NBC "Meet the Press" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. John Barrasso
Interview
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CHUCK TODD:
And joining me now is the chair of the Senate Republican Conference, John Barrasso of Wyoming. Senator Barrasso, welcome back to Meet the Press.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Thanks for having me, Chuck.
CHUCK TODD:
I want to get to healthcare. But let me start with the Mueller report. The attorney general's working on getting a redacted report to Congress and the public by mid-April. I understand the public, perhaps, seeing a redacted version. Shouldn't Congress, who gets regular intelligence reports, shouldn't Congress see the full -- some members of Congress see the full report?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Well, first, the headlines were very clear last week: no collusion, no collaboration, no conspiracy. I've called for a release of the full report.
CHUCK TODD:
Un-redacted?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Well, that's what I've been calling for. I understand the attorney general has some specific issues and areas that he has to be concerned. I think anything you give to Congress, ultimately, everyone will see. So I don't see a lot of difference in terms of making sure the public sees it.
CHUCK TODD:
Do you think this is a mistake to draw out this fight, that essentially, the more he redacts, the more it becomes that -- you're essentially having the wrong debate in Congress, which is about transparency and the lack thereof?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Well, I'm for transparency and for accountability. When Mueller was appointed, he was the patron saint of all that is just and good in the world --
CHUCK TODD:
Well, let's see his work.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
-- that's what Dianne Feinstein said. That's what Chuck Schumer said. Now, they just kind of want to seem to throw him under the bus, when he found out that there was nothing there. They don't seem to be happy with the results. But he is somebody that was praised, from both sides of the aisle, as being able to do a fair and compelling commitment to the job assigned to him.
CHUCK TODD:
Are you confident there's nothing there? I mean, let me quote from Mr. Barr's report. He said, "The special counsel states that, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." What do you take that to mean? The president says he's exonerated. Who's right here, by the way?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Well, the headlines, no collusion, no collaboration --
CHUCK TODD:
The headlines --
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
-- no conspiracy --
CHUCK TODD:
-- the headlines --
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
-- That's what is there. I want to see the report.
CHUCK TODD:
The headlines are Bill Barr's memo, he -- Bill Barr said the report doesn't exonerate him. The president says he is. Where do you come down on this?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
I've asked for a report, the full report to be released. The attorney general will make that final decision. And ultimately, the voters will make that decision. As you just saw from your report, you know, last week, NBC interrupted a golf tournament. CBS interrupted the Final Four. People wanted to get back to the sports they were watching. They were more interested in that than they were in the breaking news.
CHUCK TODD:
You may be right. Let me ask you this. The special counsel did not, did not find a crime, when it comes to conspiracy. There is a counterintelligence investigation. This is what we know from it. And I'm curious if you think the president is exonerated from all of these things: allegedly asking Comey for loyalty, allegedly telling Comey that he hoped he could let Flynn go, telling the Russian ambassador, in the Oval Office, that he got this Comey thing out of the way, the public asking for help. The President's behavior, while he's technically exonerated from a crime, is he exonerated from his behavior, as a president?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Every president is judged on many things. Behavior is part of that. The electorate will be asked to make that judgement in 2020. And we'll see how they decide.
CHUCK TODD:
But do you -- what do you think on this?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Yeah. I think that the president has been clear with the American people. He has been, I believe, falsely accused, for the last two years. And Mueller has proven the fact that there was no collusion or conspiracy with the Russians.
CHUCK TODD:
Do you think he was falsely accused, because some of his behavior led people to believe there was something more there? He was the one that wanted to -- Do you think it was appropriate for him to want to do business with Vladimir Putin and Russia while running for president?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
The president is an international businessman, has success all around the world. It is not surprising that when he chose to run for president --
CHUCK TODD:
Right.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
-- he was continuing to do the business that he was doing beforehand.
CHUCK TODD:
I understand. You stated a bunch of facts there. You didn't state any opinion. Do you think it's appropriate?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
No. I think that it's not surprising that international businessmen do these things, no.
CHUCK TODD:
Right, but he wanted to run for president. Should he have given that up?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
No --
CHUCK TODD:
Was that a mistake, to pursue something like that? Because it may have helped trigger all of this suspicion.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
It probably did trigger this suspicion. But I don't think that there is a fault there on the part of the president.
CHUCK TODD:
All right, I'm going to ask you one other thing about Bill Barr's reading of, of expansive executive power. Here's what he said about, about what he wrote in his memo, before becoming attorney general. He said, "Constitutionally, it is wrong to conceive that the president is simply the highest officer within the executive branch hierarchy. He alone is the executive branch. Thus, the full measure of law enforcement authority is placed in the president's hands. And no limit is placed on the kinds of cases subject to his control and supervision." This maintains -- Do you believe the attorney general is right, of this expansive view that, essentially, the president of the United States is the law?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Well, I believe the attorney general is right in his evaluation of the law and how it works. But no man is above the law.
CHUCK TODD:
How could you, though, correct this viewpoint? I mean, you're saying that he's right. But it does claim that, as sitting president of the United States, he is above the law. Maybe he won't be after or before, but he is while.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
You know, I'm not a lawyer. I don't play a lawyer on television. There are experts that look into that. And I know that Lindsey Graham, the pit bull that he is on the Judiciary Committee chairman, is going to continue to work on this area.
CHUCK TODD:
Do you think investigating the investigators is a good, is a good idea?
SEN.JOHN BARRASSO:
Lindsey's a pit bull. And I think he's heading down that road.
CHUCK TODD:
Do you think it's a good idea? Again, you've been very careful not to express your personal opinion on these things. Any reason?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
My opinion, my opinion is, we need to get beyond this. We need to get to the point where we focus on our strong, healthy, growing economy, we focus on the issues that are on the American public mind. And what we've seen is this is not something, look, this is not something I hear about at home, in Wyoming, Chuck. I was there this past weekend.
CHUCK TODD:
And do you think, not investigating Hillary Clinton is a good -- do you think then not investigating Hillary Clinton is the way to go?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:Well, it does seem to me that that's how we got here to begin with, and all of the things that were leading up to the 2016 election. I wish it would all be behind us. But we're not there yet.
CHUCK TODD:All right, let me move forward in healthcare. The president said you, Senator Cassidy, and Senator Scott are coming up with an alternative healthcare plan that will protect preexisting conditions, that can replace Obamacare. Is that true? And what does this plan look like, if it is?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:Well, as you know, it's going to need bipartisan support. Because Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House. Every time I talk to President Trump, we talk about healthcare. He knows, with regard to preexisting conditions, that I'm a doctor. My wife, Bobbi, is a breast cancer survivor. She's been through surgery three times, chemotherapy twice. He knows I am 100% committed, as are Republicans, to protecting people with preexisting conditions. We are absolutely continuing to work on this, realizing that it has to be bipartisan. My concern is that the biggest threat that I see to the freedom and the economy of this country is this complete government takeover of healthcare, which is where the Democrats are going, this Medicare for all, with longer lines --
CHUCK TODD:
Right.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
-- rationing of care, higher taxes, less freedom. And it is now the liberal litmus test --
CHUCK TODD: I understand that.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: -- of all the Democrats running for president.
CHUCK TODD:But that isn't the law as it is right now. Is it a mistake for the president to have joined the lawsuit to say that Obamacare is unconstitutional? Do you want it overturned? Do you want the courts to overturn this right now? Or do you want it kept in place, until you guys figure this out?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:Well, first of all, this lawsuit isn't imminent. There's not going to be any decision on this for a couple of years. But it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that Republicans are opposed to Obamacare. We have been for a long time --
CHUCK TODD:Right. But for ten years, you have been. We've actually -- I was thinking about this. It was in '09 that we began the debate. It's 2019. You guys have been talking about having a plan to protect preexisting conditions for ten years. And you haven't been able to come up with one. You had Congress and the presidency for two years. You haven't been able to come for one. Why should we expect it now?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:You know, the Obama healthcare law, I think Republicans and Democrats agree, it has failed to keep its promises. Prices are skyrocketing and continue -- I was in Wyoming, at my medical office on Friday, talking to patients, doctors. Bronze plan, cheapest bronze plan, in Wyoming, for a family of four, $1,900. The deductible, $12,000. That's not right. The president is right. This is on the American people's minds.
CHUCK TODD:But you can't find an alternative that would make that cheaper yet --
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Well we're --
CHUCK TODD:
-- and protect preexisting conditions, correct? Or you'd have it.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:Well, right now, we've done things to lower the cost of pharmaceuticals. They're lower this year than last year. We've gotten rid of the gag order on pharmacists. We have founds ways through association health plans to have people join together to get half the cost of insurance, cuts the cost, these short-term plans. We want to let people buy what they need, what's appropriate for them, so they can get the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs.
CHUCK TODD:Let me ask this. Should the American people expect an actual healthcare plan alternative from the Republican Party this year?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:The American people should expect to not have to be burdened with the incredible costs that are affecting them now, as a result of the healthcare law.
CHUCK TODD:A plan, will we see a new plan from the Republican Party about what their alternative is?
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:I've been working on a plan since the day I got to the Senate. And it is association health plans --
CHUCK TODD:Twelve years now.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
-- It is allowing people to buy what works for them. Let ranchers join together and deal with transparency. The president is right on that. Drug costs, which are actually coming down, there are things that are working. But we need bipartisan support at a time where the Democrats want to take over all of healthcare and eliminate insurance from 160 million Americans.
CHUCK TODD:
Senator Barrasso, I'm going to leave it there. I wish we had more time on this. I have a feeling we're going to be debating healthcare. If we've done it the last ten years, my guess is ten more. Senator Barrasso, thanks for coming on and sharing your views, sir.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO:
Thanks for having me.
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