WEBVTT - Politics is the Main Guardrail.  Mike DeBonis talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>we have more Cardi B with the Cardi B again there, Michael,

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<v Speaker 1>what are you? Welcome to the Armstrong and get a

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<v Speaker 1>show the most excellent Mike demonus congressional reporter covering the

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<v Speaker 1>House of Representatives for the Washington Post. Mike has joined

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<v Speaker 1>us to discuss Ariana Grande pulling out of the Grammy telecast.

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't hear that. I'm kidding, Mike. I just wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to slip that in briefly. How are you, sir? Before

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<v Speaker 1>were going forward? Devastay didn't know about Ariana ground before

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<v Speaker 1>we go forward. She's got the number one chief is

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<v Speaker 1>investigating her, he says, desperation because she got that tattoo

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<v Speaker 1>that turned out to be Korean barbecue. No, it's just

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<v Speaker 1>an argument over what song would be sung. Uh. Speaking

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<v Speaker 1>of singing songs, though, we'll be singing the song of

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<v Speaker 1>investigations for quite some time. Mike as the gosh, how

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<v Speaker 1>many investigations of the president are about to get started? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it depends on how you define of the president. If

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<v Speaker 1>you include you know, the business, the campaign, and the

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<v Speaker 1>the administration, the agencies. I mean, I couldn't begin to

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<v Speaker 1>give you a uh a number, but just keep in

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<v Speaker 1>mind there's about twenty standing House committees and almost all

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<v Speaker 1>of those are are going to have some piece of that.

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<v Speaker 1>You're going to have investigations soap, and most of them

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<v Speaker 1>are going to be into the administration and agencies and

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<v Speaker 1>things that they're doing. But you know, the Intelligence Committee,

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<v Speaker 1>the Oversight Committee, the Financial Services Committee, UM, are all

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<v Speaker 1>looking at the business and looking at the president in

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<v Speaker 1>various aspects of his personal dealings. Um. It's it's a lot,

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<v Speaker 1>no doubt about it. Well, so Cheff, the chairman of

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<v Speaker 1>the Intelligence Committee, he laid out a five point investigation

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<v Speaker 1>that many set felt was broader than even previously expected,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was suspected to be pretty broad. So what

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<v Speaker 1>are what are what are the five points? Roughly? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean in the broadest terms, he says that he's

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<v Speaker 1>the Intelligence Committee is gonna look at whether the president

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<v Speaker 1>is compromised in some way due to his business entanglements abroad. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>You know this is you know, certainly larger than what

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<v Speaker 1>the Intelligence Committee under Republican majority was looking at, which

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<v Speaker 1>was very narrowly focused on the question of Rosan collision.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, crafts or frustrated throughout um the past

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<v Speaker 1>two years that you know, they were not that Chairman

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<v Speaker 1>Nuns was not following leads. Now there's no telling how

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<v Speaker 1>broad Adam Schiff is going to sort of cast his

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<v Speaker 1>net here. Can he do whatever he wants? I remember

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<v Speaker 1>Cummings on on the Oversight Committee when he was on

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<v Speaker 1>sixty Minutes the other night, he said, we can investigate anything. Uh. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>the Oversight Committee does statutorily have extremely broad jurisdiction. The

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<v Speaker 1>Intelligence Committee has a narrower jurisdiction, you know, relating to

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<v Speaker 1>the activity of the intelligence community. Well, I guess my

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<v Speaker 1>question is do you have to have a certain amount

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<v Speaker 1>like you know, the police have to have they have

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<v Speaker 1>to get a warrant and show probable cause and all

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<v Speaker 1>this sort of stuff before or can can he just

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<v Speaker 1>go down any road he wants because we think there

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<v Speaker 1>may have been something broadly with Russia. You're you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the guardrails are twofold. You know that some of these

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<v Speaker 1>committees do have statutory jurisdiction that they've got a respect

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<v Speaker 1>they can't you know sort of you know, like the

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<v Speaker 1>Foreign Affairs Committee can't go look at the Department Hope

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<v Speaker 1>Land Security because it's just not in their portfolio. But

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the more important guard rail for these committees

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<v Speaker 1>is just politics and whether you know, there's a perception

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<v Speaker 1>that they're overreaching, and whether they have the support of

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<v Speaker 1>their party leadership and the members the majority members of

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<v Speaker 1>the committee. But as long as these chairmen have that,

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<v Speaker 1>they have incredible power to go, uh, find out what

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<v Speaker 1>they want to find out and you know, subpoena potentially

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<v Speaker 1>who they want a subpoena, or invite for hearings, who

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<v Speaker 1>they want to invite and uh, you know, and that's

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<v Speaker 1>why the President has been so outspoken in calling this

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<v Speaker 1>presidential harassment and which hunt and so on and so forth,

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<v Speaker 1>because the only real um thing limiting this, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>his exposure at this point is public sentiment that Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>are going too far, and if you can create that sentiment,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe that can place some some limits on what Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>they're willing to do. But there's no sign that that

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<v Speaker 1>there at that point. At this point, well, yeah, how

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<v Speaker 1>it plays out politically is a really interesting question, and

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<v Speaker 1>the you know, multi billion trillion dollar question, because if

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<v Speaker 1>there's a perception that a lot that comes out as

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<v Speaker 1>quote unquote fake news, I mean, that's just it won't

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<v Speaker 1>register with Trump supporters. Mike de Bonus of the Washington

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<v Speaker 1>Post is online. I also understand that Ways and means

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<v Speaker 1>is um. You know, I don't mean this prejudicially, but

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<v Speaker 1>they're trying to cook up a pretext for demanding the

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<v Speaker 1>president's tax returns. Well, I did. What's going on is

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<v Speaker 1>let's cooking up a pretext to sort of welighing down

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<v Speaker 1>a foundation, uh for potential potato. Yeah, well, I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, within there there is there is a federal

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<v Speaker 1>statute that's there's the chairman of the Ways and Music Committee.

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<v Speaker 1>You can get any tax with or any want. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>He can publicize it, but he can get in and

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<v Speaker 1>look at it. Oh my god, do you think it

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<v Speaker 1>would leak. I mean, you know, I don't want to

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<v Speaker 1>take these things lately, but you know, you know, you

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<v Speaker 1>know my experience, you know, congressional investigators, you take you know,

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<v Speaker 1>there these things seriously. Um. I I do think that, um.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, obviously they want the tax returns, and they

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<v Speaker 1>want to do it in a way that, um, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>to the greatest extent possible, is rooted in a legitimate

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<v Speaker 1>oversight interest. And that's the position that the Democrats have taken. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>the President isn't going to see it that way, no

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<v Speaker 1>matter what. The President's offenders aren't going to see it

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<v Speaker 1>that way. Um, And I think that they're but Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>are being very careful to try and create the impression

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<v Speaker 1>that this is of the legitimate oversight activity and not

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<v Speaker 1>a political attack on on the president. Yeah, if you're

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<v Speaker 1>ready about that. It's gonna come down to the politics

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<v Speaker 1>of it. I think, unless there's some great bombshells smoking

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<v Speaker 1>guns somewhere, it's gonna be the politics whether you think

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<v Speaker 1>this is appropriate. And the reason I brought up the

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<v Speaker 1>probable cause aspect of it is how much probable cause

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<v Speaker 1>do you need to have to think there's something fishy

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<v Speaker 1>with Russia. So we're gonna look into every aspect of

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<v Speaker 1>your life and trying time Russia. Could we in a

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<v Speaker 1>different political, more polarized time if Republicans that had had

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<v Speaker 1>the power at the time, could they have said Barack

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<v Speaker 1>Obama with that Muslim sounded name and he grew up

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<v Speaker 1>over there and the speech in Cairo and his soft

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<v Speaker 1>deal with Iran, we need to look into his background

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<v Speaker 1>and tore into every aspect of his life because they

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<v Speaker 1>believe there has to be there has to be some

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<v Speaker 1>compromising thing with him in Muslims or Middle East or something.

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<v Speaker 1>Couldn't that happen? And I'm worried about us entering an

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<v Speaker 1>era where every president is under endless investigation by the

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<v Speaker 1>opposing party if they have the gavel. Sure, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think you know, you're right to have that concern. I

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<v Speaker 1>think that certainly if you asked Obama, he would feel

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<v Speaker 1>that he would subject to some uh investigations. He didn't

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<v Speaker 1>feel we're warranted or his administration anyway. I think him

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<v Speaker 1>he personally was not um you know, but listen, worried.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a political This is a political system, man.

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<v Speaker 1>I think anybody who tries to pretend that that politics

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<v Speaker 1>are going to be kept out of it as kidding themselves.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, and you know that that's why, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the card rails on this process are essentially political. You

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<v Speaker 1>have to feel like you are you are have it,

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<v Speaker 1>have the support of the public, have the support of

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<v Speaker 1>your own party, your leadership, your your electoral base when

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<v Speaker 1>you start these things, and you have to feel like

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<v Speaker 1>you're gaining political advantage as you do it. And what

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<v Speaker 1>if that is not the case, you know you'll you'll

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<v Speaker 1>see Democrats abandoned these things. Uh, you know certainly, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>Republicans fault they had political advantage when they were looking

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<v Speaker 1>at you know, you had multiple different committees looking at

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<v Speaker 1>the Benghazi situation. You had you know them working at

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<v Speaker 1>the the I R. S UH targeting allegations. You know

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<v Speaker 1>that that that's what drives these things. And you know

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<v Speaker 1>this is not a court of law. This is this

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<v Speaker 1>is the you know, the House of Representatives. This is

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<v Speaker 1>the you know, the the you know, the hothouse of

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<v Speaker 1>democracy and people bond to there, you know, political right

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<v Speaker 1>and and well said, I think it's safe to say

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<v Speaker 1>the dusts from all of these the dust from mologies investigations,

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<v Speaker 1>will be swirling around us for the next couple of

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<v Speaker 1>years at least. Mike Demonus of the Washington Post covers Congress. Mike,

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<v Speaker 1>we sure appreciate the time. Well done, good to talk

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<v Speaker 1>to you. Thanks. I just don't see how and if

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<v Speaker 1>we have this political mood going on. The Barack Obama situation,

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<v Speaker 1>that was a beautiful example. There was no birth certificate.

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<v Speaker 1>Dad's from Kenya. It's just all pretty fishy, and you

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<v Speaker 1>go down every road of his life looking for evidence

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<v Speaker 1>of that. I want to see the college transcript, so

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<v Speaker 1>I want to see the college application. What is he hiding?

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<v Speaker 1>I want to see who paid every dollar that went

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<v Speaker 1>to his education? And you come up with something for

0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:50.120
<v Speaker 1>every president. What's coming up your news, Marshall? Ellie Elizabeth Warre,

0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:54.960
<v Speaker 1>an American Indian apology tour continues. The US Venezuela's standoff

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<v Speaker 1>is ramping up and tracking the orbiting test roadster alright

0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.000
<v Speaker 1>minutes from now. My kids ask me about that all

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<v Speaker 1>the time. I'm glad that's coming up in the news.

0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:07.240
<v Speaker 1>How's that car doing enough space? You are listening to

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