JOINING US NOW, SENATOR IN THE CENTER OF ALL OF THIS, SENATOR
AL FRANKEN OF MINNESOTA, MEMBER OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON THIS
VERY BUSY NIGHT. GIVE US THE STATE OF PLAY ON THE
SENATE FLOOR NOW. WE SOUGHT NINE DEFECTIONES FROM
MITCH McCONNELL ON THE FIRST VOTE.
>> YEAH. THIS WAS A BILL OR VOTE ON -- I
MEAN, BASICALLY A VOTE TO GO TO THIS BILL THAT HAS THE CRUZ
AMENDMENT, WHICH WOULD ALLOW
INSURANCE TO PUT OUT JUNK PLANS. I'M SURE SE SOME OF THE DEFECTI
WERE ABOUT THAT. IT ALSO SCORE HAD TO LOSE ABOUT
22 MILLION PEOPLE THAT WOULD LOSE THEIR HEALTH CARE.
PEOPLE WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS BECAUSE OF THE CRUZ
AMENDMENT ESPECIALLY. BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE WAIVER
ESTATES CAN GIVE TO INSURANCE COMPANIES.
PEOPLE WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS LOSE THEIR
PROTECTION. THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY
TERRIBLE REPUBLICAN BILLS THAT WE'VE SEEN.
THEY'VE HAD SEVEN YEARS TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO REPEAL AND
REPLACE THIS. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME
UP WITH ANYTHING THAT ISN'T JUST TERRIBLE.
THE LATEST POLLS HAVE BEEN 17% APPROVAL RATING ON THEIR LATEST
BILL. >> LET'S LISTEN TO SOMETHING
ELSE THAT SENATOR JOHN McCAIN SAID ON THE HE IS NOT FLIGHT
>> TRIED TO DO THIS BY COMING UP WITH A PROPOSAL BEHIND CLOSED
WITH ADMINISTRATION AND SPRINGING IT ON SKEPTICAL
MEMBERS TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM THAT IT IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.
THAT IT IS BETTER THAN NOTHING? ASKING US TO SWALLOW OUR DOUBTS
AND FORCE IT PASSED A UNIFIED OPPOSITION?
I DON'T THINK THAT WILL WORK IN THE END AND PROBABLY SHOULDN'T.
>> AND AFTER THAT, SOME PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TONIGHT TO MAKE
SENSE OF JOHN McCAIN'S VOTE WITH MITCH McCONNELL.
BUT TECHNICALLY IT WAS A PROCEDURAL VOTE TO THEN GO TO
THE ISSUE AND I SUPPOSE IT'S CONCEIVABLE, JOHN McCAIN WOULD
HAVE VOTED AGAINST THE ACTUAL BILL ONCE YOU GOT TO THAT VOTE.
BUT HE CERTAINLY IS CONFUSING PEOPLE.
>> WELL, YEAH. I THINK SOMEONE GIVING THAT
SPEECH WOULD HAVE NORMALLY VOTED AGAINST THIS AND GONE TO REGULAR
ORDER. GONE TO THE HEALTH COMMITTEE AND
DONE THIS THROUGH REGULAR ORDER. THE MAIN THING IS WE CAN'T -- WE
HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE THAT MITCH McCONNELL IS NOT
SUCCESSFUL AND WE NEED YOUR AUDIENCE TO MAKE THEIR VOICES
HEARD. MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD.
EVERYBODY LISTENING OR WATCHING THIS SHOW, PLEASE, PLEASE DO
EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD.
>> SENATOR, TO TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT DIFFERENCE THAT HAS MADE SO
FAR IN THIS PROCESS. I SAW YOU WERE OUT IN FRONT OF
THE CAPITOL TODAY SPEAKING TO A CROWD OUT THERE AND YOU WERE
USING THAT PHRASE REGULAR ORDER THAT JOHN McCAIN HAD USED ON THE
SENATE FLOOR. BUT TELL US WHAT IT HAS MEANT TO
YOU AS SENATORS AND WHAT YOU CAN FEEL IN THE CHAMBER FROM THE
INPUT FROM VOTERS OUT THERE WHO HAD BEEN GOING TO TOWN HALLS AND
GATHERING, INCLUDING, BY THE WAY, THIS PROTEST IN SENATE
CHAMBER TODAY P. THE LIKES OF WHICH I HAVE NEVER
SEEN MITCH McCONNELL TRYING TO BRING THIS TO A VOTE AND GETTING
SHOUTED DOWN BY PEOPLE IN THE GALLERY.
>> WELL, I THINK IT MAKES A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN SENATORS
BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL LOSE THE NEXT ELECTION.
IF THEY VOTE FOR THIS. AND WE NEED ONE MORE DEFECTION,
INCLUDING LICEA MURKOWSKI AND SUSAN COLLINS.SCEA MURKOWSKI AN
SUSAN COLLINS.EA MURKOWSKI AND SUSAN COLLINS.A MURKOWSKI AND
SUSAN COLLINS. TO DEFEAT WHATEVER COMES THIS
WAY. AND IT'S JUST SO IMPORTANT.
THERE'S A NUMBER OF SENATORS WHO ARE HEARING THESE MESSAGES LOUD
AND CLEAR. >> IS ANYONE TALKING TO SENATOR
McCAIN ABOUT WHAT HE MEANT TODAY.
AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING ON THE REST OF THE VOTES COMING UP.
>> TODAY WE WERE SORT OF -- JUST SIGNALLING OUR RESPECT AND LOVE
FOR HIM. I THINK TOMORROW I WILL MAY BE
ASKING TOUGHER QUESTIONS. >> OBVIOUSLY AT CROSSROADS WITH
THE PRESIDENT AND ATTORNEY GENERAL UNLIKE ANYTHING WE HAVE
EVER SEEN BEFORE. WHAT DID DEMOCRATS WANT IN THIS?
DO DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST JEFF SESSIONS CONFIRMATION WANT
HIM TO RESIGN? IS JEFF SESSIONS NOW THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL THAT DEMOCRATS WANT GIVEN THE POSSIBLE
ALTERNATIVES? WELL, I VOTED AGAINST JEFF
SESSIONS AND AS A LOT OF VIEWERS KNOW, I WASN'T HAPPY WITH SOME
OF THE ANSWERS HE GAVE TO MY QUESTIONS, INCLUDING ONE THAT,
WHERE HE -- HIS ANSWERS
UNTRUTHFUL. SENATOR GRASSLEY, CHAIRMAN ON
THE COMMITTEE. AND ALL OF THE DEMOCRATS ON THE
COMMITTEE WANT HIM TO COME AND TESTIFY BEFORE US.
AND HE IS THE HEAD OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OR THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT. HE SHOULD COME BACK AND EXPLAIN
HIMSELF. BUT THIS IDEA OF THE PRESIDENT,
FIRING HIM SO THAT HE CAN APPOINT, DO RECESS APPOINTMENT
OF AN ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO CAN THEN FIRE MUELLER, THAT'S A
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. THAT WOULD CRELD CREATE A
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
REPUBLICAN SENATE REACTION WOULD BE TO THAT?
>> I HOPE THAT IT WOULD BE OUTRAGE AND I WOULD HOPE THAT
CONGRESS WOULD RISE TO THE MOMENT.
AND DO A NEW SPECIAL COUNSEL OR SPECIAL PROSECUTOR LAW AND
REAPPOINT BOB MUELLER TO HEAD THAT.
>> WHAT DO YOU EXPECT -- WHEN IS THE NEXT TIME YOU EXPECT THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO HEAR FROM JEFF SESSIONS?
IS HE REFUSING TO TESTIFY TO THE COMMITTEE THAT HAS JURISDICTION
OVER HIS DEPARTMENT? >> I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER IT
THAT. I DID TALK TO CHAIRMAN GRASSLEY
TODAY. AND WE AGREED THAT WE WANT HIM
TO APPEAR BEFORE US. I DIDN'T GET INTO THE TIMING OR
REQUEST. >> IT SEEMS LIKE SOME REPUBLICAN
SENATORS HAVE STEPPED FORWARD IN WHAT SOUNDS LIKE DEFENSE OF JEFF
SESSIONS AND KIND OF INDIRECTLY SOME OF THE MORE DIRECTLY
WARNING THE PRESIDENT THAT HE SHOULD NOT FIRE JEFF SESSIONS.
DO YOU EXPECT IF THAT MOMENT COMES MORE SENATORS, MORE
REPUBLICAN SENATORS TO STAND WITH JEFF SESSIONS THAN THE
PRESIDENT? >> I DID HEAR IN JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE TODAY, A COUPLE OF MEMBERS, REPUBLICAN MEMBERS,
EXPRESS THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND IT SOUNDED
LIKE WARNINGS TO THE PRESIDENT. THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE THAT IF HE
DOES THIS, IT WILL BE A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS AND THAT
REPUBLICANS WILL RISE TO THE OCCASION.
AT LEAST I CERTAINLY HOPE SO. >> SENATOR AL FRANK