THAT IS A BIG CHANGE FROM
McCONNELL’S USUAL REFUSAL TO
BACK ANYTHING NOT BACKED BY HIS
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS.
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI JOINS
ME NOW.
MADAM SPEAKER, THANK YOU FOR
BEING WITH US.
>> ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
THIS IS A BIG DAILY.
FIRST OF ALL, BIG NEWS.
WISCONSIN, BATTLEGROUND STATE,
THE CONVENTION, AN ENORMOUS
OPPORTUNITY FOR DEMOCRATS
VIRTUALLY IF NOT IN PERSON AND
NOW JOE BIDEN IS NOT GOING TO
MILWAUKEE.
HOW MUCH DOES THIS DAMAGE THE
CAMPAIGN?
>> OH, I THINK THAT WE’RE ALL
LEARNING THIS AT THE SAME TIME
NOW, THAT HE WON’T BE THERE, BUT
I THINK IT’S AN INDICATION OF
THE SERIOUSNESS WITH WHICH HE
JUDGES THE SITUATION.
THIS PANDEMIC IS DANGEROUS AND
THE INCREASE IN NUMBERS JUST
DEMANDS THAT WE KEEP OUR
DISTANCES.
I COMMEND HIM FOR DOING THAT.
IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT
CONVENTION.
PEOPLE WILL SEE IT VIRTUALLY AND
WE’RE VERY PROUD OF HIM.
I THINK IT’S A GREAT THING THAT
HE’S DOING THIS EARLY ENOUGH SO
THE REST OF US NOW ARE TOLD
WE’RE NOT COMING EITHER, I
GUESS, AND WE CAN ALL MAKE OUR
PLANS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
FOR A GREAT AMERICAN VICTORY FOR
JOE BIDEN AS HE IS NOMINATED FOR
PRESIDENT.
>> I ALSO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
OUR REPORTING THAT THE
REPUBLICANS ARE ALSO PLANNING
NOT TO HAVE THE PRESIDENT LEAVE
WASHINGTON FOR HIS ACCEPTANCE
SPEECH.
BUT MOST INTERESTINGLY, HE HAS
FLOATED THE IDEA TODAY OF DOING
IT FROM THE SOUTH LAWN OF THE
WHITE HOUSE.
OUR REPORTING IS ALSO THAT HE
HAS SUGGESTED MONUMENTS AS A
BACKDROP LIKE THE LINCOLN
MEMORIAL.
IS THAT APPROPRIATE?
I’M NOT SURE IF THERE’S A LAW
AGAINST IT, BUT THERE CERTAINLY
IS A TRADITION, YOU DON’T USE
THE WHITE HOUSE AS THE BACKDROP
FOR ANY POLITICS.
HE HAS BROKEN THAT WITH THE ROSE
GARDEN AND OTHER EVENTS BEFORE.
BUT THE ACCEPTANCE FOR THE
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION COMING
WITH THE WHITE HOUSE AS THE
BACKDROP, DOES THAT STRIKE YOU
AS WRONG?
>> YEAH, IT’S VERY WRONG.
AGAIN, WHEN WE’RE IN THE CAPITOL
OF THE UNITED STATES UNDER THE
DOME, WE HAVE A LIMITED
OPPORTUNITY TO REFERENCE
ANYTHING POLITICAL.
FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES TO DEGRADE ONCE AGAIN THE
WHITE HOUSE AS HE HAS DONE OVER
AND OVER AGAIN BY SAYING HE’S
GOING TO COMPLETELY POLITICIZE
IT IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE
REJECTED RIGHT OUT OF HAND.
AGAIN, IT’S NOTIONMONGERING, NOT
SERIOUS THINKING.
IT WON’T HAPPEN, LET’S PUT IT
THAT WAY.
WHETHER IT’S LEGALLY WRONG OR
ETHICALLY OUT OF THE QUESTION,
IT SHOULDN’T HAVE EVEN BEEN
SOMETHING THAT WAS EXPRESSED.
>> CAN YOU STOP HIM?
>> HE CAN’T DO THAT.
YOU CAN’T DO THAT.
YOU WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED, I
THINK, AT THE FACT THAT WHEN
YOU’RE AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT POLICY,
YOU’RE NOT TALKING POLITICS.
WE NEVER DID -- THAT YOU WOULD
HAVE A LIMITED REFERENCE AS IT
APPLIED TO OUR CIVIC LIFE IN
TERMS OF POLITICS BUT YOU DON’T
TALK POLITICS IN THE WHITE
HOUSE.
AND YOU DON’T TALK POLITICS
UNDER THE DOME OF THE CAPITOL,
EXCEPT PERHAPS A REFERENCE TO
IT, BUT NOT IN AN EVENT.
YOU DON’T HAVE POLITICAL EVENTS
IN THE CAPITOL.
YOU DON’T HAVE POLITICAL EVENTS
IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> I KNOW YOU AND OTHER MEMBERS,
SENATORS, YOU LEAST BUILDING TO
DO ANY FUNDRAISING, YOU HAVE
YOUR OWN OFFICES OFFSITE.
THAT SIDEAID, IF HE’S EXEMPT FRO
THE HATCH ACT --
>> HE CAN’T DO IT.
>> -- HIS AIDES CITED FOR
UNETHICAL ACTIVITY, YOU DON’T
THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT?
>> ANDREA, MY FRIEND, ONCE AGAIN
HE IS DIVERTING ATTENTION FROM
THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE DYING
IN OUR COUNTRY.
CHILDREN ARE HUNGRY.
FAMILIES ARE FEARING EVICTION.
WORKERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
GETTING MONEY INTO THEIR
POCKETS.
STATES ARE SUFFERING FROM THE
VIRUS AND THE REST.
AND WE’RE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER
HE CAN HAVE A POLITICAL EVENT AT
THE WHITE HOUSE.
HE CAN’T.
BUT AGAIN,
IT’S CURIOUS, IT’S A DIVERSION,
AND HE’S A MASTER OF DIVERSION.
WHAT WE ALL NEED TO BE TALKING
ABOUT IS WE PASSED OUR BILL, THE
HEROES ACT, NEARLY THREE MONTHS
AGO.
IN THAT TIME, OVER 3 MILLION
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE
LIST OF THOSE INFECTED.
70,000 PEOPLE HAVE DIED.