Jeff Flake Talks Impeachment and More
Slate News
Slate Podcasts
4.5 • 6K Ratings
🗓️ 30 September 2019
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In a week that saw the talks of impeachment boil over into Congressional action, a former Republican Senator says Speaker Nancy Pelosi was right to hold off on an impeachment inquiry until now. Once a reliable critic of the Trump administration, Jeff Flake joins Mary Harris to discuss a week that could change the presidency, how he’s reflecting on the Kavanaugh hearings one year later, and why there’s no room for him in today’s Republican party.
This conversation was recorded live at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, TX.
Guest: Former Senator of Arizona, Jeff Flake
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Last week, while Washington was barreling forward with an impeachment inquiry, I flew to Texas. |
| 0:12.7 | It seemed like a pretty awful time to be off the show, but I wanted to go anyway because I had this interview to do. |
| 0:18.5 | A live show at the Texas Tribune Festival. |
| 0:21.5 | Hey, everyone. Hey, I'm Mary Harris. I host Slate's daily news podcast, What Next? And when I say it's daily, I mean, five days a week. |
| 0:33.5 | Although right now, I feel like I could use an hourly podcast giving me updates. |
| 0:39.0 | I don't know if you feel the same way. |
| 0:40.7 | I was there to speak to former Senator Jeff Flake. |
| 0:43.3 | You remember him, the Republican who held up the Kavanaugh hearings. |
| 0:47.3 | He retired last year. |
| 0:48.8 | But before doing that, he'd made a name for himself as a reliable critic of President Trump. |
| 0:53.9 | He even skipped the Republican convention in 2016. He'd made a name for himself as a reliable critic of President Trump. |
| 0:57.9 | He even skipped the Republican convention in 2016. |
| 1:01.3 | He told the Washington Post, I've got to mow my lawn. |
| 1:06.6 | But, Jeff, like, come on on. |
| 1:10.9 | Come join me. |
| 1:13.7 | I did mow my lawn, by the way. |
| 1:15.4 | I mean, just say it. |
| 1:26.0 | Today on the show, my full conversation with Jeff Flake, about impeachment, about Brett Kavanaugh, and about why he didn't stay in Washington and keep fighting. |
| 1:30.0 | I'm Mary Harris. You're listening to What Next? Stick with us. |
| 1:44.1 | I spoke to former Senator Jeff Lake as the impeachment news in Washington was boiling over. The Director of National |
| 1:45.7 | Intelligence had just testified in Congress. And earlier that morning, the whistleblower's |
| 1:50.9 | complaint had been released to the public. So I have to tell you before this week, I had a whole |
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