CHARLES: HILLARY VAUGHN, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.
JOINING ME NOW IS THE NEW
RANKING MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
ANTITRUST SUBCOMMITTEE, KEN BUCK
OF COLORADO.
CONGRESSMAN BUCK, JUST HOW
CONCERNED ARE YOU THAT, FOR ALL
THE ROUGH TALK OUT THERE BY
DEMOCRATS, TAKING ACTION AND
THINGS LIKE THIS, THAT THE DOJ,
MAYBE EVEN OTHERS COULD BE
INDEBTED TO BIG BUSINESS AND
TECH COMPANIES?
I MEAN COULD WE REALLY SEE ANY
MEANINGFUL CHANGES?
>> WE IN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION THERE WERE
OFFICIALS THAT HAD TO RECUSE
THEMSELVES FROM CASES INVOLVING
GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK BECAUSE OF
THEIR PAST DEALINGS, EITHER
SUING THOSE COMPANIES OR
REPRESENTING THOSE COMPANIES.
I DON’T THINK IT IS UNUSUAL WHEN
DEALING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE TO HAVE INDIVIDUALS
RECUSE THEMSELVES.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS, THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL NEEDS TO BE AGGRESSIVE
IN THIS ACTION.
MAKE SURE THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE
IN PLACE.
HAVING EXPERTISE DEALING WITH
BIG TECH AND THESE ANTITRUST
ISSUES IS NOT THAT COMMON AND
MAKING SURE WE GET PEOPLE WITH
THAT EXPERTISE IN PLACE IS
REALLY IMPORTANT.
CHARLES: ISN’T THAT THE IRONIC
THING THOUGH, THIS SORT OF NEED
TO HAVE EXPERTISE AND ALSO
WORKING IN THE GOVERNMENT?
PEOPLE SAY THAT IS WHY THINGS
WENT WRONG AT BOEING FOR SO
LONG.
PEOPLE SAY THAT IS WHY WE NEVER
GET ANYTHING DONE BECAUSE THIS
SORT OF ACCESS BETWEEN BIG
BUSINESS AND D.C. NEVER SEEMS TO
STOP YET STILL THE PROBLEMS
MOUNT, MOUNT, MOUNT AND THERE
DOESN’T EVER SEEM TO BE ANYTHING
DONE ABOUT IT.
NOTHING BUT LIP SERVICE AND
BUMPER STICKER SLOGANS.
WHY DOES WASHINGTON, D.C.,
THINKS THIS WORKS WHEN YEAR
AFTER YEAR, DECADE AFTER
DECADES, THE PROBLEMS SEEM TO
ONLY GET WORSE, NOT BETTER?
>> WELL I THINK WHAT YOU’RE
SEEING RIGHT NOW IN CONGRESS
FROM SENATOR GLOBE CHOKE IS A
VERY SIGNIFICANT BILL THAT WILL
BE OPPOSED BY APPLE AND FACEBOOK
AND AMAZON AND TWITTER AND
OTHERS.
I THINK WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE
IN THE HOUSE IS VERY SIMILAR
LEGISLATION, BIPARTISAN,
BICAMERAL LEGISLATION.
I THINK THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE AND THE FEDERAL TRADE
COMMISSION WILL MOVE AND I THINK
YOU’RE GOING TO SEE CHANGES.
SO I UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION
THAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH
ESPECIALLY IN THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION.
HUNDREDS OF MERGERS WITH THESE
MAJOR TECH COMPANIES THAT REALLY
WERE NOT SCRUTINIZED VERY
CAREFULLY.
I DON’T THINK THAT’S THE CASE AT
THIS POINT IN TIME EITHER IN
CONGRESS OR CERTAINLY NOT IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
CHARLES: OKAY.
I REALLY HOPE WHAT WE DON’T GET
OUT OF THIS BUT NOTHING BUT A
MOAT THAT PROTECTS BIG
BUSINESSES.
MAYBE THEY WILL PAY A COUPLE
FINES HERE AND THERE.
IT MAKES IT HARDER TO COMPETE.
UNFORTUNATELY WE’VE SEEN THAT IN
BANKING, OIL INDUSTRY AND OTHER
INDUSTRIES.
THE OTHER SIDE, DEMOCRATS ARE
MOVING AHEAD WITH NEARLY TWO
TRILLION DOLLAR STIMULUS PACKAGE
IS THE FACT THAT THEY REJECTED
THIS NOTION OF HAVING THIS
INCOME THRESHOLD, 50,000-DOLLAR
INCOME THRESHOLD.
IN FACT MOMENTS AGO PRESIDENT
BIDEN REITERATED HE THINKS IT
SHOULD BE 75,000.
JUST LOOKS LIKE THIS WHOLE
PACKAGE, WHICH IS CALLED A
RESCUE PACKAGE IS MORE AND MORE
LIKE A PROGRESSIVE CHRISTMAS
TREE.
IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THE
REPUBLICANS CAN DO ANYTHING
ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, WHAT CAN STOP THIS?
>> WELL, THEY’RE USING BUDGET
RECONCILIATION SO NOTHING CAN
STOP IT.
THEY WILL HAVE THE VOTES IN THE
HOUSE.
THEY WILL HAVE THE VOTES IN THE
SENATE.
THE ONLY THING THAT CAN REALLY
STOP IT, ENOUGH DEMOCRATS IN THE
HOUSE, FIVE OR SIX THAT DECIDE
THAT THIS IS BAD.
IT IS BAD FOR THE COUNTRY, BAD
FOR OUR LONG-TERM FISCAL
STABILITY AND SAME THING IN THE
SENATE.
ONLY NEED ONE SENATOR TO, ONE
DEMOCRAT SENATOR TO VOTE AGAINST
THIS.
AND YOU DON’T HAVE TIED SENATE
ANYMORE.
THIS IS, I THINK YOU IDENTIFIED
IT PROPERLY THIS IS PROGRESSIVE
CHRISTMAS TREE WITH A LOT OF
ORNAMENTS.
THEY’RE HAVING HANDOUTS FOR
RESTAURANTS.
RESTAURANTS IN RURAL AMERICA ARE
NOT GOING TO GET THOSE.
RESTAURANTS IN CHUCK SCHUMER’S
NEW YORK CITY WILL GET THOSE
HANDOUTS.
IT IS REALLY UNFORTUNATE.
THIS IS ANOTHER REALLY BAD
EXAMPLE OF BIG PORK COMING OUT
OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
CHARLES: CONGRESSMAN BUCK, WE
ALWAYS APPRECIATE IT.
YOU’RE A STRAIGHT-SHOOTER.
GLAD YOU TOOK TIME TO SPEND WITH