THANKS TO YOU.
A LOT OF FALLOUT FROM THE
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL AND REACTIONS
AFTERWARDS.
JOINING ME NOW, JIM MESSINA,
FORMER WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF
OF STAFF TO PRESIDENT OBAMA AND
DAVID JOMLY, FORMER REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN FROM FLORIDA, A
REPUBLICAN PARTY DEEPLY DIVIDED.
YOU SAW THE EFFECT OF THOSE
DIVISIONS WITH THE DIFFERENT
WAYS THAT KEVIN McCARTHY REACTED
AFTERWARDS AND GOING TO
MAR-A-LAGO AS WELL AS OF COURSE
MITCH McCONNELL’S VOTING TO
ACQUIT AND THEN GIVING THAT
DENUNCIATION, NO OTHER WAY TO
CALL IT, OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT
AND HIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE, DURING,
AND AFTER THE ACTUAL RIOT.
JIM, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
EFFECTS ALSO IN LOCAL PARTIES.
STATE PARTY IN NORTH CAROLINA
UNANIMOUSLY CENSURED RICHARD
BERG, RETIRING AS THE SENATOR,
FOR HIS VOTE TO CONVICT.
AND HE HAS RESPONDED TO THAT BY
SAYING, "IT IS TRULY A SAD DAY
FOR NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS.
MY PARTY’S LEADERSHIP HAS CHOSEN
LOYALTY TO ONE MAN OVER THE CORE
PRINCIPLES OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY AND THE FOUNDERS OF OUR
GREAT NATION."
YOU’RE ALSO SEEING SENATORS
TOOMEY OF PENNSYLVANIA, SUSAN
COLLINS OF MAINE, FACING
POSSIBLE CENSURE VOTES AND WHAT
HAPPENED IN LOUISIANA
IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS, WITHIN
TWO HOURS OF THEIR VOTES, OF
BILL CASSIDY, THE SENATOR FROM
THERE WAS CENSURED.
HOW DO YOU SEE THIS PLAYING OUT
AROUND THE COUNTRY AGAINST THE
SEVEN REPUBLICANS?
ONLY ONE IS UP THIS YEAR, ANDMUR
SENATOR WHO VOTED TO CONVICT.
>> IT’S A CRAZY TIME INSIDE THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
YOU HAD ONE LEADER OF THE
PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN PARTY
SAYING THAT THEY DIDN’T SEND
TOOMEY THERE TO VOTE HIS
CONSCIENCE OR, QUOTE, DO THE
RIGHT THING.
THEY SENT HIM THERE TO REPRESENT
THE PARTY, WHICH IS EXACTLY
WRONG, AS YOU KNOW.
THE UNITED STATES SENATORS PUTZ
THEIR HAND ON A BIBLE AND TAKE
AN OATH TO UPHOLD THE
CONSTITUTION, WHICH IS WHAT
THESE FOLKS THOUGHT THEY WERE
DOING WHEN THEY CAST THESE
VOTES.
WHAT WE ARE SEEING ARE THE
OPENING SALVOS IN THE 2024
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WITH
EVERYONE TRYING TO POSITION
THEMSELVES AND THE PARTY AND TRY
TO GARNER SUPPORT OF PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND HIS SUPPORTERS.
IT’S A SAD MOMENT AFTER JANUARY
6th, YOU THOUGHT BOTH PARTIES
COULD COME TOGETHER AND AGREE TO
PUT THIS MOMENT BEHIND US.
INSTEAD, YOU HAVE RON JOHNSON,
THE SENATOR FROM WISCONSIN, WHO
IS UP FOR RE-ELECTION,
QUESTIONING WHETHER IT WAS EVEN
AN ARMED INSURRECTION, SAYING HE
DIDN’T THINK IT WAS.
THAT WOULD BE A BIG SURPRISE TO
THE FIVE PEOPLE WHO DIED AND ALL
THE MEMBERS WHO WERE, YOU KNOW,
EVACUATED AND TRAPPED IN
HALLWAYS AND CLOSETS.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU CONTINUE TO
SEE THESE FOLKS SAYING
ABSOLUTELY CRAZY THINGS IN A
SILLY ’TEMPT TO APPEAL TO A BASE
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT
ISN’T AS BIG AS THEY THINK IT
IS.
>> WELL, LET ME PLAY SOME OF
THAT RON JOHNSON RADIO
INTERVIEW, BECAUSE IT’S PRETTY
EXTRAORDINARY.
THIS OF COURSE THE WISCONSIN
REPUBLICAN SENATOR WHO WAS THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE HOMELAND
SECURITY AND STILL RANKING ON
THAT COMMITTEE.
THIS IS WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.
>> THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
THIS DIDN’T SEEM LIKE AN ARMED
INSURRECTION TO ME.
IF THAT WAS A PLANNED ARMED
INSURRECTION, THEN, MAN, YOU
REALLY HAVE A BUNCH OF IDIOTS.
THE ONE GUY IN THE SENATE
CHAMBERS THERE, HE HAD PLASTIC
WRIST TIES.
WHAT WAS HE EXPECTED TO DO?
LITERALLY GO UP TO MIKE PENCE
AND CAPTURE HIM?
>> DAVID JOLLY, WHAT DO YOU SAY
TO SOMEONE LIKE RON JOHNSON?
>> YEAH, THE ANSWER TO SENATOR
JOHNSON’S QUESTION IS, YES,
THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THAT MAN
THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO,
WHICH IS WHY HE IS NOW FACING
FEDERAL CHARGES.
YOU KNOW, SENATOR JOHNSON’S
COMMENTS, ANDREA, ARE VERY
INDICATIVE OF THE IDENTITY
CRISIS WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY RIGHT NOW, AND IT’S JUST
THAT, AN IDENTITY CRISIS.
IT’S NOT AN ELECTORAL CRISIS.
FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN,
WE’RE SAYING HOW CAN REPUBLICANS
BEHAVE THIS WAY?
REPUBLICANS AREN’T REALLY
ENGAGING IN SELF-REFLECTION
BECAUSE THEY DON’T SEE THIS
HURTING THEM THAT BADLY AT THE
BALLOT BOX.
BUT IT IS REMARKABLE TO SEE ONE
OF THE GO MAJOR PARTIES TODAY
HAVING DEBATES NOT AROUND
IDEOLOGICAL ISSUES, NOT AROUND
THE LEFT-RIGHT SPECTRUM WE’VE
SEEN IN THE PAST WITHIN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY BUT AROUND
THESE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS OF
DEFENSIVE DEMOCRACY AND
RECOGNITION OF FACTS.
AND SOMEHOW THE LITMUS TEST FOR
NEW REPUBLICAN LEADERS IS
WHETHER OR NOT THEY PUT PARTY
BEFORE COUNTRY AND WHETHER THEY
ARE WILLING TO SUBSCRIBE TO
THESE ALTERNATIVE FACTS.
CULTURALLY, I WONDER WHAT THAT
MEANS.
OUR MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE
A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON THE
CULTURAL NATIVE AND TO SEE THIS
ONE SUCCEED ON THIS NARRATIVE
REGARDING THE CONSTITUTION AND
DEMOCRACY I THINK IS A BROADER
NATIONAL CONVERSATION FOR US IN
THE YEARS FORWARD.
>> AS A FORMER CONGRESSMAN, I
HAVE TO ASK YOU ABOUT ADAM
KINZINGER, THE REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN FROM ILLINOIS, WHOSE
FAMILY DISOWNED HIM, WRITING TO
HIM, ACCORDING TO "THE NEW YORK
TIMES," TWO DAYS AFTER
MR. KINZINGER CALLED FOR
REMOVING MR. TRUMP FROM OFFICE,
DID NOT HAVE A VOTE ON
IMPEACHMENT IN TERMS OF THE
SENATE TRIAL, FOLLOWING THE
JANUARY 6th RIOT AT THE CAPITOL,
11 MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY SENT
HIM A HANDWRITTEN TWO-PAGE
LETTER SAYING HE WAS IN CAHOOTS
WITH THE DEVIL’S ARMY FOR MAKING
A PUBLIC BREAK WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
OH, MY, WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT
YOU ARE TO US AND TO GOD, THEY
ROTE.
YOU HAVE EMBARRASSED THE
KINZINGER FAMILY NAME.
THIS IS A MAN WHO IS NOT ONLY AN
ELECTED MEMBER OF CONGRESS, A
MILITARY VETERAN.
DAVID, TO YOU AND TO JIM, WHAT
DO YOU SAY TO SOMETHING LIKE
THIS?
>> YEAH.
LOOK, I KNOW ADAM.
ADAM KINZINGER DESERVES OUR
SUPPORT, THE SUPPORT OF
DEMOCRATS AS WELL FOR SAYING THE
RIGHT THING.
HE WILL RESOLVE THE FAMILY
ISSUES.
IN THAT INTERVIEW, HE SAYS HE’S
NOT TOO WORRIED ABOUT IT.
BUT IT IS INDICATIVE OF A
COMMENT JIM REFERRED TO EARLIER,
THIS THEME, THIS NARRATIVE THAT
REPUBLICANS ARE SUPPOSED TO
SUPPORT A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT
REGARDLESS OF THE BEHAVIOR OF
THAT PRESIDENT.
IT’S WHAT WE SAW OVER 40
SENATORS DO IN THE IMPEACHMENT
ACQUITTAL VOTE ON SATURDAY AND
IT’S WHAT WE’RE SEEING IN THE
CASE OF ONE MEMBER’S FAMILY AS
WELL AS IN STATE COMMITTEES.
IT IS A NARRATIVE THE
REPUBLICANS NOW OWN.
IN MANY WAYS IT’S EXACTLY WHAT