Transcript for Dem Senator: NATO today 'arguably functionally obsolete'

we are bk th democratic nato chrimuhy of Connecticut, a key member of the fon relationcommittee. Senator Murphy, we heard John Bo say that this indictment strengththe presidt'handand that T president confonp on this. Do you believe him? So, I'd L T know F the presidjo Bo thinks heorks for.he's not dcribing president trump. President P went on a the indictment was issued and called the investigation O again . He has already said that he has ked Putin out meddli Putin told him he didn't do it and he beliehim. It just belies common sense that the president of the united States, this president is G itn across from Putin and press haissue of Russian meddling. He knows tt he benefited from it. Sked them dit. D he knowshahe still standso fit. What we haven told by E telligence services in country is that the Russians are trying to interfere again in the 2018 election, and what I believe is that ident trum knows ultimately that that could accrue to his fit and this pas benefit. He is simply not going to raise this issue as strongly as he would at all with Putin which is why many think summit should stand down. What should he do? What he needsdo is not be pushed into sanction action by congress. He needs to come to us and ask for more funds to stand up electoral fenses.hee none of that. We have had to essentially bludhe presidento suing sanctian congress has had to apprope money to try to shore up our electoral de. And then he has to F what chrhristie Ju S he has to come out and use the strongest language possible to describe these attacks and he hasn't.he has jusso far tried to explain aw his partipation in it or americaar in it. But let me ask you, when you listen to the ident's words, S no questioey are conciliatory towards Vladimir Putin, but if you look at what he has ally done, at his ministrati has actually done, you could certainly make a strong case the's been tougher the Obama administration, look, selling lethal weapons to Ukraine wh Obama refused to do. Russian dlomats expled following the on attack th. Imposing sanctions the treasury department ho impose o213 russian-related entities and, of course, air strikes twicagainst syri another thing that the Obama adstpped short can't you argue based on the facts that he's pretty tough on Russia? S adminisation has been tough on Russia? His rod is admitteve mud but let'also remember much of what he with respe to sanctions he was pressed to by congress and, in face fought my the sanctns, powers that we gave him. At the same time he has invited Russ back into t7 any preconditions. He has walked America off the miast playing field aving diplacy to the Russians in ria. He has potally decimated the state department which is one of the prim means by which wsh against Russia in and around their periphery, and soor as many places in which he has takenstrong act there are plenty of other places in which he has sentially ceded the field especially around Russia's riphery toutin and the kremn. 'Vou on his performae at nato for being so tough on our allies, particularly Germany. But as we heard directly from the secretary-general of nato, actually ghim credit for pushing nato members to give put up Mon terms of their defense? So I think -- It's an important issue, isn't it? Well, it is an impot ise but let's mber, the percentage of your budget delegated toenthe sutal of youparticipation in the alliance. And so what ev But ouries can pu more of tir weight here, ca they? They certainly can but so canwe. Let'thk about the refugee crisis for a moment. Ou talk about the buf along with O refugees from the Middle East, thited states not pick up our share of the burden. It's the Europeans that are doing itlmost alone. And so there arievances boides of th alliance.president trump made a decision that he was going to try to undermine nato, undermine the eu. He has used the 2% number as a means by which to do it.but let's car. Naoday is arguably futionally obese sense that do you really believe that if the Europeans were attacked in the baltic states, for inst, by Russia that president trump would leap to their defense? Do you believeay article 5 says we would. Well, it's always going to be a political decision as to whactually enf arcl I think that thes ant question today as to whether president trump would actually stand 5 and I ink nato ijurying to survive the nex1/2 years by sayinese nice tngs about the state of the alliance so that it is still there when trump is gone. All R. Setor Murphy, thank you for joining us here on "This week."

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.