{"id":2415,"date":"2018-05-27T12:05:15","date_gmt":"2018-05-27T16:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/press.nbcnews.com\/?p=2415"},"modified":"2018-05-27T12:05:15","modified_gmt":"2018-05-27T16:05:15","slug":"mtp-exclusive-flake-on-2020-i-have-not-ruled-anything-out-says-pences-praise-of-arpaio-is-unfortunate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com\/nbcnews\/2018\/05\/27\/mtp-exclusive-flake-on-2020-i-have-not-ruled-anything-out-says-pences-praise-of-arpaio-is-unfortunate\/","title":{"rendered":"MTP EXCLUSIVE: FLAKE ON 2020: \u2018I HAVE NOT RULED ANYTHING OUT,\u2019 SAYS PENCE\u2019S PRAISE OF ARPAIO IS \u2018UNFORTUNATE\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on North Korea: \u201cA Freeze or Something Short of Denuclearization is Certainly Better Than the Situation We Have Right Now\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Flake Says He\u2019s With Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in Opposing Any Deal That Gives ZTE Any New Access<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

MAY 27, 2018 \u2013 Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)<\/strong> joined \u201cMeet the Press\u201d in an exclusive interview this morning, telling moderator Chuck Todd that he hasn\u2019t ruled out a possible 2020 presidential run: \u201cIt’s not in my plans, but I have not ruled anything out. I do hope that somebody runs on the Republican side other than the president, if nothing else, simply to remind Republicans what conservatism is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The retiring Arizona senator also responded to Vice President Mike Pence\u2019s praise for Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio as a \u201ctireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law\u201d earlier this month: \u201cThere aren’t many people in Arizona who look to Joe Arpaio as a paragon of the rule of law or virtue in this sense. So, I think it was unfortunate. \u2026 I just don’t think that it’s proper to refer to him in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flake shared that he\u2019s OK if denuclearization is more of a long-term goal for the Korean Peninsula: \u201cA freeze or something short of total denuclearization is certainly better than the situation that we have right now, where we had an escalating situation.\u201d As the Trump administration reached a deal Friday to reduce sanctions on the Chinese telecom giant ZTE, Flake said, \u201cI am with Senator Rubio\u201d in opposing any deal that gives ZTE any new access to American vendors or the United States in any form. Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

On a North Korea summit, \u201cThe issue that seems to be holding this up is frankly just logistics,\u201d said Victor Cha, former director for Asian affairs on the U.S. National Security Council.<\/strong> \u201cIn terms of the substance, the key issue is are they going to give up their nuclear weapons? And I think, unfortunately, the answer is no,\u201d Cha, an NBC News and MSNBC analyst, told Todd. \u201cWe are the primary obstacle in places like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, the I.M.F., where the North Koreans want money.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Steven Brill,<\/strong> author of \u201cTailspin: The People and Forces Behind America\u2019s Fifty-Year Fall \u2013 and Those Fighting to Reverse It,\u201d also joined the show to discuss his new book and the need for \u201cguard rails\u201d against legal and financial excesses. Watch the interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Washington Free Beacon\u2019s Matthew Continetti<\/strong>, NBC News\u2019 Andrea Mitchell<\/strong>, The Washington Post\u2019s Eugene Robinson<\/strong>, and The Cook Political Report\u2019s Amy Walter<\/strong> joined the broadcast\u2019s roundtable for insight and analysis on the week in politics, including the NFL\u2019s new anthem policy.<\/a> \u201cI don\u2019t think this was an issue until Trump made it an issue,\u201d says Walter. \u201cI don\u2019t think Americans were sitting around thinking, \u201cThis is what is dividing this country.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full transcript of \u201cMeet the Press\u201d<\/a> this morning.<\/p>\n

Follow the show on Twitter<\/a> and on Facebook<\/a> for the latest, and watch MSNBC\u2019s \u201cMTP Daily\u201d<\/a> at 5 p.m. ET for more from moderator Chuck Todd.<\/p>\n

PLEASE CREDIT: NBC NEWS\u2019 \u201cMEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n