>>> WELCOME BACK. JOINING ME NOW, SENATOR RICHARD
SHELBY OF ALABAMA. HE SERVED FOR TWO DECADES
ALONGSIDE ANOTHER SENATOR FROM ALABAMA, JEFF SESSIONS, BEFORE
HE BECAME ATTORNEY GENERAL. SENATOR, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT HEALTH CARE, BUT LET'S START WITH WHAT
EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT, THAT IS THE PRESIDENT IN THE ROSE
GARDEN TODAY CONTINUING WHAT HAS BEEN ALMOST A LONG SERIES OF
NEWSPAPER INTERVIEWS, TWEETS, HUMILIATING ESSENTIALLY HIS
ATTORNEY GENERAL, SOMEBODY THAT WAS VERY LOYAL TO HIM, FIRST
PERSON IN THE SENATE TO SUPPORT HIM.
YOU PUT OUT A STATEMENT, YOU CAME TO HIS DEFENSE TODAY,
TALKED ABOUT HIM AS A MAN OF INTEGRITY, LOYALTY,
EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER. THE PRESIDENT TODAY QUESTIONED
EVEN WHETHER OR NOT JEFF SESSIONS PLAYED ANY ROLE IN HIS
SUPPORT, WHETHER HE OWED HIM ANY LOYALTY BECAUSE HE SAID IT
DIDN'T SEEM TO BE A BIG DEAL IN TERMS OF HIS SUPPORT MAKING A
DIFFERENCE IN HIM BEING ELECTED PRESIDENT.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE PRESIDENT'S PUBLIC SHAMING OF
YOUR COLLEAGUE, FORMER COLLEAGUE JEFF SESSIONS?
>> WELL, I TELL YOU, I'VE KNOWN JEFF SESSIONS DAY IN, DAY OUT,
WORKED WITH HIM FOR 20 YEARS AND I THINK I KNOW HIM AND A LOT OF
US IN THE SENATE THAT KNOW HIM AND RESPECT HIM KNOW HIM, TOO.
HE'S A MAN OF COURAGE. HE'S A MAN OF PURPOSE.
AND HE'S A MAN OF SUBSTANCE. I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S
GOING ON BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, BUT
JEFF SESSIONS' GOT A LOT OF RESPECT IN THE SENATE, HE HAS A
LOT OF RESPECT IN MY STATE, AND I DO KNOW HE WAS -- WHILE I WAS
IN THE SENATE, HE WAS THE FIRST ONE TO ENDORSE THE PRESIDENT,
WAS LOYAL TO HIM, AND I HOPE THINGS WORK OUT.
>> HE IS NOT WILLING TO STEP DOWN, HE SAYS HE LOVES HIS JOB,
WANTS TO CONTINUE TO LOVE HIS JOB.
YOU KNOW HIM WELL.
DO YOU SEE A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE A COMMA COMMENT OR TWEET WILL G
TO STEP DOWN? >> I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THAT.
ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS THIS COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED IN A DIFFERENT
WAY. I HOPE -- WE DON'T NEED THIS, IT
IS NOT GOOD FOR THE PRESIDENT, IT'S NOT GOOD FOR POLITICS IN
GENERAL, AND IT IS CERTAINLY NOT GOOD FOR THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
>> WOULD YOU DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND AND SAY TO THE PRESIDENT TO
HIS FACE YOU NEED TO LEAVE JEFF SESSIONS ALONE, HE IS A GOOD
MAN? >> WELL, I'M NOT GOING TO DRAW A
LINE IN THE SAND WITH ANY PRESIDENT.
I RESPECT THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND SO FORTH, BUT I
HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR JEFF SESSIONS, HE IS MY FRIEND, BUT
MORE THAN THAT, HE IS A MAN OF COURAGE, INTEGRITY AND PURPOSE.
>> YOU TWEETED THIS AFTERNOON IT IS VITAL WE KEEP OUR PROMISE TO
REPEAL OBAMACARE AND REPLACE THIS FAILING LAW.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH VOTING FOR A BILL THAT MIGHT MEAN COVERAGE
FOR FEWER AMERICANS OR DO YOU EVEN HAVE A SENSE RIGHT NOW OF
WHAT BILL YOU GUYS MIGHT EVENTUALLY VOTE ON?
>> WELL, NOBODY KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THE FINAL PRODUCT IS GOING
TO BE BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T EVEN DEBATED THE BILL IN THE SENATE,
THIS IS STEP ONE. I WAS INITIALLY AND STILL AM FOR
OUTRIGHT REPEAL, THEN WORK WITH THE DEMOCRATS TO REPLACE IT WITH
SOME. THERE'S GOING TO BE WINNERS AND
LOSERS, BUT WE OUGHT TO LOOK AFTER THE MOST VULNERABLE IN
THIS COUNTRY, AND OUGHT TO CUT DOWN ALL OF THE BARRIERS TO
COMPETITION AND FREE MARKET. PART OF HEALTH CARE'S PROBLEM,
THERE'S NOT REAL COMPETITION IN THE MARKETPLACE.
>> DOES THAT EVENTUALLY MEAN, THE CBO SEEMS TO THINK SO, THAT
FEWER AMERICANS WILL BE COVERED, A LOT FEWER?
>> THE CBO HAS BEEN WRONG ON A LOT OF THINGS.
I HOPE THEY'RE NOT WRONG ON THIS.
ULTIMATELY WE HAVE TO FIGURE WHAT WE CAN PAY FOR, LOOK AFTER
THE MOST VULNERABLE AND KNOCK OUT BARRIERS TO FREE
COMPETITION. >> SENATOR SHELBY, APPRECIATE
YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU GUYS HAV