参议院推迟Clarity Act投票至8月休会后

THIS IS "BALANCE OF POWER," LIVE FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

TONIGHT, THE SENATE PREPARES TO LEAVE WASHINGTON UNTIL AFTER LABOR DAY. IF THEY CAN ACCELERATE THE PROCESS FOR KEY VOTES. WE ARE TRACKING IT ALL TONIGHT AND WE WILL HAVE MORE WITH DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CHRIS COONS OF DELAWARE AHEAD. PLUS, A DOWN SIDE JOBS SURPRISE. THE NEGATIVE JOBS PRINT TAKES PRESSURE OFF KEVIN WARSH IN THE FED TO RAISE INTEREST RATES. WE WILL GET MORE FROM THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR KEVIN HASSETT.

AND THE PRESIDENT IS ONCE AGAIN THREATENING TO FIRE FED GOVERNOR LISA COOK OVER UNPROVEN ALLEGATIONS OF MORTGAGE FRAUD. WITH HIS NEW LETTER TO HER SAYS AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE FIGHT FOR FED INDEPENDENCE. FROM BLOOMBERG'S WASHINGTON, D.C., STUDIOS TO OUR TV AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE, THIS IS "BALANCE." JOE: WE START OFF WITH THE DIZZYING PILE OF WORK FACING SENATORS. A PROCEDURAL VOTE ON A STOPGAP FUNDING MEASURE TO AVOID A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AT THE END OF NEXT MONTH AND VOTES ON DOZENS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP'S NOMINEES.

ALL THIS AS THE PRESIDENT'S PICK FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL MOVES A STEP CLOSER TO CONFIRMATION WITH LOUISIANA SENATOR BILL CASSIDY ANNOUNCING THAT HE WILL VOTE IN FAVOR OF TODD BLANCHE DESPITE PREVIOUSLY ARTICULATED MISGIVINGS AND THE FACT THAT TRUMP PRIMARIED CASSIDY RIGHT OUT OF A JOB. WE JOIN NOW BY SENATOR CHRIS COONS OF DELAWARE WITH US. HE SERVES ON THE FOREIGN RELATIONS JUDICIARY AND INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE. WELCOME BACK TO BLOOMBERG AND RADIO.

FOR GIVE US FOR TREATING YOU AS A BIT OF A REPORTER, BUT I KNOW IT IS MOMENT TO MOMENT. WHAT IS THE STATE OF PLAY WITH REGARD TO A TIMING DEAL ON FLOOR VOTES? SEVEN OR CROHN'S -- SENATOR COONS: I DO NOT THINK I WILL BE LEAVING ANY TIME SOON. WE WILL BE FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS ABOUT WHO GET AN AMENDMENT VOTE, AT WHAT THRESHOLD, AND WHAT IS THE IMPACT. HOW DOES THIS MATTER? FIRST, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE WILL DO IS VOTE TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OPEN THROUGH DECEMBER.

I EXPECT WE WILL PASS THAT BEFORE WE LEAVE, AND I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT, NOT JUST FOR ALL THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO BE FURLOUGHED AGAIN, BUT ALSO TO AVOID THE IMPACT OF A SHUTDOWN ON A REPUTATION AND OUR OPERATIONS GLOBALLY. SECOND, WE HAVE PASSED THE LINDSEY GRAHAM RUSSIA SANCTIONS ACT, AND AS SOMEONE WHO HAS LONG SUPPORTED TOUGHER SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA TO HELP DETER THEM FROM THEIR AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE, I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO GET DONE TODAY.

I'M ALSO AN ORIGINAL COSPONSOR OF THE PROTECTED COLLEGE SPORTS ACT, SOMETHING I HAVE WORKED HARD ON WITH REPUBLICAN SENATOR TED CRUZ AND DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CANTWELL. ANYONE WHO IS A COLLEGE SPORTS FAN KNOWS THAT BETWEEN THE TRANSFER PORTAL, SKYHIGH SALARIES FOR COACHES, LOTS OF DIFFERENT CHANGES IN CONFERENCES AND PLAYING AND THE NAME, IMAGE, AND LIKENESS PAYMENTS THAT COLLEGE PLAYERS HAVE EARNED, IT IS A RAPIDLY CHANGING LANDSCAPE, AND I THINK THIS IS A GOOD, BIPARTISAN COMPROMISE TO STABILIZE COLLEGE SPORTS.

THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS LIKE TODD BLANCHE'S CONFIRMATION AND THE NOMINATIONS YOU REFERENCED. I THINK WE CAN GET THEM DONE AND GET OUT OF HERE TONIGHT, BUT WE WILL SEE. IT'S NOT GOOD TO BET ON THE SENATE GETTING ITS WORK DONE EARLY. KAILEY: THE PRESIDENT IS A FAN OF YOUR BILL AS WELL. HE JUST POSTED ON TRUTH SOCIAL, SAYING THEY PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT IS A GREAT DEAL, AND THE SENATE WILL HOPEFULLY STAY IN D.C.

UNTIL IT PASSES. IS THAT YOUR EXPECTATION? SEN. COONS: THAT IS MY HOPE. IF YOU READ FURTHER INTO PRESIDENT TRUMP'S TRUTH SOCIAL POST, HE IS ALSO SPECIFICALLY PUSHING BACK ON A MISCHARACTERIZATION OF THE BILL BY ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES. HE DOES NOT NAME JOSH HAWLEY, A REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM MISSOURI, BUT SENATOR HAWLEY AND OTHERS ARE SPREADING THE FALSE RUMOR THAT THIS BILL, IF IT BECAME LAW, WOULD PREVENT STATE LAWS THAT WERE PASSED IN ORDER TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM PLAYING A SPORT OTHER THAN THE GENDER THEY WERE BORN WITH.

THAT IS AN ISSUE THAT DOES NOT IMPACT THIS LAW, AND WE SHOULD NOT BE STAYING HERE FOR ANOTHER DAY OR TWO JUST TO TAKE UP A VOTE ON HIS AMENDMENT. IT IS UNUSUAL, BUT PRESIDENT TRUMP AND I ARE ON THE SAME SIDE ON THIS ONE. THIS IS A GOOD COMPROMISE. WE SHOULD TAKE IT UP AND PASS IT. JOE: YOU SHOW UP LONG ENOUGH, YOU END UP SEEING EVERYTHING. YOU MENTIONED TODD BLANCHE. IS HE AS GOOD AS THE NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL? SHERY: HE MADE -- SEN.

COONS: HE MAY VERY WELL BE CONFIRMED, BUT I THINK MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES WILL COME TO REGRET VOTING FOR HIM. TODD BLANCHE AS THE ASSISTING ATTORNEY GENERAL AND I WAS THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ROLLOUT OF THE ECKSTEIN FILES. I WILL REMIND YOU THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP RAN ON RELEASING THE ECKSTEIN FILES AND THEN DRAGGED HIS FEET, FIRST UNDER PAM BONDI, AND NOW UNDER TODD BLANCHE, AND TODD BLANCHE MISHANDLED IT SO BADLY THAT A NUMBER OF THE VICTIMS WERE HARMED AS A RESULT.

HE HAS NOT BEEN TRANSPARENT. HE HAS NOT BEEN RAPID. FRANKLY, THE ECKSTEIN FILES HAVE BEEN A DUMPSTER FIRE UNDER TODD BLANCHE. AND EVEN WORSE IDEA AND EVEN MORE POORLY EXECUTED WAS THE $1.8 BILLION WEAPONIZATION FUND, A SLUSH FUND TO MAKE PAYMENTS TO THOSE WHO FELT THEY WERE WRONG BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, SPECIFICALLY INCLUDING THOSE CONVICTED OF ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICERS HERE ON JANUARY 6. I PRESSED TODD BLANCHE ABOUT THIS IN HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING, AND THAT WAS THE ISSUE THAT INITIALLY LED REPUBLICAN SENATORS CORNYN AND CASSIDY TO OPPOSE HIS CONFIRMATION.

THEY ACCEPTED A THIN PAPER, SIGNED COMMITMENT THAT HE WOULD NOT MOVE AHEAD WITH THE WEAPONIZATION FUND, SO WHAT IS MY BEEF? PRESIDENT TRUMP KEEPS SAYING AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEKEND THAT HE WANTS THIS WEAPONIZATION FUND TO MOVE FORWARD AND TO MAKE PAYMENTS, AND HE WANTS THE GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD, THE SETTLEMENT WITH THE IRS THAT PREVENTS TRUMP AND HIS FAMILY AND BUSINESSES FROM EVER BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR TAX CHEATING.

I'M CONCERNED THAT TODD BLANCHE IS MORE LOYAL TO TRUMP THAN HE IS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND TO JUSTICE AND THAT ONCE CONFIRMED, HE WILL SIMPLY FLIP HIS POSITION AND DO WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS. I HOPE THAT IS NOT THE CASE, BECAUSE AN EXPERIENCE, I SUSPECT IT. KAILEY: IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE NOT VALUING THE ARGUMENT MADE BY YOUR COLLEAGUE, BILL CASSIDY, OF LOUISIANA, WHO WAS LEAVING US GUESSING AS TO IF HE WOULD VOTE FOR TODD BLANCHE AND ANNOUNCED THAT HE WOULD ON THE SIMILAR FLOOR, SAY ANY ATTORNEY GENERAL COULD FACE A SIMILAR PROBLEM IN TERMS OF TRUMP TRYING TO USE THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO GO AFTER ENEMIES, BUT ALSO THAT MR.

BLANCHARD'S BEST SUITED FOR THE WORLD BECAUSE AS HIS FORMER PERSONAL ATTORNEY, HE WOULD BE ABLE TO BE HONEST WITH THE PRESIDENT AND PUSHBACK. THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A SOLID ARGUMENT TO YOU? SEN. COONS: NO, BECAUSE THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT HE HAS DONE THAT. HE SEES HIMSELF AS LOYAL TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS AGENDA. NO, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THAT HAS LED HIM TO ACTUALLY PUSHBACK ON TERRIBLE IDEAS LIKE THE WEAPONIZATION FUND OR THE INDICTMENT OF EITHER JOURNALISTS WHO ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE INAPPROPRIATELY LEAKED OR THOSE WHO PRESIDENT TRUMP VIEWS AS HAS PERSONAL POLITICAL OPPONENTS.

I WILL REMIND YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP PUBLICLY BERATED PAM BONDI FOR NOT HAVING SUCCEEDED IN CONVICTING PEOPLE LIKE JAMES COMEY OR LETITIA JAMES, THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR AND THE NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO INDICTED AND PROSECUTED DONALD TRUMP RESPECTIVELY. THAT IS NOT A REASON TO VOTE FOR TODD BLANCHE WHEN HE ALSO HAS SHOWN A WILLINGNESS TO ADVANCE THAT AGENDA. WE SHOULD BE TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE WEAPONIZATION, FROM THE PARTISAN UTILIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO GO AFTER POLITICAL ENEMIES, NOT INSTALLED PERMANENTLY AS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES SOMEONE WHO HAS SHOWN MORE OF AN INTEREST IN BEING PERSONALLY LOYAL TO THE PRESIDENT THAN STANDING UP TO HIM AND SAYING NO.

JOE: YOU MENTIONED THE RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL, AND IT'S NOT OFTEN WE TALK WITHOUT GETTING INTO GEOPOLITICS. IF YOU COULD PUT YOUR FOREIGN POLICY HAT ON, A REPORT IN OPEN WITH," THAT VLAD

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