Appearing Wednesday on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) conviction speech made him emotional and added that he would like his children to be like the Utah Republican.
A partial transcript is as follows:
ERIN BURNETT: What were you thinking in that moment, senator, as [Romney] was unable to speak because he was moved by such emotion?
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: I will tell you, there were tears in my eyes, and there are again hear him say those words. But what I thought is, I would really like my four children to be like that. And I don’t think there’s any greater tribute to anyone and I will tell you also when I heard other colleagues — Senators Sinema, Manchin, and Jones, also vote in the right way — I was deeply impressed by them. As I stood and said the word “guilty” — I’ve been a prosecutor and I’ve asked juries to convict and say those words about a defendant that I was prosecuting — I’ve never said that word about anyone, let alone the President of the United States, not to mention on the floor of the Senate. It was a moment that the full weight of my decision, conscience, and conviction, hit me as well.