MSNBC "The Beat with Ari Melber" - Tax Cuts and Jobs Act / Russian Election Interference
Interview
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MELBER: Breaking news tonight. House Republicans ending their Russia probe. They suggest they will issue conclusions that there was no Trump- Russia collusion. I`m joined by Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin to talk about this and other stories. When you look at this news, does it mean that the House investigation was always a sham and what is the Senate going to do about all this?
SEN. TAMMY BALDWIN (D), WISCONSIN: It`s such a great question. It`s astonishing to me to hear this breaking news. But it`s very clear that Russia interfered with our elections, which is what we want to get to the bottom of and have an action plan to stop. The interference was widespread, whether it was trying to hack into voter registries or just spread misinformation throughout the electorate. There was extensive interference. That is an attack on our democracy and it can`t be allowed to continue. Thank goodness that there is still a bipartisan panel in the Senate actively exercising their oversight and collecting information. And I am wanting Special Prosecutor Mueller to get all the leeway he needs to get to the bottom of the fact. We need to --
MELBER: I mean, let me ask you briefly. Do you think it`s credible for House to say there is no collusion at this early state without even seeing where Mueller lands?
BALDWIN: You know, I do not believe it`s credible. But even aside from that, what do they think their job is if it is not to get to the bottom of the issue of Russian attacks on our democracy. They take it so lightly and yet this is something that is, you know, a foreign adversary messing with our democracy. You know, it`s outrageous and they should continue their efforts to make sure that our democracy remains strong.
MELBER: Yes. And Senator, as you have been advocating, this is not the only issue right now. I was talking to Cory Booker, your colleague, last week. I know you have a new measure that would stop companies from you say, hording some of the gains from the Trump tax bill and try to help workers and there`s a vote this week. How would that work and why are Senate Democrats focused on this right now?
BALDWIN: Well, I have to say, first of all, since we were promised the tax bill that the Republicans brought forward would result in trickle-down benefits for the hard-working people of my state and the country, obviously we have seen that that is not the case. The benefits, 80 percent or more of which went to the top one percent and the biggest most powerful corporations are not trickling down. In fact, they are being invested back to profit and benefit the top in the form of stock buybacks. So back in 1980, the Securities and Exchange Commission passed a rule creating a safe harbor for stock buybacks by companies.
We`ve seen since that time profits or net income of S&P companies, for example, go from two percent of their profits to almost 60 percent. And we are not seeing the widespread benefits among the working people. I have a really good Wisconsin example of this. Actually, I should say a really bad Wisconsin example of that. Kimberly-Clark, a corporation that was founded in Wisconsin in 1872 received over $3.3 billion in profits last year. One of the most profitable plants was a plant in Menasha, Wisconsin. Early this year in January, they were told that the workers in that plant had met or exceeded every goal set for them.
MELBER: Right.
BALDWIN: And then three weeks later they were brought into the same conference room and told that their plant was on the slate foreclosure.
MELBER: We`re running out of time so give me the goal of it.
BALDWIN: Right. At the same time that the company announced $911 million in stock buybacks. These are misplaced priorities. They`re short-term profits for their shareholders, and they are not investing in the hardworking people who made those profits for them and that`s wrong and we need to put a stop to it.
MELBER: Well, I know it`s an issue near and dear to you which is part of why I wanted to talk to you tonight and we will keep an eye on that vote and we will cover it on THE BEAT. So Senator Baldwin, thank you for your time tonight.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
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