WEBVTT - The Swamp Report!  Debra J. Saunders talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>You know, just commenting on some of the news. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know what y'all pay attention to or not. But

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<v Speaker 1>Washington d c UM, the people that work there in

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<v Speaker 1>the media are obsessed with the comings and goings of

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<v Speaker 1>people in government, and nobody in real life pays attention

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<v Speaker 1>to it. Nobody, right, So you might not know this.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you do if you're really a news junkie. But

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<v Speaker 1>they got a new d n I. You don't know

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<v Speaker 1>what that is. I'll bet you couldn't get one and

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<v Speaker 1>twenty people that could tell you what the d n

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<v Speaker 1>I is, and you couldn't come up with one and

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred that could have told you who the last

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<v Speaker 1>guy wasn't old the current guy, but the guy that's leaving, right,

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<v Speaker 1>But Washington d c ix all big deal breaking news.

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<v Speaker 1>A guy you've never heard of is leaving an apartment

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<v Speaker 1>you don't pay attention to. Yeah, let's talk about that

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit with Debra J. Saunders, the White House

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<v Speaker 1>correspondent for the Las Vegas Review Journal and the real

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<v Speaker 1>The reason we love talking to Deborah so much is

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<v Speaker 1>that she's a real human being who has lived a

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<v Speaker 1>real life and is not merely a lifelong denizen of

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<v Speaker 1>the Beltway, Deborrah, how are you? I wrote about John

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<v Speaker 1>ratt close today the New d N. I oh, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's important. Are you gonna speak or something? We can

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<v Speaker 1>barely hear you. Oh, I'm sorry? Is this better? It

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<v Speaker 1>was so bad? I was so bad. So in the

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<v Speaker 1>you know, post nine eleven are having intelligence and the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of it. We're all hip to that, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>important in the rest of it. But how how much

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<v Speaker 1>of an adjustment period was it when you got to

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<v Speaker 1>d C to deal with everybody's self obsession? Oh? Because

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<v Speaker 1>that never happens in the Bay Area. That's right, Deborah.

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<v Speaker 1>For years the token conservative the San Francisco Chronicle. But

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<v Speaker 1>you gotta admit d C is its own weird beast.

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<v Speaker 1>I would say that there are people here who feel

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<v Speaker 1>that if they are not here, the world will fall

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<v Speaker 1>apart in a way that you don't see in other places.

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<v Speaker 1>That that there, that there are people who put a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of stock in the fact that they are they

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<v Speaker 1>have a place in the establishment, and that is a problem.

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<v Speaker 1>But the John Radcliff Cliff story is important for a

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<v Speaker 1>few reasons. Dan. We want to have somebody who sees

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<v Speaker 1>real problems toward national security and will tell Donald Trump

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<v Speaker 1>that he sees them, even if Donald Trump doesn't want

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<v Speaker 1>to hear it. Right, So Dan Coates was known to

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<v Speaker 1>do that. He disagreed with Trump on Russian interference in

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<v Speaker 1>the sixteen election. He's made it clear he doesn't believe

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<v Speaker 1>that North Korea will not denuclearized despite their nice sessions

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<v Speaker 1>and Singapore and Vietnam and now at the d m

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<v Speaker 1>z UM but uh. And so he's been someone who's

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<v Speaker 1>been willing to say that. And so now you have

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<v Speaker 1>this guy, John Radcliffe. Most people in the intelligence community

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<v Speaker 1>don't really know him, and Trump picks him a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of days after this guy basically gives us thumping to

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<v Speaker 1>Special Counsel Robert Muller as he's testifying before the House

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<v Speaker 1>Judiciary and Intelligence committees. And there's a belief in Washington. Gee,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know why that Maybe picked him because he

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<v Speaker 1>liked the way that John Radcliffe treated Robert Mueller, sort

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<v Speaker 1>of like the way he picked Ronnie Jackson to be

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<v Speaker 1>v A secretary because he liked the way Ronnie Jackson

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<v Speaker 1>dealt with the media when he talked about Trump's physical

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<v Speaker 1>But this the Ratcliffe guy's reasonably intelligent, he was a

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<v Speaker 1>prosecutor the rest of it. So you know, I guess

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<v Speaker 1>we see, does he have to get approved by the Senate. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>he does, and that could be an issue. So Mitch

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<v Speaker 1>McConnell puts out a statement, doesn't really say anything about Ratcliffe.

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<v Speaker 1>Burr's pretty a senator. Burr who's on the Intelligence Committee,

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<v Speaker 1>ranking the top Republican. He's lukewarm, it seems, And so

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people are afraid. The one the one

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<v Speaker 1>position you don't necessarily want to have a big Trump

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<v Speaker 1>loyalist is d n I. You you want the guy

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<v Speaker 1>who was sitting, who was who was a head of

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<v Speaker 1>all those intelligence agencies to be able to look at

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<v Speaker 1>Trump and tell him stuff he doesn't want to know.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's that's the Washington take, and it's it's perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>more universal than it should be, but it's not without reason.

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<v Speaker 1>So trying to figure out again what we should talk

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<v Speaker 1>about what we shouldn't, it would seem that the idea

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<v Speaker 1>of fiscal conservativism is it just is just gone. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just dead. It's just it's not a thing anymore. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not part of the Republican Party. What's your read given

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<v Speaker 1>the last week or so, in which well, they threw

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<v Speaker 1>open the gate. There's actually more domestic spending in this,

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<v Speaker 1>and a bigger increase in domestic spending than there was

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<v Speaker 1>under Obama. It's just incredible the way Republicans, who were

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<v Speaker 1>such fiscal hawks when Barack Obama was president, have completely

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<v Speaker 1>abandoned the idea. And I mean the reverse of that

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<v Speaker 1>is I'm getting such a kick out of particularly media

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<v Speaker 1>on MSNBC, NN, CNN all of a sudden really singing

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<v Speaker 1>to care about the debt, which may never happen, but anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>they don't care about the debt. They do not care

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<v Speaker 1>about the debt. But but you know, and the thing is,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a reason this is happening. It's not just that

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<v Speaker 1>the right is completely craving about spending. Some are, but

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<v Speaker 1>not everyone. But what you have is you need to

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<v Speaker 1>raise the debt sailing in order to for the U. S.

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<v Speaker 1>Government to pay its bills, and you need the House

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<v Speaker 1>to do that, you need Democrats to do it, and

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<v Speaker 1>Nancy Pelosi, I think bargain, got a pretty good bargain

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<v Speaker 1>out of Donald Trump. And so you've got this big

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<v Speaker 1>increase in domestic spending, which Republicans had managed to fight

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<v Speaker 1>off for a number of years, and now that's sort

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<v Speaker 1>of done. I think Trump just reading the room, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think he's right. I'm I'm sad that he's right,

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<v Speaker 1>but I think he just reads room things. People don't

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<v Speaker 1>actually care about this. So I'm going to I'm gonna

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<v Speaker 1>only get this behind us so it doesn't become a

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<v Speaker 1>thing and move on with other things that I care about.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think he's right. People just don't care. I

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<v Speaker 1>think you're right, and and I think he read He

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<v Speaker 1>also read the room that this was not the this

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<v Speaker 1>was not the fight to go down with that, this

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<v Speaker 1>is not the issue that he should stake his presidency on.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot of people understand this. Um of course. Trump

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<v Speaker 1>said the last time he passed a build and increased

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<v Speaker 1>spending he would never do it again. Well, not quite,

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<v Speaker 1>and talk that he will get tough if the one

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<v Speaker 1>who's reelected, but he's not. Let's face it, he did

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<v Speaker 1>not campaign for the president as a person who is

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<v Speaker 1>really gonna pare down federal spending. That was not his

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<v Speaker 1>His biggest thing. Immigration was a big thing. Well, to

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<v Speaker 1>enforce immigration law costs money, right, and so uh trade,

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<v Speaker 1>trade is a big issue for him, and he's fighting

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<v Speaker 1>on that, but but those when you think about the

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<v Speaker 1>things that have really mattered to him. Uh. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>let's face it, he built his empire on debt. That's

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<v Speaker 1>how he became rich. He borrowed money and he Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>but the difference is in the private enterprise you have

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<v Speaker 1>to pay it back eventually because you can't print your

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<v Speaker 1>own at least not yet. Um. The Secret Service will

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<v Speaker 1>come and talk to you if you try. Uh. Debra J. Saunders,

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<v Speaker 1>White House correspondent for the Las Vegas Review Journal. Deborah,

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<v Speaker 1>great to talk to you. Thank you and go go

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<v Speaker 1>or ask some elected official, would you Okay, more likely

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<v Speaker 1>in appointed official, thanks Debora. So yeah, yeah, he did

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<v Speaker 1>not run on it. There's very little constituency for it.

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<v Speaker 1>Fiscal responsibility. I mean, I would appreciate somebody, really, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>fighting on that hill as they say, Um, I would

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<v Speaker 1>respect it a great deal. But if I liked in

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<v Speaker 1>respect of that person, I would be very concerned that

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<v Speaker 1>they were committing career suicide by doing that, which is

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<v Speaker 1>it's a measure of the electorate. You know, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>cliche and it's terrible and it's not always true. But

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<v Speaker 1>to a large extent, we do get the government we deserve.

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<v Speaker 1>My big caveat on that is that some of the

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<v Speaker 1>smartest people in the world spend all their time trying

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<v Speaker 1>to figure out how to game government and how to

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<v Speaker 1>get rich off of it. Will nobody's looking, and they

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<v Speaker 1>have up their game. I mean the astounding achievements in

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<v Speaker 1>gaming the government. I mean on the level of penicillin

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<v Speaker 1>and the Apollo mission. Uh, that's how good the scammers are,

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<v Speaker 1>which is why we need Who's with me monarchy now

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<v Speaker 1>far strong and Jetty