PLUS: Kellyanne Conway on Woodward Book: “I Didn’t Bring the Request to the President Directly”
EXCLUSIVE: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) Says the Mueller Investigation is “The Issue of the Moment” Compared to Roe vs. Wade in Kavanaugh Hearings
ALSO: Kellyanne Conway on Whether There’s an Investigation into the NYT Op-Ed: “Nobody is Investigating an Op-Ed,” Adding that Pres. Trump “Thinks That We Should Find Out Who This Person Is”
SEPTEMBER 9, 2018 – This morning on Meet the Press, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) told moderator Chuck Todd that “there’s just way too much drama every day,” which is “distracting” the country from more serious issues. Sasse said, “I don’t have any desire to beat this president up, but it’s pretty clear that this White House is a reality-show, soap-opera presidency.”
Sasse added, “What you’d like is the president to not worry so much about the short-term of staffing but the long-term of vision-casting for America, pull us together as a people, help us deliberate about where we should go and then build a team of great, big-cause, low-ego people around you.” He said, “Right now it feels like there’s just way too much drama every day and that distracts us from the longer term stuff we should be focused on together.” Watch the full interview.
Counselor to President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway told Todd that she “did not” stop the president from speaking with Bob Woodward for his book, but when pressed on whether or not she brought the request to Pres. Trump, she added, “I didn’t bring the request to the president directly.”
On the topic of The New York Times op-ed, Conway said “nobody is investigating an op-ed” but said that Pres.Trump “has said publicly that he thinks that we should find out who this person is.” She added, “I don’t believe in giving this person so much elevation and oxygen”…”but we all want to know who it is.” When Todd pressed her on whether it’s possible Pres. Trump gave an order to the Department of Justice to investigate, Conway replied, “he has said publicly what he feels.” Conway added, “If the Attorney General, the Department of Justice and FBI feels like they have oversight over a matter like this then they will make that decision.”
Conway also told Todd that the Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, is in charge of the staff and that “he is” doing his job, adding that she’s “pro-General Kelly as Chief of Staff.” As for who’s not listening to Gen. Kelly, Conway said, “These are people in books and in I guess anonymous op-eds. I’m not even sure they know the president or know John Kelly. It’s not clear to me, who are I think motivated by conceit and deceit. And that person is going to suss out himself or herself because cowards like criminals always tell the wrong person. They always confess their crime to the wrong person.” Watch the full interview.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also joined the broadcast in an exclusive interview telling Todd that he believes the Mueller investigation is more important than Roe vs. Wade in questioning Kavanaugh, saying “the issue of the moment, clearly, is this situation with the Mueller investigation.” Durbin told Todd that all of the issues are “of importance” but “I can tell you we were focused on Roe, we were focused on the Affordable Care Act and denying health insurance coverage to millions of Americans. We tried to go after the fundamental issue and the one I think is the most important at this moment in history and that is what this man, Brett Kavanaugh, would do on the Supreme Court if he’s confronted with a question involving the White House, the Mueller investigation.”
Durbin also spoke about reports of lack of control in the West Wing, telling Todd: “This is a matter of great seriousness and gravity. We should not be dismissing it…We are talking about consistent reporting over and over again about unpredictable, unprepared, unstable behavior by this president. In a matter of great national security and defense can we trust this president to make the proper decision, to make a thoughtful decision. These are things that I think should be addressed by his own party. But instead we hear the silence of the lambs.” Watch the full interview.
Democratic strategist Cornell Belcher, The Resurgent’s Erick Erickson, AEI’s Danielle Pletka and NBC News’ Katy Tur joined the broadcast’s roundtable for insight and analysis on the week in politics.
Read the full transcript of Meet the Press this morning, and follow the show on Twitter and on Facebook for the latest.
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NBC NEWS’ MEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD
Meet the Press with Chuck Todd is where newsmakers come to make news — setting the political agenda and spotlighting the impact Washington decision-making has on Americans across the country. It is the #1 most-watched Sunday public affairs show across the board for the 2016-2017 season, reaching more than three million viewers every Sunday and millions more through social, digital and on-demand platforms. Meet the Press brings its authority and influencer interviews to MSNBC with MTP Daily weekdays at 5 p.m. ET and to the 1947: The Meet the Press Podcast. It’s the longest-running show in television history, expanding its brand to include a political documentary film festival in collaboration with the American Film Institute. Chuck Todd is the political director of NBC News and the moderator of Meet the Press; John Reiss is the executive producer.
