FROM THE CAPITAL CITY OF
CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, THIS
IS "INSIDE WEST VIRGINIA
POLITICS" WITH MARK CURTIS.
"INSIDE WEST VIRGINIA POLITICS"
IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY AARP WEST
VIRGINIA, YOUR ALLY FOR REAL
POSSIBILITIES IN THE MOUNTAIN
STATE.
GOOD SUNDAY MORNING,
EVERYONE, WELCOME TO ANOTHER
EDITION OF "INSIDE WEST VIRGINIA
POLITICS."
I'M YOUR HOST, MARK CURTIS.
LOTS GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF
POLITICS AT THE WEST VIRGINIA
STATE CAPITOL BUT ALSO AT THE
U.S. CAPITOL IN WASHINGTON D.C.
JOINING US THIS MORNING,
CONGRESSMAN MOONEY FROM THE
SECOND DISTRICT, REPUBLICAN.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BIG
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
A LOT OF THE DEMOCRATS IN YOUR
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ARE
TALKING ABOUT IMPEACHING
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS, DO YOU
THINK IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN OR DO
YOU THINK THIS IS A WASTE OF
TIME?
I SERVE ON THE FINANCIAL
SERVICES COMMITTEE, CHAIRED BY
MAXINE WATERS WHO HAS MADE
IMPEACHMENT HER TOP ISSUE, SO
OCASIO CORTEZ AS WELL.
AND IF THEY WANT TO HAVE AN
IMPEACHMENT VOTE, LET'S HAVE IT,
LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH.
IT'S RIDICULOUS, THERE IS NO
REASON TO IMPEACH, THERE'S NO
REASON TO HAVE THIS
INVESTIGATION TO BEGIN WITH.
LET'S HAVE A VOTE, SEE WHERE
THEY STAND ON THAT.
I OF COURSE WILL VOTE TO PROTECT
THE PRESIDENT.
BUT LET'S HAVE A VOTE AND MOVE
ON.
WE SHOULD HAVE MOVED ON TWO
YEARS AGO.
I THINK BACK TO '98 AND '99
WHEN I WAS A REPORTER IN
WASHINGTON D.C., I COVERED BILL
CLINTON'S IMPEACHMENT FROM GAVEL
TO GAVEL, AND YOU HAD A LOT OF
PEOPLE MAKE THE SAME ARGUMENTS
BACK THEN, THAT THERE ARE NOT
THE VOTES TO GET HIM OUT OF
OFFICE AND NOTHING IS GOING TO
GET DONE, WE'LL HAVE LEGISLATIVE
GRIDLOCK.
DOES THE SAME ARGUMENT APPLY
NOW?
I WOULD SAY THAT IT DOES.
THE FAR LEFT AND MOST OF THE
DEMOCRATS JUST CAN'T GET OVER
THE FACT THAT PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP WON THE ELECTION, THEY'RE
GRASPING AT STRAWS, AND THIS
IMPEACHMENT TALK IS BAD FOR THE
COUNTRY.
WE SHOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER ON
THINGS LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE,
OPIOID ISSUES, TAX POLICY,
THERE'S A LOT WE CAN DO
TOGETHER.
INSTEAD THEIR HATRED OF TRUMP
HAS CONSUMED THEM, MANY OF THEM,
NOT ALL OF THEM.
BUT THEY NEED TO GET OVER IT AND
MOVE ON AND WORK TOGETHER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE
OTHER ISSUES, IN PARTICULAR
INFRASTRUCTURE, BECAUSE THE
PRESIDENT WALKED INTO A MEETING
LAST WEEK WITH SPEAKER PELOSI
AND MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER AND
THE MEETING LASTED THESE THAN
THREE MINUTES.
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT
INFRASTRUCTURE BUT THE PRESIDENT
WAS UPSET BECAUSE NANCY PELOSI
HAD ACCUSED HIM OF OPERATING A
COVERUP.
IT'S ONE THING TO DISAGREE IN
THE ELECTION TIME BUT IT'S
ANOTHER THING TO SAY YOU WANT TO
IMPEACH SOMEONE AND WORK WITH
THEM AN HOUR LATER.
I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE DO NEED TO
PASS THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL,
IT'S TIME.
IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN WORK
TOGETHER ON.
I DO THINK THE DEMOCRATS HAVE
ADDED A NEW TWIST TO IT THAT WE
WOULDN'T HAVE HAD IF REPUBLICANS
WERE IN CONTROL WHICH IS A GAS
TAX.
THEY WANT TO ADD A GAS TAX.
I DO NOT THINK WE NEED TAX
INCREASES.
SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN MOVE ON FROM
THAT GAS TAX, NOT DO IT AND PASS
WHAT WE NEED FOR ROADS AND
BRIDGES WITHOUT RAISING TAXES.
YOUR DISTRICT GOES FROM THE
OHIO RIVER IN JACKSON COUNTY ALL
THE WAY TO THE TO POTOMAC.
I REALIZE IT'S MOSTLY A STATE
ISSUE, BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU HEAR
FROM CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THE
STATE OF ROADS, BRIDGES AND
HIGHWAYS IN YOUR DISTRICT?
I HEAR IT A LOT, BECAUSE IT
IS ROADS.
AND THAT'S THE OTHER BATTLE TO
MAKE SURE THE MONEY ISN'T TAKEN
FROM BIG CITIES WHERE THEY DO
MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS AND SUBWAYS
AND TRAINS AND THINGS WHICH WE
MOSTLY DON'T HAVE IN WEST
VIRGINIA, AND THAT'S VERY
EXPENSIVE.
SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE MONEY
ISN'T TAKEN TO THOSE AREAS AND
HURTS WEST VIRGINIA BY NOT
HAVING THE ROAD MONEY, SO WE'LL
FIGHT FOR THAT.
PART OF MY ROLE IS TO FIGHT FOR
RURAL AREAS, LIKE MY DISTRICT
THAT STRETCHES ACROSS THE WHOLE
STATE, IT'S A BLESSING TO BE
ABLE TO REPRESENT IT.
BUT I INTEND TO FIGHT FOR OUR
FAIR SHARE OF ROAD DOLLARS.
YOU'VE GOT THE MINORITY WHIP
DEALING WITH THE SECOND
AMENDMENT.
EXPLAIN WHAT IT DOES.
ALL THIS OTHER STUFF ABOUT
IMPEOPLEMENT IS A DISTRACTION, I
THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO FOCUS ON
SECOND AMENDMENT, CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHTS TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS.
MY BILL SAYS IF YOU'RE A MEMBER
OF THE MILITARY AND YOU SERVE IN
A STATE, YOU CAN BUY A FIREARM
IN EITHER PLACE.
A LOT OF DEMOCRATS ARE
MEMBERS OF THE N.R.A., BUT WHAT
ARE THE ODDS HERE?
I THINK THE ODDS ARE DECENT.
IF YOU PUT IT UP FOR A VOTE I
THINK IT WOULD PROBABLY PASS
BECAUSE IT'S COMMON SENSE.
EVERYONE HAS TO COMPLY WITH THE
LAWS OF THE INDIVIDUAL STATE,
THE GUN LAWS, AND THEY'RE LAW
ABIDING CITIZENS, MANY ARE
MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY, WHO WE
SHOULD BE HONORING THEIR SECOND
AMENDMENT RIGHTS, SO IT
SHOULDN'T BE THAT HARD.
THANK YOU, CONGRESSMAN
MOONEY, GREAT TO SEE YOU, COME
BACK THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN THE
CAPITAL CITY.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR
DISCUSSION OF POLITICS THIS WEEK
FOCUSING ON EDUCATION REFORM AT
THE CAPITOL.
STAY WITH US.
