Sanford to moderator Chuck Todd: Members of Congress are “running for the hills” instead of speaking out against Trump
JUNE 15, 2018 – In an exclusive interview airing this Sunday on “Meet the Press,” Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) tells moderator Chuck Todd that “there is no seeming consequence to the president and lies,” contrasting the “incredible consequences” he faced for “the story of 2009 and my implosion.”
When asked why only retiring or outgoing legislators are speaking out against President Trump, Sanford replies, “People are running for the hills,” adding “the name of the game is staying in the game.”
Watch this exchange, and tune in this Sunday for more from Todd’s exclusive one-on-one with Sanford, who lost this Tuesday’s primary race hours after a last-minute Twitter broadside from Trump.
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REP. MARK SANFORD: We all know the story of 2009 and my implosion.
CHUCK TODD: Yes.
REP. MARK SANFORD: A lie was told on my half – behalf, which means I own it, and more to the point, I was living a lie in that chapter of life.
CHUCK TODD: Yes.
REP. MARK SANFORD: But there were incredible consequences.
CHUCK TODD: Yes, there were.
REP. MARK SANFORD: Financially, politically, socially, lost my – I could go down a long list.
CHUCK TODD: You paid a price. You paid some price.
REP. MARK SANFORD: And so maybe the reason I’m so outspoken on this now is there is no seeming consequence to the president and lies and if we accept that as a society, it is going to have incredibly harmful consequences in the way that we operate going forward, based on the construct of the founding fathers.
CHUCK TODD: Why is it just you and Jeff Flake and Bob Corker? Where’s Speaker Ryan? Where’s the head of the legislative branch?
REP. MARK SANFORD: People are running for the hills. And again everybody… what you do as an elected official is … an old-time senator told me years ago, the name of the game is staying in the game.
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For more information, contact:
Olivia Petersen
NBC News
o: (202) 885-4159
e: olivia.petersen@nbcuni.com
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NBC NEWS’ “MEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD”
“Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” is where newsmakers come to make news — setting the political agenda and spotlighting the impact Washington decision-making has on Americans across the country. It is the #1 most-watched Sunday public affairs show across the board for the 2016-2017 season, reaching more than three million viewers every Sunday and millions more through social, digital and on-demand platforms. “Meet the Press” brings its authority and influencer interviews to MSNBC with “MTP Daily” weekdays at 5 p.m. ET and to the “1947: The Meet the Press Podcast”. It’s the longest-running show in television history, having celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2017 with the launch of its first-ever film festival in collaboration with the American Film Institute this November. Chuck Todd is the political director of NBC News and the moderator of “Meet the Press“; John Reiss is the executive producer.
