>>> CONGRESS IS BACK ON CAPITOL HILL THIS WEEK, AND ACCORDING TO REPORTS, SPEAKER JOHNSON'S JOB IS SAFE FOR NOW. JOINING US TO SHARE HIS THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER, KEVIN McCARTHY. WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN BEFORE WE CAME BACK, WE MAY HAVE MENTIONED THE CURRENT SPEAKER, WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT HIS POSITION? >> IT'S A TOUGH JOB, OTHERWISE I WOULD STILL BE THERE. CLOSE TO THE ELECTION, I DON'T THINK DEMOCRATS WOULD REMOVE HIM. I THINK HE'S FINE BETWEEN NOW AND THE ELECTION. >> WOULD YOU HAVE DONE THE SAME THING WITH THE FUNDING, WITH ISRAEL AND TAKEN THE DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT? >> I NEVER THINK IF YOU ARE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AND YOU HAVE THE MAJORITY, WHY DO YOU LET THE SENATE REPUBLICANS LEAD IN THE MINORITY. IT'S THE SAME OF ON WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE WITH THE DEBT CEILING. WE ARE SITTING IN A WORLD THAT LOOKS LIKE THE 1930s, AND WHY GIVE DOUBT TO IRAN OR ANYBODY ELSEWHERE WE STAND. I WOULD HAVE WENT TO THE PRESIDENT AND NOT NEGOTIATED WITH THE OTHER LEADERSF I NEGOTIATED WITH THE OTHER LEADERS, THE DEBT CEILING? HAKEEM AND SCHUMER CAN'T AGREE TO THAT. YOU GO AND NEGOTIATE DIRECTLY WITH THE PRESIDENT AND YOU PUT THE BORDER WITH UKRAINE, AND YOU WOULD HAVE GOT IT DONE BEFORE THANKSGIVING AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WIN-WIN FOR BOTH SIDES. BY WAITING YOU GOT SCHUMER WHAT HE WANTED TO BRING TO THE FLOOR. >> THE THREATS ARE STILL THERE, NOT SO MUCH FROM MATT GAETZ BUT FROM SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT OCCUPY THAT SECTOR OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE -- DO YOU THINK THE BLOOM IS OFF THE ROSE A LITTLE BIT WITH THAT FACTION, OR WILL THEY COME BACK WITH A VENGEANCE? >> STRUCTURE DICTATES BEHAVIOR IN BUSINESS AND IN CONGRESS. IF YOU HADEIGHT REPUBLICANS SITTING IN A MAJORITY THAT WORK WITH ALL THE DEMOCRATS TO DETERMINE WHO THE SPEAKER IS, AND THERE'S NO CONSEQUENCES THAT THEY BROKE THE RULES, YOU WILL HAVE CHAOS. THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE NOW. THE INTERESTING PART HERE, IT'S EASIER FOR REPUBLICANS TO WIN SEATS IN THE NEXT CONGRESS THAN IT WAS FOR THE LAST TWO CONGRESSS, AND YOU HAVE HAD REDISTRICTING IN NORTH CAROLINA, AND YOU PICK UP THREE, AND HAKEEM DID NOT DO WELL, THEY DID NOT GET WISCONSIN AND THEY GOT A SEAT DOWN IN ALABAMA AND LOUISIANA, AND THAT GETS OVERTURNED. LAST TIME BIDEN WAS ON THE TICKET AND I WAS THE LEADER, AND THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1994, NOT ONE REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT LOST. AT THAT TIME BIDEN'S FAV RAWABILITY WAS UP AND NOW IT'S MINUS 10. WHEN I WAS LEADER, THE SUPER PAC HAD MORE MONEY, AND NOW IT'S A DISADVANTAGE. I AM WATCHING WHAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE DOING, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ACT BLUE. MONEY IN POLITICS IS NOT EQUAL. WE WILL PICK THE SEAT UP IN MICHIGAN, RIGHT? IF YOU LOOK AND YOU GO TO PENNSYLVANIA. WE HAD A TERRIBLE GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, AND I THINK WE WILL PICK UP THREE SEATS IN PENNSYLVANIA. I THINK WE HAVE FIVE SEATS IN CALIFORNIA AND TWO MORE TO GO. >> DOES THE MONEY MATTER, THOUGH? >> MONEY MATTERS TO A POINT. IF YOU ARE NOT COMPETITIVE -- IT'S LIKE A CHESS GAME. IF THE DEMOCRATS ARE ABLE TO MAKE OTHER SEATS COMPETITIVE WHERE YOU ARE PLAYING DEFENSE, THEN YOU ARE IN TROUBLE. WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO BEFORE IS EXPAND THE PLAYING FIELD, IF WE ARE PLAYING IN OREGON AND ARIZONA WHERE OTHER REPUBLICANS ARE LOSING, THAT'S WHERE YOU ARE PLAYING OFFENSE. >> YOU UNDERSTOOD THIS AND WORKED YOUR WAY THROUGH THE POLITICS, AND DOES MIKE JOHNSON UNDERSTOOD THAT? >> IT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SPEAKER, AND HE'S OUT THERE. THE CHALLENGE IS IT'S MONEY TO RAISE. YOU HAVE TO RAISE THAT MONEY NOT JUST FOR THE PARTY BUT THE MEMBERS AS WELL. THEY ARE FALLING A LITTLE BEHIND -- >> DO YOU THINK TRUMP WILL BE ABLE TO CLOSE THE GAP? >> WELL, THIS IS A STRATEGY THE DEMOCRATS ARE DOING AGAINST TRUMP AND TWO-FOLD IS PLAYING BACK AGAINST THEM. THEY ARE BOGGING DOWN TRUMP AND SPENDING HIS MONEY ON ATTORNEYS WHICH GIVES THEM AN ADVANTAGE, AND THEY ARE LOSING THAT. REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT DONALD TRUMP, DOES ANYBODY IN AMERICA BELIEVE HE WOULD BE ON TRIAL TODAY IF HE HAD NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT? IT'S AN ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY. >> IF HE HAD NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT? >> HAD HE NOT RUN FOR RE-ELECTION FOR PRESIDENT NOW? >> THAT HUSH-MONEY -- >> OKAY, YOU THINK JUST THE WORD IT'S POSSIBLE, THEN I DON'T YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT. >> I THINK IT'S VERY POSSIBLE. I THINK, IN FACT, I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER FOR THE FOLKS WHO BROUGHT THE CASES TO BRING IT OTHERWISE, AND I THINK THE FACT THAT HE WAS RUNNING MADE IT HARDER. >> KEVIN, THE OPPOSITE ARGUMENT HE MADE, THE REASON HE'S RUNNING IS BECAUSE HE WANTED TO PUT A STOP TO -- >> DO YOU BELIEVE BIDEN WAS EFFECTIVE ON TRYING TO CLAMP DOWN ON HIS OPPONENT, THEY WOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE CASE A LONG TIME AGO. >> THEY TRIED TO KICK HIM OFF THE COLORADO BALLOT. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THE ARGUMENT ABOUT DEMOCRACY, I HAVE WATCHED SO MANY THINGS THAT WE KEEP TRANSPIRING HERE, BUT THEY ARE LOSING THAT ARGUMENT BECAUSE THEY ARE COMBATING AGAINST DEMOCRACY AND DENNING SOMEBODY THE BALLOT AND GOING AFTER SOMEBODY RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION, AND SOME OF THESE LAWSUITS ARE FRIVOLOUS. >> NOBODY SERIOUS BELIEVES THE STORMY DANIELS TRIAL WOULD HAVE BEEN BOUGHT, AND BRINGING TOGETHER MISDEMEANORS AND THEN NOT TELLING YOU WHAT THE CRIME IS THAT TAKES IT TO THE FELONY. IT WAS ON THE DESK OF THE NEW YORK PROSECUTOR FOR FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AND NOBODY DID ANYTHING WITH IT AND ALVIN BRAGG BRINGS IT UP. YOU JUST LOOK AT THE RESPONSE NATIONWIDE TO THAT. THE OTHER ONES, MAYBE YOU GOT SOMETHING THERE WITH THE DOCUMENTS OR THE GEORGIA CASE. >> BUT YOU HAVE NOT GOT THE DOCUMENTS WITH BIDEN. I THINK WHAT AMERICA REALLY NEEDS RIGHT NOW, WHERE ARE WE GOING TO STAND ON AI, AND WHERE ARE WE BASED UPON ENERGY? HOPEFULLY I WILL COME BACK IN A COUPLE MONTHS AND ANNOUNCE SOMETHING VERY EXCITING, AND THESE ARE THINGS I FOCUSED ON -- >> PART OF THE ISSUE OF THE DEBATE, THERE'S THE DEBATE OF THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, AND THERE'S A HUGE GROUP OF DEMOCRATS HAVING A DEBATE ON WHAT THEY THINK DEMOCRACY IS AND IF THAT WOULD HOLD ON IF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP BECOMES THE PRESIDENT. THE ARTICLE THAT SUGGESTED THAT HE WANTS TO REMOVE THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE, AND IF HE CAN'T DO IT LEGALLY HE WILL TRY AND MAKE A SECRET DEAL WITH THE NEXT FED CHAIR. IT'S THAT KIND OF THING, IT'S THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION'S DOCUMENTS ON HOW THEY WANT TO EFFECTIVELY UNDERMINE THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT AND THROW OUT, YOU KNOW, 70% OF THE EMPLOYEES. IT'S THAT THAT HAS PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE QUOTE, UNQUOTE, FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY. >> I GET THAT. IT'S INTERESTING. I JUST HAD GONE THROUGH A LITTLE COLLEGE AT GEORGETOWN AND HARVARD FOR SOME OF THESE DEBATES, AND BOTH PARTIES ARE DEBATING THE ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY BUT WE BOTH LOOK AT IT FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT. I DENOUNCE ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6th. I THINK WHAT HAPPENED THERE IS TOTALLY WRONG IN ALL SHAPES OR FORM. I WAS REMOVED THERE FROM EVERY ASPECT. BUT DO YOU THINK IT'S RIGHT FOR ANOTHER PARTY FO
