Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) On The Infighting Between President Trump, Majority Leader McConnell & Speaker Ryan: It’s Healthy Sometimes For People To Have An Honest Exchange

Senator Mike Lee, (R-UT) joined Brian Kilmeade in studio to discuss President Trump’s response to Hurricane Harvey, how China needs to get tough on North Korea because Kim Jong-un has enough conventional weapons to do tremendous damage to our allies, republicans needing to pass tax reform and why it’s healthy for disagreements between President Donald Trump, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan.

Plus, Senator Lee discusses his book “Written Out of History: The Forgotten Founders Who Fought Big Government”

Watch here:

Senator Lee on President Trump’s response so far to Hurricane Harvey

(LEE) I do think it’s great that he went down there and I think the fact that he doesn’t utter exactly the words that somebody wants on one occasion shouldn’t be discouraging to anyone. I think the fact that he was there shows tremendous amount of empathy shows that he’s got these people on his mind and I congratulate him for going down there and doing that.

Senator Lee on North Korea

(Kilmeade) Last time for the third time yesterday for the third time a rocket went over that country and it would have been on the same path to Guam. and now you find out that the leader of North Korea was there at the time sitting on a desk and laughing and pledging to do more and we have now said that even china says this is a tipping point and our President said we have talked and paid extortion money in the past to feed their people that’s going to come to an end and all options are on the table. What are your thoughts?

(LEE) First of all if China means this if china really means this has to stop China needs to make it stop. China can be a tremendous help to us here. Look North Korea is entirely dependent their causes in China and if China decides to really get tough with North Korea this will stop and it does have to stop. Look this guy has some very evil designs and he’s got some very bad ideas about what the world should look like. He’s already even before he develops this next level of missile technology he’s already got enough bad weapons even just conventional weapons alone to do tremendous damage to our allies in the region and I like to encourage China to continue to ratchet up pressure on North Korea, those guys can’t do anything with help without help from China.

Senator Lee on if we need to consider military options against North Korea

(LEE) We absolutely have to consider military options there is no question about it and I believe those are being considered. In the meantime I think we’ve got to do absolutely everything we can do as far as diplomacy and economic sections, putting pressure on North Korea and on China to put pressure on North Korea in order to make this stop. I do think that North Korea can be stopped here but it’s going to take a lot of force and I hope it doesn’t have to come to actual physical kinetic force.

Senator Lee on passing tax reform

(Kilmeade) If people listening right now are cynical about republicans passing tax relief what do you tell them?

(LEE) I tell them I am still optimistic congress is going to pass something, why because republicans in congress have to. If we don’t do this we are dead, we might as well fold up our tents and go home.

(Kilmeade) Not tax cuts, tax reform.

(LEE) Tax reform. I think that is going to provide relief for a number of Americans especially for middle class families. when the federal government takes as much out of the American economy as it does and when it does so through a tax code that takes up nearly one hundred thousand pages, this is bad for the American people it’s good for a few insiders in Washington it’s bad for everyone else we’ve got to get that reform.

Senator Lee on the infighting between President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell & Speaker Ryan

(Kilmeade) How much legitimate concern should people have about the angst and criticism the President is receiving and vice versa from Senator Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, whether its things that directly or indirectly affect them?

(LEE) Look there are always going to be disagreements between people in the legislative branch and people in the executive branch.

(Kilmeade) On the same party like this?

(LEE) Yeah it’s going to happen from time to time. Even healthy sometimes for people to have an honest exchange but what I hope we will do even amidst those personal exchanges is focus on the policy, focus on who’s being harmed when congress doesn’t get health care reform passed. When congress having campaigned on Obamacare repeal for seven years doesn’t pass it. I want to see actual policy discussions that we have lost or that have been too scarce this year.

Senator Lee’s advice to President Trump on dealing with criticism from Senator’s Flake, McCain & Corker

(Kilmeade) What advice do you have for the President when it comes angst with Senator Flake, John McCain and now Bob Corker is a critic of the President, what’s your recommendation?

(LEE) My recommendation is to stay the course in fighting the accumulation of power in Washington. One of the things the President said when he was sworn in on an inauguration day was this is a transfer of power not just from one president to another or one party to another. I want this to be a transfer of power from Washington DC back to the American people continue to focus on that and we’ll get stuff done. I appreciate what this president has done already in that direction look for every new regulation his administration has issued they’ve taken down sixteen that’s a pretty bold statement.