>>> MORE REPUBLICAN SENATORS
HAVE NOW ACKNOWLEDGED JOE
BIDEN’S WIN IN THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE VOTE.
SPEAKING OFF CAMERA TO REPORTER
SENATE MAJORITY WHIP JOHN THUNE
OF SOUTH DAKOTA SAID IT’S TIME
FOR EVERYBODY TO MOVE ON.
TEXAS SENATOR JOHN CORNYN
ACKNOWLEDGED BIDEN’S PATH TO
BECOMING THE NEXT PRESIDENT AND
SAID THAT PROTESTING THE
ELECTORAL COUNT WOULD BE A BAD
MISTAKE.
SENATOR ROB PORTMAN OF OHIO
ISSUED A CLEAR STATEMENT
AFFIRMING THE WIN, WRITING IN
PART ALTHOUGH I SUPPORTED
PRESIDENT TRUMP THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE VOTE TODAY MAKES CLEAR
THAT JOE BIDEN IS NOW THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM OF SOUTH
CAROLINA WAS A BIT MORE EVASIVE
SAYING IN PART, QUOTE, IT’S
VERY, VERY NARROW PATH FOR THE
PRESIDENT.
I DON’T SEE HOW IT GETS THERE
FROM HERE.
GIVEN WHAT THE SUPREME COURT DID
AND HE ADDED THAT HE HAD SPOKEN
TO BIDEN AND SOME OF HIS LIKELY
CABINET NOMINEES.
SENATOR JONI ERNST OF IOWA SAID,
QUOTE, LIKE IT OR NOT, I KNOW
FOR IOWANS IT’S DISAPPOINTING,
BUT THE PROCESS IS WHAT IT IS
AND THE CONSTITUTION WILL BE
FOLLOWED.
ASKED IF THAT MEANS BIDEN IS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT, ERNST SAID IF
THAT’S WHAT THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE DECIDES TODAY.
OKAY.
AND SENATOR JOHN BARRASSO OF
WYOMING SAID HE WOULD QUOTE,
RESPECT THE RESULTS OF THE
ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE TODAY.
EVEN IF HE WAS DISAPPOINTED.
ALL RIGHT.
JOINING US NOW NBC NEWS CAPITOL
HILL CORRESPONDENT AND HOST OF
"WAY TOO EARLY," KASIE HUNT.
ALSO WITH US "NEW YORK TIMES"
REPORTER JEREMY PETERS.
>> KASIE HUNT, SO IT LOOKS LIKE
A LOT OF THESE MEMBERS ARE AT
LEAST HINTING AT --
>> THEY’RE THERE.
WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN SAYING TO
YOU AND ME AND OTHER PEOPLE
PRIVATELY FOR SOME TIME.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE DAM REALLY
BROKE YESTERDAY.
>> THREE CHEERS FOR DEMOCRACY,
RIGHT?
THIS WAS TOO OBVIOUS I THINK FOR
ANY OF THEM TO DECIDE THAT THEY
WERE GOING TO CONTINUE TO KEEP
THIS UP AND, YOU KNOW, THUNE I
THINK HAD MY FAVORITE QUOTE
WHICH WAS A MESSAGE DIRECTED
STRAIGHT AT PRESIDENT TRUMP.
HE SAID, IN THE END, AT SOME
POINT, YOU HAVE TO FACE THE
MUSIC.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT ALL
OF US IN OUR DAY TO DAY LIVES
HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH, FIGURE
OUT HOW TO, YOU KNOW, LIVE WITH
THOSE KINDS OF DISAPPOINTMENTS.
WE HAVE CLEARLY SEEN THE
PRESIDENT IS NOT VERY GOOD AT
IT, BUT REPUBLICANS ARE FINALLY
AT THE POINT WHERE THEY’RE
SAYING, NOPE, WE HAVE TO MOVE ON
WITH.
THIS I MEAN, LINDSEY GRAHAM OF
COURSE HE’S TALKED TO JOE BIDEN.
OF COURSE HE’S TRYING TO REACH
OUT TO THE PEOPLE THAT HE KNOWS
ARE GOING TO BE IN POWER.
THAT’S THE NATURE OF THE
BUSINESS.
THEY ALL KNOW THAT THE CENTER OF
POWER IS SHIFTING AND FRANKLY,
ESPECIALLY IS SOMEBODY LIKE
LINDSEY GRAHAM WHO JOE, I KNOW
YOU KNOW VERY WELL, HE WANTS TO
BE CLOSE TO THE CENTER OF POWER
AND HE KNOWS IT’S NOT GOING TO
BE PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR MUCH
LONGER.
>> I HAVE KNOWN HIM SINCE 1994
AND I KNOW THAT IF JOE BIDEN
INVITED HIM TO SLEEP IN THE
LINCOLN BEDROOM ON JANUARY 20th,
LINDSEY --
>> HE WOULD BRING HIS JAMMIES.
>> HE WOULD BRING HIS JAMMIES
AND HIS BLANKEY AND HE’D BE
THERE.
SO JEREMY PETES, WHILE
REPUBLICAN SENATORS ARE FACING
THE REALITY THAT -- WELL,
ACTUALLY THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN
ALL ALONG, THEY’RE JUST SAYING
IT OUT LOUD, THERE ARE OF COURSE
TRUMP -- PRO TRUMP OUTLETS THAT
ACTUALLY ARE BECOMING EVEN A BIT
MORE BIZARRE IN THEIR RAMBLINGS.
THERE WAS A SPLIT BETWEEN
NEWSMAX AND THE OTHER ONE
YESTERDAY THAT NEWSMAX SEEMED TO
RECOGNIZE THAT, YES, JOE BIDEN
WAS GOING TO BE THE NEXT
PRESIDENT.
>> YOU’RE RIGHT.
THEY DID.
ALTHOUGH I CAVEAT THAT, JOE, BY
POINTING OUT THEY DID HAVE THE
WORD PRESIDENT-ELECT IN QUOTES
ON NEWSMAX FOR MOST OF THE DAY.
SO IT DOESN’T APPEAR THAT
THEY’RE QUITE TAKING IT AS
SERIOUSLY AS MOST OTHER PEOPLE,
INCLUDING THOSE ON CAPITOL HILL.
AND I THINK THAT REALLY THIS IS
A MONEYMAKER FOR A LOT OF THE
MEDIA COMPANIES.
IT’S AN AUDIENCE GENERATOR.
IT’S A MONEY MAKER FOR THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN BECAUSE THEY SEND OUT
EMAIL SOLICITATIONS AT THE RATE
OF WHAT SEEMS LIKE ONE AN HOUR
AND THEY HAVE LEGAL BILLS AND
DEBT THAT THEY HAVE TO PAY OFF.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE
SEEN ACROSS THE CONSERVATIVE
MOVEMENT AS A WHOLE WHERE
THERE’S MONEY TO BE MADE BY
GETTING PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT
UNWINNABLE CAUSES AND THAT’S
FRANKLY WHAT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS
HAS BEEN ABOUT.
IT’S ABOUT SETTING THE BAR,
SAYING WE CAN WIN THIS COURT
CASE.
WE CAN PUSH THESE STATE
LEGISLATORS TO DO SOMETHING THAT
THEY’RE NOT GOING TO DO AND THEN
WHEN THOSE BATTLES FAIL, TRIAL
AND HIS ALLIES MOVE THE GOALPOST
AND THEY SAY, WELL, AS WE SAW
STEPHEN MILLER DO YESTERDAY
WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY
EXTRAORDINARY.
FOR ANYONE WHO’S THINKING THAT
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ISSING GO
TO BE RIGHT THERE BEHIND JOE
BIDEN ALL THE WAY I WOULD POINT
TO STEPHEN MILLER’S COMMENTS
YESTERDAY AND HE SAID THE ONLY
THING THAT MATTERS -- THE ONLY
DATE ON THE CALENDAR THAT
MATTERS IS JANUARY 20th, THE DAY
THAT THE INAUGURATION IS
STIPULATED IN THE CONSTITUTION.
SO THAT’S A LONG WAY FROM NOW
AND I THINK THERE’S GOING TO BE