Fox News "Fox & Friends" - Transcript
Fox News "Fox & Friends" - Transcript
MR. KILMEADE: Texas Senator John Cornyn is calling on Reid to release those taped conversations -- joining us right now from Capitol Hill.
Senator, always good to see you.
Let me ask you --
SEN. CORNYN: Good to see you, Brian.
MR. KILMEADE: Great, yeah.
You were watching "Meet the Press", I was watching it as well, and I'm wondering -- I'm wondering what it sounds like. Do you think we'll ever hear about these tapes? Is there anything you can do?
SEN. CORNYN: Well, the best thing that could happen to help refresh the majority leader's memory and to let the public know -- the people who pay our salaries know what that conversation was and to remove any suspicion would be to make those tapes public.
I think it's a matter of restoring public confidence and there's really a very dark cloud over Illinois and over this Senate seat that could be removed by a special election and by a little sunshine.
MR. DOOCY: Yeah, no kidding.
Okay, you're calling on the release of these tapes if they do exist. Of course, I'm sure Harry Reid, if he's on there talking, he would be a little embarrassed if that were to see the light of day outside of a courtroom.
But do you really think they're going to release it?
SEN. CORNYN: Well, I think it would be reassuring if Senator Reid would ask for their release. I mean, you know, the problem with this whole arrangement is Governor Blagojevich has cast a cloud -- as a result of his corrupt actions -- on this whole Senate seat in Illinois and the conversations of all the politicians in trying to make a deal with him. And we don't know what that deal was. We know some of it was asking for pay to play, but we don't know how far this extends.
And I think the best way, again, to make this clear and to reassure the public is a little sunshine and a little special election on April the 7th -- same date that Rahm Emanuel's seat's going to be filled by a special election.
MS. CARLSON: So there's another Senate seat that appears to be somewhat settled -- I'm talking about the state of Minnesota.
Potentially Al Franken, Senator Cornyn, has won this seat now in the recount. But where do you think it stands?
SEN. CORNYN: Well, the race is not over. Under Minnesota law, no election certification can be issued -- the same kind of certificate that Senate rules require before somebody can be sworn in -- until the issues in the election contest are resolved in court.
So we're almost to the end here, but not quite. And there are some very important questions about double-counted ballots, lost ballots and uneven -- irregular standards with regard to counting ballots that need to be resolved to make sure that everybody's valid vote is counted.
MR. KILMEADE: It goes right back to Senator Reid again. Senator Reid said yesterday Senator Coleman will not serve in the Senate. He will not get his seat back regardless.
SEN. CORNYN: It's a double standard to say we're not going to seat Senator-elect Burris or appointee Burris, because he doesn't have the proper nomination certificate; but yet, we are going to seat Al Franken. It's just a completely -- an opposite double standard.
MR. DOOCY: Hey, Senator Cornyn, real quickly before you go: How do you explain Harry Reid and top Democrats doing a complete 180 on the whole Burris thing in just a matter of -- I don't know, 72 hours?
SEN. CORNYN: It's baffling to me. I mean, at a time when we're starting a new administration, Democrats have large majorities, you would think they would want to have a smooth transition, but it's been utter chaos over here and it's hard to explain.
MR. DOOCY: Yeah, they've hit a pothole.
All right, Senator John Cornyn, the chairman from the Republican Senatorial Committee. We thank you very much for joining us from the Russell Rotunda.
Thank you, sir.
SEN. CORNYN: Thanks, Steve.
MR. DOOCY: You bet.
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