CHUCK HAGEL.
HE’S ONE OF 73 FORMER PUBLIC AND
NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS TO
ENDORSE JOE BIDEN.
YES, YOU SERVED UNDER A
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT.
YOU DID NOT ENDORSE HILLARY
CLINTON IN 2016.
YOU SAT ON THE SIDELINES
PUBLICLY.
SO TELL ME WHY NO ON HILLARY
CLINTON FOUR YEARS AGO AND WHY
YES ON JOE BIDEN TODAY.
>> FIRST, THANKS.
I’M A REPUBLICAN.
I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A REPUBLICAN.
AND I HOPE THERE WILL BE A
REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT I CAN
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT.
BUT TODAY IT IS A DIFFERENT
WORLD THAN 2016, CHUCK.
AS YOU ALL KNOW.
YOU’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT.
2016, I JUST DIDN’T HAVE A ROLE
IN IT.
I DIDN’T TAKE A ROLE IN IT.
DIDN’T TAKE A POSITION.
THIS TIME I AM.
I’M CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE
OF THIS COUNTRY.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING THE LAST
3 1/2 YEARS, THE INCOMPETENCY,
CORRUPTION, THE DANGEROUS
EROSION OF OUR ALLIANCES, OUR
ALLIES, OUR TRADE.
AND THAT’S WHY I HAVE COME OFF
THE BENCH AND STILL A
REPUBLICAN, BUT I’M NOT THE ONLY
REPUBLICAN SUPPORTING JOE BIDEN.
>> AND WHAT IS THE CASE THAT YOU
WOULD MAKE TO FELLOW REPUBLICANS
THAT THEY SHOULD TRUST JOE BIDEN
WHEN DONALD TRUMP IS ARGUING YOU
MAY LIKE HIM PERSONALLY, BUT
IT’S AOC, IT’S BERNIE SANDERS,
IT’S ELIZABETH WARREN WHO WILL
BE PULLING THE ECONOMIC STRINGS.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CASE TO A
REPUBLICAN THAT COULD BE
PERSUADED BUT IS NERVOUS ABOUT
SOME PARTS OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.
>> WELL, FIRST, I WOULD REMIND
EVERYONE THAT WE ARE EACH
INDIVIDUALS REGARDLESS OF YOUR
PROL
POLITICS PRODUCTS OF OUR PAST.
JOE BIDEN, YOU LOOK AT AN
INDIVIDUAL’S PAST.
WHAT HAS HE DONE?
WHAT DOES HE BELIEVE?
HOW HAS HE VOTED?
WHAT ACTUALLY HAS HE
ACCOMPLISHED?
WHAT HAS BEEN HIS POSITION ON
ISSUES?
JOE BIDEN IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE
IF HE’S ELECTED, HE WILL HAVE TO
GOVERN.
HE WILL HAVE TO LISTEN TO
PEOPLE.
HE DOES THIS VERY WELL.
I SAW HIM DO IT IN THE SENATE
AND IN THE ADMINISTRATION.
HE LISTENS.
HE MAKES JUDGMENTS ON ALL OF
THAT, BUT HE’S FUNDAMENTALLY WHO
HE IS AND WHERE HE CAME FROM.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS JUST CHECK
HIS RECORD.
I WOULD SAY TO MY REPUBLICAN
FRIENDS WHO ARE NOT QUITE SURE
ABOUT HIM, HE IS NOT GOING TO BE
A TOOL FOR THE WACKY LEFT OR THE
RIGHT.
HE IS GOING TO BE JOE BIDEN.
HE’S ALWAYS BEEN JOE BIDEN.
SOMETIMES THAT WORKS.
SOMETIMES THAT DOESN’T.
YOU AGREE OR NOT AGREE.
THAT’S THE STRONGEST CASE.
THIS GUY DIDN’T JUST DROP IN
FROM OUT OF SPACE.
HE’S BEEN A LEADER IN THIS
COUNTRY FOR A LONG TIME.
THAT’S A GOOD SIGN OF WHAT KIND
OF LEADER HE WOULD BE.
WHAT KIND OF PRESIDENT HE WOULD
BE.
>> IT’S INTERESTING TO WATCH THE
CURRENT SENATOR THAT SITS IN
YOUR SEAT, BEN SASS.
YOU GET THE SENSE THAT THERE’S
PROBABLY A LOT OF ALIGNMENT
ABOUT HOW THE TWO OF YOU THINK
ABOUT WASHINGTON, ABOUT WHAT
GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE.
MAYBE SOME GENERATIONAL
DIFFERENCES.
I’M NOT GOING TO SAY YOU GUYS
ARE IN TOTAL ALIGNMENT, BUT HE
CLEARLY STOPS SHORT IN HOW
CRITICAL -- HE’S BEEN CRITICAL
ON SOCIAL MEDIA BUT HE STOPS
SHORT IN HOW HE CARRIES IT OUT.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THIS
SITUATION AND HOW HE’S STRADDLED
THIS LINE THAT CHEERCLEARLY HE’S
DECIDED TO WALK?
>> AS A MATTER OF FACT I SPOKE
WITH BEN SASS LAST WEEK.
HAD A LONG CONVERSATION WITH
HIM.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION AND ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
ONE THING I SAID TO BEN IS AFTER
THIS ELECTION, BEN, AND I THINK
JOE BIDEN WILL BE ELECTED.
I THINK HE WILL BE.
BEN, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL
HAVE TO BE REBORN.
THERE IS NO REPUBLICAN PARTY.
IT’S A TRUMP PARTY.
UNFORTUNATELY THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY HAS ENABLED TRUMP TO GET
AWAY WITH THINGS THAT NO ONE
WOULD HAVE CONCEIVED ALLOWING
ANY PRESIDENT TO DO.
I SAID TO BEN YOU WILL BE ONE OF
THOSE LEADERS THAT CAN RESHAPE
AND BRING THE PARTY BACK.
THAT’S WHAT I HOPE HE WILL DO.
AND THAT’S WHAT I HOPE THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL DO.
AND BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF
PARTY.
BE THE KIND OF PARTY, AT LEAST
THAT I JOINED, THE FIRST TIME I
VOTED WAS IN 1968 IN VIETNAM,
ABSENTEE BALLOT.
THE PARTY I JOINED AND I KNEW
WHY I JOINED IT AND THE PARTY I
REPRESENTED IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
SO I HAVE BEENV DO LOOK TO BEN S