On CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight on Thursday evening, host Don Lemon brought on former Ohio Governor and “Never Trump” Republican John Kasich to discuss the ongoing partisan January 6 committee hearings.
Things took an unexpected turn when Kasich displayed some skepticism over the partisan makeup of the committee membership. He wondered “would it have been better if Pelosi allowed McCarthy to appoint some Republicans.”
Kasich added that “it would have been disruptive but would that have created an atmosphere where people who now say I'm not going to watch that, that's just a kangaroo court, would it have been better if we truly had a bipartisan committee there even though you would have disruptors because that's what gave Watergate the power.”
After going on about the history of the Watergate hearings, and how the Republicans on the committee eventually turned against then-President Richard Nixon, Lemon got angry and scolded Kasich: “do you want an answer to that? I know it was rhetorical.”
Lemon answered “no. This isn’t 1973.” He whined that Pelosi “offered them an opportunity to put sensible Republicans on the committee, and he refused. She offered him the opportunity really to do whatever he wanted to accept. She did not want to put crazy people, people who will tell you it's not raining when it's raining.”
He then defended the two Democrat-appointed turncoat “Republicans” who are on the January 6 committee: "Cheney and Kinzinger, come on? Look at me! Liz Cheney? Do you get any more conservative than Liz Cheney?”
“Do you get any more conservative than Kinzinger? A man who fought for our country. And is a Republican, a lifelong Republican” Lemon wailed.
Kasich defensively shot back that he was “just concerned that it's taken away from this sort of definition of bipartisan.” Lemon claimed “if we were in a time -- look, I think if Romney was the President” then that would be a different story in Lemon’s weak and feeble mind.
Lemon ended by saying that if there wasn’t an “insurrection at the Capitol or people trying to kill the democracy, I would say yes but we don’t live in those times. It’s great, it would be great. This isn’t 1973 though.”
This segment on CNN was made possible by Chase. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight
6/16/2022
10:49:39 p.m. EasternJOHN KASICH: Don, one thing that’s been interesting to me and I've been hearing this more from people is you can't never go back of course and be a Monday morning quarterback. But what you wonder is would it have been better if Pelosi allowed McCarthy to appoint some Republicans. It would have been disruptive but would that have created an atmosphere where people who now say I'm not going to watch that, that's just a kangaroo court, would it have been better if we truly had a bipartisan committee there even though you would have disruptors because that's what gave Watergate the power.
It was Republicans who finally turned against Nixon, the public turned against Nixon and many of them supported him. But in the end they said no the evidence was too much. So it's something we have to ask ourselves. And I think also, Don, despite all of this --
[crosstalk]
DON LEMON: Do you want an answer to that? I know it was rhetorical.
KASICH: Yeah.
LEMON: My answer is no. No. This isn’t 1973.
KASICH: You don’t think?
LEMON: No this isn’t 1973.
KASICH: Yeah I hear you.
LEMON: And mucking up the process with -- and I think it was truly bipartisan because they offered them -- she offered them an opportunity to put sensible Republicans on the committee, and he refused. She offered him the opportunity really to do whatever he wanted to accept. She did not want to put crazy people, people who will tell you it's not raining when it's raining.
KASICH: Yeah I understand that.
LEMON: So what’s the point? What would be the point of it?
KASICH: Don, I—
[crosstalk]
LEMON: So Cheney and Kinzinger, come on? Look at me! Liz Cheney? Do you get any more conservative than Liz Cheney?
KASICH: No I understand.
[crosstalk]
LEMON: Do you get any more conservative than Kinzinger? A man who fought for our country. And is a Republican, a lifelong Republican. And most of them voted for the President 90 percent of the time. They are not Republicans all of a sudden because they’re not crazy?
KASICH: You and I -- you and I understand it. And at the time I thought, well, you know, Pelosi didn't want these disruptors on there. The question is, for the future, do we want to just put people on even when at times they will not be very tolerable in terms of the way that they discuss things. I'm just concerned that it's taken away from this sort of definition of bipartisan. That’s the point I raised—
[crosstalk]
LEMON: If we were in a time -- look, I think if Romney was the President.
KASICH: I gotcha.
LEMON: Then maybe, okay. But this is a different time when we didn't have --
KASICH: Or if I were President.
LEMON: An insurrection at the Capitol or people trying to kill the democracy, I would say yes but we don’t live in those times. It’s great, it would be great. This isn’t 1973 though.
