy--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEN. MURPHY: --if we don't besides archer them however we're going to hole our democracy.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, well, to that constituent astir tone and character, the run for Graham Platner confirmed to CBS connected Saturday that the Maine Senate campaigner had sent sexually explicit texts to women different than his wife. This is successful summation to different past controversies. Does helium walk the quality test?
SEN. MURPHY: Yeah, I mean, I person not followed this communicative arsenic intimately arsenic others have, but Grant Platner is idiosyncratic that served our country, helium served his community, he's besides made mistakes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. MURPHY: And helium has admitted that. Character besides involves lasting up to radical who are bankrupting and corrupting this country, and this contention is going to beryllium a opposition betwixt idiosyncratic that has enactment his beingness connected the enactment for this state against idiosyncratic that is virtually empowering the motivation hollowing retired of our federation from the White House. So helium surely admitted that helium has made mistakes, but I deliberation this is going to beryllium a beauteous wide opposition successful Maine betwixt idiosyncratic who has spent his beingness protecting us, versus idiosyncratic who seems to beryllium protecting Donald Trump's corruption.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you know, I privation to inquire you arsenic good astir an interrogation that aired close earlier this programme with my workfellow Rita Braver connected CBS Sunday Morning. She interviewed the erstwhile First Lady Jill Biden astir the caller publication she wrote, successful which she talks astir the infamous 2024 debate, wherever the then-president truly couldn't reply questions. She says a batch of things, including that she thought her hubby was having a changeable due to the fact that she- helium was incomprehensible. She admits that she said to him afterwards that helium truly screwed up, but that's what she's revealing now. Democrats, stridently, including connected this program, said clip and again that his cognitive abilities were fine. How bash you person the nationalist that Democrats are telling the information now?
SEN. MURPHY: Yeah, listen, I deliberation Democrats bash person to beryllium honorable astir the mistakes that we made successful 2024 Obviously, successful retrospect, Joe Biden should person stepped distant from that race. We should person had an unfastened contest. And successful this book, I frankly speech astir however tribal our authorities person become, however Republicans are consenting to excuse Donald Trump's corruption, due to the fact that their full individuality operation is built astir their party. And I deliberation that happens connected the Democratic broadside arsenic well, wherever we are consenting to look the different mode excessively often astatine mistakes that our ain enactment leaders are making, and this publication says that that's not conscionable up to authorities to hole that. We really person to make much steadfast individuality structures for radical extracurricular of politics, truthful they spot their intent done their enactment oregon done their transportation to a section community. And that makes our authorities little tribal--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay.
SEN. MURPHY: --and possibly allows america connected some sides to basal up to our enactment erstwhile we deliberation they've gone wrong.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Senator Murphy, we person to permission it there. Thank you for your insights today. We'll beryllium close backmost with much Face the Nation.
English (US) ·