MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMPS IS
EXPECTED TO MAKE A BIG
ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT AT
9:00 P.M. EASTERN FROM
MAR-A-LAGO, MANY SPECULATE HE
WILL DECLARE HE IS RUNNING FOR
BE PRESIDENT IN 2024.
THIS COMES LESS THAN A MONTH
BEFORE THE GEORGIA SENATE RUNOFF
ELECTION BETWEEN RAPHAEL WARNOCK
AND HERSCHEL WALKER.
JOINING ME NOW IS CONGRESSMAN
AUSTIN SCOTT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
BEFORE WE GET INTO GEORGIA, WHAT
ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TRUMP
ANNOUNCEMENT?
IS IT GOING TO IMPACT THE
GEORGIA RUNOFF?
>> WELL, I THINK IT WILL IMPACT
THE RUNOFF, ONLY BECAUSE IT
ALLOWS THE DEMOCRATS TO RUN ON
PRESIDENT TRUMP INSTEAD OF
TALKING ABOUT WHAT RAPHAEL
WARNOCK HAS ACTUALLY DONE.
SO SO WE’VE BEEN STRUGGLING FOR
MONTHS TO TELL THE GEORGIA
VOTERS ABOUT A LEGISLATION
SENATOR WARNOCK HAS WORKED ON
AND PASSED AND PUT INTO EFFECT,
ONLY TO BE STRUCK DOWN BY THE
COURTS.
I’LL GIVE YOU A GOOD EXAMPLE OF
THAT, MARIA.
HE PASSED A PIECE OF
LEGISLATION, PUT IT IN ONE OF
THEIR COVID RELIEF PACKAGES,
CALLED IT A BLACK FARMERS
INITIATIVE.
THAT SOUNDS FINE BUT WHEN YOU
READ THE LEGISLATION IT PAID OFF
THE NOTES FOR EVERY FARMER
REGARDLESS OF RACE INCLUDING IF
YOU WERE NOT A U.S. CITIZEN ON
ALL USDA LOANS AS LONG AS YOU
WEREN’T WHITE.
THE FEDERAL COURTS STRUCK IT
DOWN, SAID YOU CAN’T
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST A RACE OF
PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
WE WANT THE CITIZENS TO KNOW
THAT’S WHAT WARNOCK IS
SUPPORTING AS A U.S. SENATOR.
INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT WHATS
HE’S DONE AND WHAT HE BELIEVES,
UNFORTUNATELY IF PRESIDENT TRUMP
ANNOUNCES THERE WILL BE A LOT OF
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY INSTEAD OF WHAT
RAPHAEL WARNOCK’S POSITION IS AS
A U.S. SENATOR.
MARIA: I CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU’RE SAYING.
WHAT’S YOUR ASSESSMENT OF WHAT
TOOK PLACE IN THE MIDTERM
ELECTIONS?
REPUBLICANS NEED ONE SEAT FOR
THE MAJORITY CONTROL OF THE
HOUSE.
FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN BYRON
DONNELS JOINED ME ON SUNDAY
MORNING FUTURES ON WHETHER OR
NOTON WHETHER ORNOT MCCARTHY WIL
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.
>> IT’S NOT CLEAR.
WE HAVE TO LAY OUT A
DEMONSTRATED PLAN, SERIOUS
POLICIES THAT VOTERS BELIEVE IN
AND WE CAN’T EBBING WHIFF KATE
FROM-- EQUIVOCATE FROMTHAT.
I THINK IT WILL BE CRITICAL
TOWARDS KEVIN’S ABILITY TOWARDS
BECOMING A LEADER AND EVENTUALLY
THE SPEAKER.
MARIA: WHERES IS THIS GOING?
YOUR COLLEAGUE, CONGRESSWOMAN
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN WARNED IF
THE GOP CHALLENGES MCCARTHY IT
WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR DEMOCRAT
TOSS HAVE A SAY ON THE NEXT
SPEAKER.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> YEAH, McCAR I THIS WILL BE
THE NEXT -- MCCARTHY WILL BE THE
NEXT SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.
I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THAT.
I CERTAINLY SUPPORT THAT.
I THINK MARJORIE’S RIGHT ABOUT
THIS AND IF THE HARD RIGHT
FACTION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
DOESN’T ALLOW MCCARTHY TO BE
SEATED IT GIVES THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DEMOCRATS THEN TO SELECT A
SPEAKER AND PEEL OFF MORE
LIBERAL REPUBLICANS IF YOU WILL.
BUT WHEN YOU GET TO THE
ELECTIONS AND WHAT HAPPENED, I
JUST THINK ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT A STATE
LIKE NEW YORK WHERE WE HAD LEE
ZELDIN AT THE TOP OF THE TICKET,
LEE ZELDIN IS THE REASON WE’RE
GOING TO BE THE MAJORITY PARTY
BECAUSE WE WON SEATS IN NEW YORK
WHERE REPUBLICANS WERE EXCITED
TO COME OUT AND VOTE FOR HIM AND
VOTED FOR THE HOUSE SEATS AS
THEY WENT ON DOWN THE TICKET AND
SO ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL WHEN
YOU’VE GOT GREAT CANDIDATES AT
THE TOP OF THE TICKET LIKE WE
HAVE WITH RON DE SANTIS IN
FLORIDA, THAT WORKS ITS WAY DOWN
INTO THE U.S. HOUSE RACES AND
WHEN YOU HAVE WEAKER CANDIDATES
AT THE TOP OF THE TICKET, THEN
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE
IN THAT STATE’S TICKLE EXES.
WE’RE -- PARTICULAR ELECTIONS.
WE’RE GOING TO BE THE MAJORITY.
I THINK KEVIN MCCARTHY EARNED
THE RIGHT TO BE THE SPEAKER OF
THE YOU HOUSE.
HE WILL BE THE SPEAKER OF THE
HOUSE.
IF HE’S GIVEN A CHANCE I THINK
HE’LL DO A GOOD JOB.
WHAT WE AS REPUBLICANS NEED
PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IS WE HAVE
A VERY SLIM MAJORITY.
WE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP SOME BAD
THINGS BUT I DON’T THINK WE’LL
BE ABLE TO DO MANY GOOD THINGS.
MARIA: IT’S INTERESTING TO SEE
THE EFFECT THAT LEE ZELDIN HAS
HAD WITH ALL OF THOSE DOWN
BALLOTS, SO MUCH SUCCESS ON THE
GOP SIDE IN NEW YORK.
WHY DO YOU THINK HE MISSED THE
MARK AS GOVERNOR THEN?
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S JUST AN
OVERWHELMINGLY DEMOCRAT STATE.
IF YOU LOOK AT HOW ENTRENCHED
THE DEMOCRATS ARE IN THAT STATE,
I MEAN, THEY WON BUT WE
OUTPERFORMED IN THE STATE OF NEW
YORK AND IT GOES BACK TO HAVING
AN EXPERIENCED PERSON LIKE LEE
ZELDIN, SOMEONE CAN BE A
CONSERVATIVE AND COME ACROSS AS
ARTICULATING OUR M MESSAGE AND
WHY OUR MESSAGE IS BETTER FOR
THE AMERICAN CITIZENS, CRIME
BEING AN EXAMPLE, BORDER BEING
AN EXAMPLE, AND THAT JUST
TRICKLES DOWN THROUGH ALL OF THE
OTHER RACES UP THERE ARE SO HE
LEE ZELDIN DID A GREAT JOB.
I DO THINK EXPERIENCE MATTERS IN
OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS JUST AS IT
DOES ANYWHERE ELSE AND IF YOU
LOOK AT LEE VERSUS SOME OF THE
OTHER CANDIDATES, ONE OF THE
IDENTIFYING FACTORS IS HE HAD
THE EXPERIENCE GOING INTO THE
RACE.
MARIA: LIZ PEEK, JUMP IN.
>> GOOD MORNING, CONGRESSMAN.
WOULD YOU WANT DONALD TRUMP TO
CAMPAIGN IN GEORGIA FOR HERSCHEL
WALKER?
WOULD THAT HURT OR HELP?
>> WELL, I THINK IF HE IS MAKING
TELEPHONE CALLS, ROBOCALLS TO
HIS PEOPLE, HIS SUPPORTERS AND
MAKING SURE THEY GET OUT AND
TURN OUT THE VOTE THEN I THINK
IT ACTUALLY HELPS HERSCHEL
WALKER.
IF HE’S HAVING EVENTS AND
STANDING UP ON STAGE AND TALK
AING MORE ABOUT HIMSELF, THAN
HERSCHEL WALKER AND THE COUNTRY,
THEN IT CAN HURT US.
IT DEPENDS ON THE DONALD TRUMP
THAT WOULD BE IN THE CAMPAIGN,
CANDIDLY.
>> THANK YOU.
MARIA: OKAY.
CONGRESSMAN, IT’S GOOD TO SEE