AFTER LAST WEEK'S DEADLY
VIOLENCE AT THE CAPITOL,
SENATORS AND HOUSE MEMBERS
VOTED NOT TO CERTIFY PRESIDENT-
ELECT JOE BIDEN.
TWO OF MINNESOTA'S REPUBLICANS
WERE PART OF THAT PROCESS.
TWO VOTED TO CERTIFY THE WIN.
I SPOKE TO CONGRESSMAN EMMER A
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE.
JOINING US NOW IS TOM EMMER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
GOOD MORNING.
LET ME ASK YOU, IS PRESIDENT
TRUMP FIT TO SERVE THE NEXT 11
DAYS?
LOOK, I THINK IT'S TEN DAYS
NOW, ESME, AND THE PRESIDENT
HAS MADE IT CLEAR THERE WILL BE
A PEACEFUL TRANSITION OF POWER,
AND I THINK WE SHOULD ALL ALLOW
THAT TO TAKE PLACE.
SO YOU DO NOT THINK HE
SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE?
AT THIS POINT, ESME, THERE'S
A LOT OF DIVISION IN THE
COUNTRY, AND I THINK THAT -- I
A STEP BACK, TAKE A DEEP
BREATH, RATHER THAN LOOKING
BACK.
LET'S LOOK FORWARD.
LET'S ALLOW THE PRESIDENT-ELECT
TO GO THROUGH HIS INAUGURATION.
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SAID HE IS
EXPECTING A PEACEFUL
TRANSITION.
LET'S ENJOY THAT PEACEFUL
TRANSITION, AND LET'S TURN THE
PAGE AND MOVE FORWARD AND START
TO UNIFY AGAIN.
I THINK EVERYONE WANTS THAT,
BUT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
SKEPTICAL OF THE PRESIDENT.
WRITTEN JOE BIDEN ASKING NANCY
PELOSI NOT TO HAVE AN
IMPEACHMENT VOTE.
THEY FEAR NOT ONLY WILL IT BE
PROBLEMATIC FOR THE COUNTRY,
AND IT COULD CREATE MORE
VIOLENCE.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THEM?
THAT I'M NOT GOING TO
COMMENT ON.
I WILL SAY IT AGAIN, ESME, I
THINK WE ARE VERY DIVIDED.
I THINK TENSIONS ARE VERY HIGH.
EMOTIONS ARE VERY HIGH, AND I
THINK THAT NOW IS THE TIME FOR
COOLER, CALMER HEADS TO
PREVAIL, AND I DO THINK THAT
THE PRESIDENT-ELECT COULD SET
THAT TONE.
YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT HAS
FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGED IT WILL BE
A PEACEFUL TRANSITION.
LET'S GRAB AHOLD OF THAT AND
MAKE SURE WE CAN ENJOY WHAT
MAKES THE COUNTRY UNIQUE, THE
PEACEFUL TRANSITION FROM ONE
ADMINISTRATION TO THE NEXT, AND
LET'S ALL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
ABOUT HOW WE ARE GOING TO UNIFY
EACH OTHER, RATHER THAN
POINTING FINGERS AND CASTING
BLAME.
IT'S TIME TO START TO COME
TOGETHER AS A COUNTRY.
DOESN'T THAT HAVE TO COME
FROM THE PRESIDENT?
I REMEMBER 11 YEARS AGO WHEN
THERE WAS A RACE FOR GOVERNOR
HERE, AND THE CANDIDATE THAT
LOST FOUGHT FOR FIVE WEEKS AS
WAS HIS RIGHT, BUT AFTER FIVE
WEEKS, IN DECEMBER, THAT
CANDIDATE CAME TOGETHER AND
SAID WE ARE ALL ONE MINNESOTA,
GOVERNOR OF ALL MINNESOTANS,
AND THAT CANDIDATE WAS YOU.
IT WAS A GRACIOUS SPEECH, A
CLASSY SPEECH, UNITING SPEECH.
DON'T WE NEED TO HEAR FROM FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP?
I DON'T THINK SO.
I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF.
I THINK HE DID EXACTLY WHAT THE
LAW PROVIDED, FOLLOWED THROUGH
ALL THE LEGAL PROCESSES, AND
WHEN THEY WERE EXHAUSTED, AND
WHEN IT WAS CLEAR I THOUGHT THE
RIGHT THING TO DO WAS TO TELL
MINNESOTA THE RACE WAS OVER, WE
DID THAT.
FOUR YEARS AGO HILLARY CLINTON
DID NOT DO THAT.
SHE CONCEDED THE NEXT DAY.
NOT IN THE WAY YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT.
I THINK BOTTOM LINE IS, LET'S
LOOK FORWARD, ESME.
THE MOST COMFORTABLE THING, THE
PRESIDENT MADE IT CLEAR WE WILL
HAVE A PEACEFUL TRANSITION OF
POWER.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT.
LET'S NOT MESS THAT UP.
LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL
COMING TOGETHER, AND LET'S TRY
TO HELP THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION
GET STARTED, GET OFF THE GROUND
AND START TO DO GOOD THINGS FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
CONGRESSMAN, I WANT TO POINT
OUT YOU VOTED TO CERTIFY THE
ELECTION.
TWO OTHER MINNESOTA MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS VOTED TO OVERTURN THE
THEY WERE IN THE MAJORITY OF
REPUBLICANS.
137 HOUSE MEMBERS AND EIGHT
SENATORS VOTED TO OVERTURN THE
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE
WHO ARE STILL VOTING THAT WAY
AND ALSO PEOPLE WHO GENUINELY
BELIEVE, STILL BELIEVE, THAT
WELL, THAT'S TWO QUESTIONS
THERE.
THE FIRST ONE, I CAN ONLY SPEAK
FOR MY ACTIONS, ESME.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE
TWO INSTANCES WE ARE TOLD AS
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WE ARE TO
ASSERT OURSELVES, ONE IF A
CANDIDATE DOESN'T GET 270
ELECTORS, CONGRESS IS INVOLVED.
THE OTHER IS IF A STATE IS
SENDS ALTERNATE ELECTORS, AND
PEOPLE HAVE TO REMEMBER IT'S
THE TENTH AMENDMENT THAT SAYS
INNUMERATED IS RESERVED FOR THE
STATES.
OUR FOUNDERS WERE CONCERNED
ABOUT A CONCENTRATION POWER
ANYWHERE.
I THOUGHT I READ THE
CONSTITUTION BY THE LETTER.
NOW THE SECOND PART OF YOUR
QUESTION.
THERE IS A LARGE GROUP OF
AMERICANS WHO HAVE LOST TRUST
IN INSTITUTIONS, AND WE ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO WORK EXTREMELY
HARD OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO
TRY TO REBUILD THE TRUST, AND
PEOPLE HAVE TO LOOK AT THESE
ELECTION LAWS FOR THE STATES --
THEY DON'T BELIEVE THE FACTS.
I MEAN THE FACTS ARE THAT JOE
BIDEN WON THIS ELECTION, AND IT
REALLY WAS NOT CLOSE.
IT WAS NOT LIKE YOUR ELECTION
BACK IN 2010 WHICH WAS CLOSE,
8,000 VOTES.
WHAT ABOUT THAT?
IT'S MORE THAN TRUST.
THE ISSUE, ESME, THAT I
THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT WERE GOVERNORS,
SECRETARIES OF STATE, ATTORNEYS
GENERAL, AND THE COURTS WERE
UNILATERALLY CHANGING,
ADJUSTING ELECTION LAWS.
THEY WERE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY
WERE TRYING TO KEEP AMERICANS
SAFE.
THEY WERE DOING IT, AND THAT'S
THE SOLE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE
LEGISLATURE, AND NO ONE ELSE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IN THE EFFORT
THAT PEOPLE MADE TO TRY TO KEEP
US SAFE AND ALLOW US TO
EXERCISE THAT MOST SACRED RIGHT
SOME OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE
ELECTION LAWS CAN'T BE
UNILATERALLY CHANGED BY ANYONE,
AND THEY ARE THE SOLE AUTHORITY
OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE, AND I
THINK GOING FORWARD, I THINK WE
NEED TO REAFFIRM THAT.
CONGRESSMAN TOM EMMER, WE
CERTAINLY HOPE IT'S A PEACEFUL
WEEK IN WASHINGTON AND A
PEACEFUL INAUGURAL WEEK.
WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING ON
THIS MORNING.
AMEN TO THAT, ESME.
THERE ARE BETTER DAYS AHEAD.