MSNBC "The Beat with Ari Melber" - Transcript: "Democrats win big off-year elections."
Interview
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O`DONNELL: Joining us now is Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is a candidate now for President of the United States. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. Senator, where are you now tonight, is this new Hampshire?
KLOBUCHAR: Thanks Lawrence.
O`DONNELL: Are you in New Hampshire tonight?
KLOBUCHAR: I am in Manchester.
O`DONNELL: OK. They you are.
KLOBUCHAR: I am in New Hampshire, in Manchester, yes.
O`DONNELL: So--
KLOBUCHAR: And I was thinking of those words that kind of hit the nail on the head there with that question. You anticipated where we are tonight and "The Washington Post" reporting, their headline that Trump wanted Barr to hold a news conference saying that the President broke no laws in the call with the President of Ukraine. And at least apparently William Barr has found a favor that he will not do for Donald Trump.
KLOBUCHAR: That`s correct. It doesn`t surprise me given how outrageous this is, given how the evidence is mounting. But remember there`s a reason that the President thought that Barr would give in to his request. And that is that literally when Barr applied for this job, he put out a 19 page memo to all of Trump`s friends showing how he believed in a broad concept of executive power. And we`ve seen a number of actions, as Mr. Miller pointed out, since that time. But I think what happened here was for anyone enough is enough. And when you look at the evidence that comes out from the diplomats that we`ve heard - seasoned diplomat, who are not affiliated with local parties, who are all--
O`DONNELL: I think we just lost Senator Klobuchar in New Hampshire. The control room, what do we know about it - can someone tell me what`s going on up there. Can we hang on or should we go? I guess, we`re going to have to go to commercial. See if we can restore this connection to New Hampshire or if I can just keep talking until we restore this connection to New Hampshire. And we`re going to go to a break.
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O`DONNELL: And now we are joined by phone by Presidential Candidate, Senator Amy Klobuchar who`s in Manchester New Hampshire tonight. Senator, we`re going back to 20th century communication levels here to make--
KLOBUCHAR: We`ll pretend we`re in a major snowstorm.
O`DONNELL: We going to make sure this works. I want to get your reaction to what you saw in Kentucky last night. That was a flip of - clearly Trump voters had to flip to vote for the Democrat for governor.
KLOBUCHAR (via telephone): They did and that is exactly what I`ve been talking about nationally Lawrence. And that is that if we want to win, and win big, so that we can take back the Senate and actually get all of these things done, from climate change legislation, to finally doing something about pharmaceuticals and health care. We`ve got to bring people with us and not shut them out. And that is exactly what happened in Kentucky. A lot of this had to do with mean-spirited policies, and I hope some of our Republican colleagues are doing some soul-searching when they think about the fact that the Affordable Care Act is now nearly or over 10 points more popular than the President of the United States. And so people voted for their health care, but they also voted all over the country, including Virginia, for a values check, for a check on patriotism on this President, and that`s what I`ve heard in New Hampshire today.
O`DONNELL: And then when you look at the Governor`s campaign there. It was a campaign against what Matt Bevin did. So in Presidential terms, it would be the equivalent of campaigning against what Donald Trump has done, what he has tried to do, what he has wanted to do. And I think in the Democratic campaign so far when we see the debates with candidates kind of debating - arguing with each other. It isn`t so clear that the real argument is against what Donald Trump has done.
KLOBUCHAR (via telephone): Well that`s why I`m at debate stage I`ve repeatedly taken it to Donald Trump, because we have to remember that it`s not just Democrats watching those debates, as important as that is. There`s also independents and moderate Republicans and people that are showing up everywhere that want to see something different. And so we really can`t screw this up. I think it is on us. It is our obligation to lead a ticket that doesn`t just win at the top, but brings people with us, including legislative races like you saw in Virginia and Governor`s races like you just saw in Kentucky. And most importantly, it will allow a new President, herself to govern in a big way and get things done, and that`s why I want to be the President not for half of America, but all of America you.
O`DONNELL: And the other senators running for Presidents have a unique challenge possibly coming up in your campaign scheduling. Normally a senator simply has to figure out how to manage attendance at Senate votes as well as being out in Iowa and New Hampshire and other places. You may have to be a juror in an impeachment trial. Have you begun to think about what that does to your Presidential campaign schedule?
KLOBUCHAR (via telephone): Of course, but my big job here is to do my duty, and that duty will be an impeachment trial if that comes over to the U.S. Senate. But that doesn`t mean I can`t do two things at once. I don`t need a lot of sleep. I`ve got endorsements all over the country and people that are willing to go out there for me, including of course, in my own family, and that`s going to be really important. And in in Iowa actually, Lawrence, I have more endorsements of elected and former electives than any other candidate in the race. And we just made today the December debate I did and already had made the November debates quite a while ago and so I`m just going to keep moving. But that doesn`t in any way mean that I don`t have a duty to do my job. And that is, if that case comes over from the House of Representatives, we have a solemn obligation to hear that evidence and make a decision.
O`DONNELL: Senator Amy Klobuchar thank you very much for joining us tonight. And next time we`re going to make sure we get a camera system that works you.
KLOBUCHAR (via telephone): That`s OK.
O`DONNELL: In New Hampshire or Iowa or wherever you are--
KLOBUCHAR (via telephone): Always good to - Lawrence you have a great crew here working hard. So everything is fine.
O`DONNELL: I know, I know. And I don`t - they did everything they possibly could, and it`s just one of those nights that happens.
KLOBUCHAR (via telephone): I can`t help. We`re in the middle of a big blizzard.
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