TOGETHER.
>> Sandra: KELLYANNE, THANK YOU
FOR JOINING US.
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
>> John: TO PENNSYLVANIA
CONGRESSMAN-ELECT SCOTT PERRY,
ONE OF THE LAWMAKERS LEADING THE
CHARGE AGAINST McCARTHY, JOINS
US NOW.
THANK YOU FOR HANGING WITH US,
APPRECIATE IT.
WHAT WE UNDERSTAND FROM
REPORTING WHAT WAS TALKED ABOUT
OVERNIGHT HERE WITH McCARTHY.
REPORTED CONCESSIONS TO THE
HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS, ONE MEMBER
THRESHOLD AND MOTION TO VACATE
THE CHAIR, TWO SEATS FOR THE
FREEDOM CAUCUS AND HOUSE RULES
AND OTHER COMMITTEES, VOTE ON
STAND ALONE, 12 INDIVIDUAL
APPROPRIATIONS BILLS.
IS THERE A DEAL DONE AT THIS
POINT, CONGRESSMAN-ELECT?
>> THANKS FOR HAVING.
FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS NO
AGREEMENT WHATSOEVER, AND IT’S
DISAPPOINTING THAT CONFIDENCES
ARE BETRAYED ABOUT THE DETAILS
OF INTERNAL MEETINGS AND IT’S --
IT EXEMPLIFIES WASHINGTON, D.C.
AND THE TRUST FACTOR THAT IS
CAUSING THE IMPASSE OCCURRING
BEFORE YOUR EYES.
THERE IS A TRUST ISSUE WITH THE
GENTLEMAN WHO WANTS TO BE
SPEAKER.
YOU CAN REFERENCE HIS FORMER
BOSS, MEMBER OF CONGRESS AND
WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT KEVIN
McCARTHY.
IT IS HARD TO RESTORE TRUST IN
JUST A MONTH OR TWO AND IT’S
REALLY HARD WHEN YOU BETRAY
CONFIDENCES IN A MEETING WHERE
THE DETAILS ARE THEN LEAKED OUT
TO THE PRESS.
SO, THERE IS NO AGREEMENT AT
THIS TIME.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN THE
SWAMP IN D.C., DOES NOT WORK FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BUT FOR
WASHINGTON, D.C. AND WE ARE NOT
GOING TO LEAVE UNTIL WE HAVE
THAT.
WE ARE HERE TO FIGHT FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THE TOWN IS
BROKEN, EVERYBODY KNOWS IT,
NOBODY WANTS TO DO ANYTHING
ABOUT IT.
THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY AND WE
ARE GOING TO TAKE IT.
>> Sandra: THE MAX VOTE ANYBODY
ELSE NOMINATED BY THE PARTY IS
20, WHO IS THAT?
>> AS I’VE SAID, I’VE NEVER MADE
THIS PERSONAL.
I STARTED NEGOTIATING IN THE
SUMMERTIME.
IT’S NOT ABOUT KEVIN McCARTHY OR
ANYBODY ELSE.
IT’S ABOUT ANYBODY WILLING TO
EMBRACE THESE FUNDAMENTAL
CHANGES.
>> Sandra: WHO IS THAT?
>> WHOEVER CAN GET TO 218.
IF McCARTHY CAN EMBRACE THE
CHANGES I EXPECT HE WILL, BUT IF
HE CANNOT, SOMEBODY ELSE WILL
HAVE TO.
>> John: LET ME GET BACK TO THE
IDEA OF NEGOTIATIONS,
COMPROMISES MADE TO THE HOUSE
FREEDOM CAUCUS.
YOU SAY NO DEAL AT THIS POINT
BUT IS THERE ONE IN THE WORKS
THAT COULD GET HIM TO EITHER 218
OR WITH SOME VOTING PRESENT OR
WHATEVER, GET HIM TO A NUMBER
WHICH HE BECOMES SPEAKER?
>> ONCE AGAIN, IT WOULD BE
UNFAITHFUL OF ME TO CHARACTERIZE
ANY NEGOTIATIONS THAT MAY OR MAY
NOT BE OCCURRING AFTER GOING OUT
AND COMPLAINING ABOUT OTHER
FOLKS THAT ARE DOING IT.
SO I’M GOING TO SAY THERE IS NO
AGREEMENT AT THIS TIME.
YOU CAN SEE THE VOTES ARE
OCCURRING, AND WE ARE ASKING FOR
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE, NOT FOR
OURSELVES BUT FOR THE PEOPLE WE
CAME HERE TO REPRESENT AND SOME
OF THE THINGS -- GO AHEAD.
>> John: IF I COULD, AS I ASKED
KELLYANNE CONWAY, THE POSTURE OF
KEVIN McCARTHY GOING INTO THE
HOUSE TODAY IN LIEU OF THE
NEGOTIATIONS LAST NIGHT AND
AGAIN THIS MORNING HE SAID I
WOULD NOT READ ANYTHING INTO THE
VOTES TODAY.
THAT WAS SUGGESTIVE TO ME AND TO
KELLYANNE THERE IS SOMETHING IN
THE WORKS HERE AND THAT WHAT WE
ARE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS JUST
PRO FORMA, BUT IN THE DAYS AHEAD
COULD BE A VOTE TO GET HIM TO
THE MAGIC NUMBER.
>> THIS IS POLITICS, OF COURSE
HE WILL PUT THINGS IN THE BEST
LIGHT AND SPIN IT.
YOU EXPECT THAT, READ THROUGH
THAT AND SEE WHAT’S OCCURRING.
HE DOES NOT HAVE 218, DIDN’T
HAVE IT YESTERDAY AND CHANCES
ARE IF NOTHING CHANGES WON’T
HAVE IT TOMORROW.
>> Sandra: AMID THIS PROCESS YOU
RECENTLY SAID WASHINGTON IS
BROKEN, AND WE ARE CLEARLY
WATCHING WHAT APPEARS TO BE A
SPLIT PARTY WITH NO CONSENSUS ON
WHO YOUR PARTY IS GOING TO ELECT
TO BE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.
DO YOU WORRY THE DAMAGE THIS IS
DOING AFTER FLIPPING THE HOUSE
AND OBVIOUSLY NOTING THIS IS
PUTTING THE REPUBLICAN AGENDA ON
DELAY?
>> TAKING A FEW DAYS TO CHANGE
ESSENTIALLY WHAT HAS GONE WRONG
OVER THE --
>> Sandra: A DEAL IN THE WORKS
AND DONE IN A FEW DAYS?
>> WELL, I DON’T KNOW.
BUT WHAT’S TAKING PLACE RIGHT
NOW IS TAKING A FEW DAYS.
WHAT I’M SAYING IS SINCE THIS
HAS NOT HAPPENED FOR 100 YEARS,
WHERE WE HAD A CONTESTED
SPEAKER’S VOTE, IF IT TAKES A
FEW DAYS IN THE 100 YEARS TO GET
IT RIGHT AND GET WASHINGTON BACK
ON TRACK.
WASHINGTON HAS LOST ITS WAY.
YOU CAN TELL 13 DAYS AGO, YET
AGAIN, $1.7 TRILLION BILL SENT
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NICE,
CHRISTMAS EVE, 7,000 EARMARKS IN
IT, CHRISTMAS TREED UP, AMERICA
IS TIRED OF THIS.
THEIR VOICES ARE NOT HEARD.
IF YOU HAVE TO SPEND A COUPLE
DAYS TO GET IT RIGHT, IT IS
WORTH IT.
>> John: CONGRESSMAN LET ME ASK
YOU, IN TERMS OF WHERE WE ARE
GOING IN THE DAYS AHEAD.
THE DEMOCRATS ARE OBVIOUSLY
LOVING THIS PROCESS.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ GAVE
SOME CREDENCE TO KAT CAMMACK’S
OBSERVATION ABOUT ALCOHOL, IF
DEMOCRATS WERE DOING SHOTS EVERY
TIME THERE WAS AN UNSUCCESSFUL
VOTE THAT WOULD BE PASSED OUT BY
NOW.
BUT BRAD SHERMAN, POSITIVE IF
McCARTHY IS SPEAKER, HE WOULD
HAVE TO MAKE DEALS WITH THE
DEMOCRATS BECAUSE NOT WITH THE
HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS.
>> THAT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE.
LOOK, WE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED
IN WORKING WITH REPUBLICANS AND
WE DON’T WANT OUR SPEAKER TO BE
WORKING WITH DEMOCRATS AS LONG
AS THE SPEAKER IS TRUE TO WHAT
WE BELIEVE IN, AS REPUBLICANS
ACROSS THE BOARD, WE ARE GOING
TO BE IN FINE SHAPE.
WE HAVE TO GET THIS WORKED OUT
AND GET THE TOOLS IN PLACE AND
AGAIN, SOMETIMES WITH THE
PERSONNEL TO HAVE TRANSFORMATIVE
CHANGE SO WE DON’T KEEP ENDING
UP WITH THE SAME THING.
WHAT WE KEEP DOING IS THE SAME
THING WITH THE SAME PEOPLE UNDER
THE SAME CONDITIONS AND
EXPECTING A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
I DON’T KNOW WHY WE WOULD KEEP
DOING THAT.
>> John: IF I COULD JUST FINISH
THE QUESTION THAT I HAD FOR YOU
CONGRESSMAN-ELECT, IF McCARTHY
AS SPEAKER, A HYPOTHETICAL, WERE
TO CUT A DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS
INSTEAD OF THE HOUSE FREEDOM
CAUCUS, HOW WOULD YOU REACT,
PARTICULARLY IF THERE IS A
ONE-MEMBER THRESHOLD FOR A
MOTION TO VACATE THE CHAIR?
>> I THINK QUITE HONESTLY,
FORGET HOW I WOULD REACT.
NO ONE APPRECIATES BEING
BETRAYED, NOT JUST THE FREEDOM
CAUCUS, ANY REPUBLICAN WOULD
TAKE THAT AS AN ACT OF COMBAT.
>> Sandra: CONGRESSMAN, CAN YOU
GIVE US SOME IDEA, YOU MENTIONED
YOU’VE BEEN WORKING ON IT SINCE
LAST SUMMER.
SOME INDICATION OF THE TONE OF
THE MEETINGS WITH KEVIN
McCARTHY, THESE ONGOING
NEGOTIATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS AND
WHAT THAT’S LIKE.
>> WELL, IN THE SUMMERTIME HE WAS DISINTERESTED, AND THE FALL,
WAS DISINTERESTED, AND THE FALL,
HE EXPECTED 240-SEAT MAJORITY,
BIG RED WAVE AND PEOPLE IN THE
VIEWS HE CAN DISMISS ARE
IRRELEVANT.
ONLY BECAUSE WE HAD A SLIM
MAJORITY HE NEEDED TO COME TO
THE TABLE.
NONE OF THESE CHANGES THAT ARE
NECESSARY, EVERYBODY IN THE
CONFERENCE AGREES WITH, BY THE
WAY, THEY DON’T LIKE THE
PROCESS, I GET IT, BUT NONE
WOULD BE ON THE TAKEN IF THE
SLIM MAJORITY DID NOT EXIST.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE CONGRESS WORK
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> John: CONGRESSMAN-ELECT SCOTT
PERRY OF THE KEYSTONE STATE.
I ASSUME YOU’LL BE VOTING FOR
BYRON DONALDS.