Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Mitch McConnell

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

INGRAHAM: The Grim Reaper. What. Well, Senator McConnell your response to these new attacks from Nancy Pelosi, complete senator with props and poster boards and McConnell's graveyard.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, R-KY: She's got it right. She's got it absolutely right for the first time in my memory. I agree with Nancy Pelosi. I am indeed the Grim Reaper when it comes to the socialist agenda that they've been ginning up over in the House with overwhelming Democratic support and sending it over to America. Things that would turn us into a country we would never been sending it over to America. They're on the way to doing some additional things.

In addition, the ones I've already done, the Green New Deal, Medicare for All and by the way, you may have mentioned this on your show, but they plan to make the District of Columbia State that given two new Democratic senators. Puerto Rico state get two more new Democratic senators and as a former Supreme Court clerk yourself. You've surely noticed today plan to expand the Supreme Court. So, this is a full-bore socialism on the march in the house. And yes, as long as I'm the majority leader of the Senate, none of that stuff is going anywhere.

INGRAHAM: Senator, is there anything that can get done for the good of the country with this hot political climate that we're in. I mean we're going to talk about this crisis at the border. What we're seeing with people coming across the border, several hundred just in the last few weeks from African countries now.

MCCONNELL: Well, I could say, we're going to do on the humanitarian part of the problem down at the border. Senate Democrats insisted on stripping that out. I think it's fair to say the President's had more cooperation from the Mexicans than he has from this House and Senate Democrats so far on dealing with this crisis.

INGRAHAM: Well, the other thing we're hearing a lot from even some of your Republican colleagues, is this concern that you refuse to move legislation that would protect the country from future election meddling. The New York Times writing in a piece today partisan politics is the reason McConnell is standing in the way of better election security for him all that matters is the win even if he compromises and corrupts our democracy, Senator. That's what they're saying about you and saying look even Marco Rubio wants some legislation.

MCCONNELL: What nonsense. Look, I think you ought to compare the 2018 election when the Trump administration was in-charge to the 2016 election, when the Obama administration was in-charge, any stories about the last election. Just a handful of minor stories. This administration did a terrific job of working with state and local officials to make sure. We had an honest election in 2018 with minimal to no interference, where is the applause for that.

I'm open to considering legislation. But it has to be directed in a way that doesn't undermine state and local control of elections. The Democrats, Laura would like to nationalize everything. They want the federal government to take over broad swaths of the election process, because they think that would somehow benefit them.

Election security, I do care about. But we need to make sure the subject is election security.

INGRAHAM: And senator of course the big news yesterday was when George Stephanopoulos sidles around the Oval Office desk and presents this scenario to the President or foreign government comms and plops down oppo research about his opponent. And the President said, well maybe I'd go to the FBI and I'd probably listen to the information. Do you have a problem with that answer because the Democrats seem to be taking that and saying see we told you so? Now it's onto impeachment.

MCCONNELL: They just can't let it go, Laura. I said weeks ago. Case closed. We've got the Mueller Report. The only objective evaluation that will be conducted. Nobody has any confidence that the Democratic House is going to engage in any kind of appropriate oversight. The case is closed. Why don't we move on and solve the border crisis and prove the President's USMCA, the new trade deal with Mexico and Canada. We have work to do.

INGRAHAM: But do you think the President made a mistake in the way he answered that question when he said maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. And I'd hear them out. Would you answer that question that way?

MCCONNELL: Well, he gets picked out every day over every different aspect of it, but the fundamental point is they're trying to keep the 2016 election alive and the investigation alive, when the American people have heard enough, they got the Mueller Report. They would like for us to do some business. I would ask the Democrats in the house this. Is there anything you're willing to do other than harass the President for the next two years? Anything at all.

INGRAHAM: And Senator, I finally I want to turn to the courts and issue obviously you care near a lot about with all the confirmations, successful that you've gotten through and President Trump has always been pretty transparent about potential nominees.

However, I think that the Left is basically getting ready to - as you mentioned earlier try to pack the courts in the unlikely event that they win in 2020. It's all being funded. We found out yesterday by dark money groups who won't - names we won't know are not going to be revealed. And this comes as Ron Klain, a former Obama and Clinton aide warns, quote, "The next decade could feature a radical right Supreme Court that would not only narrow past gains but also erect barriers to prevent progressive political action."

So which is it? Will the courts to be champions for the left or are they just too darn far right?

MCCONNELL: The kind of people the president has been nominating and we've been confirming believe in the simple, quaint notion that maybe the judges ought to follow the law. I am amazed that that is controversial, but their being upset about it reveals that they want the judiciary to be just like a legislative body, and to have outcomes in mind before they've heard the arguments.

With regard to the nominees, not only did the president make two great Supreme Court nominees in Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, but we are making an important difference for the country that will last for a very long time. And my motto for this Congress is leave no vacancy behind, either in circuit judges or district judges.

INGRAHAM: All right, Senator McConnell, thanks so much for spending some time with us tonight. We really appreciate it.

MCCONNELL: Thank you, Laura.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source