EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Amy Klobuchar Says Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation is “Not Normal”
EXCLUSIVE: Klobuchar Says Rep. Keith Ellison “Hasn’t Asked me to Campaign with Him… I Will Campaign with our Ticket when the Time Comes”
PLUS: Mayor Andrew Gillum says Rep. Ron DeSantis’ Rhetoric “Has to be Toned Down”
SEPTEMBER 2, 2018 – In an exclusive interview this morning on Meet the Press, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) responded to moderator Chuck Todd’s question on whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions has committed any fireable offenses and said: “As I mentioned, he can do it. Would it be politically wise? I don’t think so. And I support Jeff Sessions in the job he’s doing right now.”
Sullivan added: “I supported Jeff Sessions when he was nominated. I certainly voted for him and I think he’s doing a good job.” Watch the full interview.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also joined the broadcast in an exclusive interview telling Todd that Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation is “not normal,” adding: “We are not able to see 100,000 documents because the administration has said we can’t see them, exerting their executive power; 148,000 documents that I’ve seen that you cannot see because they will not allow us to make them public so I can’t even tell you about them right now on this show.”
“I think that you could ask some very interesting questions about these documents that I’m unable to even say,” she said.
Klobuchar also said she’d be in favor of bringing back the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees, saying of the filibuster: “I would prefer to bring it back,” but adding that she doubts it would happen because no party in power is going to want to “hamstring themselves.”
On if Democrats should walk out of the Kavanaugh hearing, Klobuchar said: “I think it’s much more powerful, if we go in there, and we ask the questions… And if we just walked out, it would simply be one side asking the questions.”
On whether she would campaign for Rep. Keith Ellison, Klobuchar said: “I will campaign with our ticket when the time comes,” adding: “Right now, I’m focused on Judge Kavanaugh. He hasn’t asked me to campaign with him. I — that is where we are right now. And we have an incredibly strong ticket in Minnesota.” Watch the full interview.
When asked about Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis, Tallahassee mayor and Democratic Nominee for Governor of Florida, Andrew Gillum said DeSantis’ “rhetoric, in my opinion, has to be toned down.”
“We cannot afford to weaponize race and to go to the bottom of the barrel here,” Gillum added, “honestly, people are going to take their cues from what their leadership says. And in this case, Ron DeSantis is the leader.”
On the FBI anti-corruption investigation underway in Tallahassee, Gillum said: “I am a lot more circumspect about everything.” Gillum said on being elected to public office at 23, “I was a bit naive that everyone that comes into my space has good intentions,” adding: “Anyone who has done anything wrong ought to be held fully accountable.” Watch the full interview.
The Boston Herald’s Kimberly Atkins, Washington Free Beacon’s Matthew Continetti, The New York Times Magazine’s Mark Leibovich and The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter join the broadcast’s roundtable for insight and analysis on the week in politics.
Read the full transcript of Meet the Press this morning, and follow the show on Twitter and on Facebook for the latest.
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“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, expanding its brand to include a political documentary film festival in collaboration with the American Film Institute. Chuck Todd is the political director of NBC News and the moderator of “Meet the Press“; John Reiss is the executive producer.
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