On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reacted to video of White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett by saying he has “no idea” who Hassett is, but Hassett’s views also reflect how Trump and Republicans think.
Before the start of the interview with Jeffries, host Erin Burnett said, “President Trump’s top economic adviser is now warning Democrats about dire consequences if they do not give in.”
She then played video of Hassett saying, “If they don’t open the government next week, I really don’t know how long it’s going to take. Maybe the Republicans are going to have to take extreme measures. … We could stop virtually anything that we want, other than defense and so on and national security matters. The president can pick the Democrats’ favorite things and stop them forever, legally.”
Burnett then began the interview with Jeffries and asked, “So, Leader Jeffries, you hear Kevin Hassett. He says that the president can stop, legally, Democratic-favored issues and programs indefinitely, and he can do it legally. Are you worried he’s right?”
Jeffries responded, “I have no idea who this random individual is, and his comments are deeply unhinged, but reflect the fact that, for the longest period of time, Donald Trump and Republicans want to go after things like Social Security and Medicare and, certainly, the health care of the American people. But we’re seeing that right now. This is day 20 of the Trump Republican shutdown, and the government remains closed because Republicans have zero interest in actually providing affordable health care to everyday Americans. That’s the challenge that the country faces right now.”
Burnett then said, “So, Kevin Hassett is the top economic adviser for the president. And so, I guess he’s speaking from that capacity.”
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