Lesniewski for cq roll call. Senator, let me ask you about the news from this past week. You have concerns about the meeting between director comey general,eputy attorney where he was asking for Additional Resources to investigate russia was the same person that wrote the memo that led to his firing. My. Grassley it is understanding that within a few hours of this interview, somebody in the Justice Department cleared up that they were not asking for additional money. You accept that explanation from the Justice Department depart despite the reporting to the contrary that comey was seeking additional money . Sen. Grassley i usually accept what i am told unless there is lingering suspicion. Ms. Werner you have questions about the way the president handled the situation and the firing of director comey . Sen. Grassley i would look at my relationship with the fbi generally and i would look at a particularly with my relationship with comey. In my constitutional job of oversight, of having an opportunity to have a new fbi director. Us us look at how he briefed recently in secure areas on how the russiatigating flynn connection. We asked for a briefing and we had a hard time getting the briefing. Look at how it differs when we ask for a briefing on the investigation of the clinton emails. Another example of the inconsistency. When i want information and documents a lot of times, i do not get them. And people making the same request through the freedom of information act, get them. It is just inconceivable to me that citizen grassley could get some information through foia but senator grassley cannot get the same information and read about the information i want in the newspaper. I think i have plenty of reasons to question the need for a new fbi director beyond what the president thought was necessary. Steve scully Niels Lesniewski . Going toewski are you relay that message to anyone that becomes the nominee of President Trump to become the fbi director . And if you do not get what you need in the confirmation process, is President Trump going to have a difficulty getting a new fbi director confirmed . Sen. Grassley the trouble is i will get the proper answers and proper documents prior to confirmation but then it is afterwards that you have the problem. And it is not just with the fbi. I traditionally ask, both in my office when they come around for a prehearing interview, and then when they are in the formal interview so it is on the record i only say will you answer our phone calls . Will you answer our letters . We you come and testify when we ask you . We always get a firm yes. Hhs, but icretary of did say to a recent secretary of hhs, that you really ought to , because youestion do not always deliver on the promises. Yesterday, last year, i wrote 550 letters, mostly to bureaucrats, in my investigation as chairman of the committee and as an individual senator. Tendn the bureaucracy, you to get nonanswers. You keep trying and trying. And that is something that is because we are talking about the fbi, that is something i have had problems on with comey in previous fbi directors and quite frankly im sick of it. Steve scully what do you think the hearings will look like based on what we heard from chuck and others when he was fired this past week . Sen. Grassley any question is legitimate. You will hear from most howublicans and democrats will they handle this investigation . It is an go on whether in rem or acting fbi director because the ages do their job. The committees of congress are investigating whether they will do their job. They wont want to know if there is independence from the they will want to know if there is independence from the president. Is it a possible outcome that it would be a unanimous confirmation . Sen. Grassley it will be more difficult but i believe that they can find someone that has ame Senate Confirmation or very independent approach to what they do like a former judge , like a former judge webster who went to be fbi director. Someone that comes from the Judicial Branch of government. I think has some credibility just because that has been their working environment, you know. Theeverybody including senators all want to make sure that they are independent. But i am going to be very on how they respond to our oversight. We can pass laws and appropriate money that we also have the constitutional responsibility to make sure that these bureaucrats and agency heads and even the president of the united date do what the law requires. Mr. Lesniewski would you be concerned if the nominee was someone who may have to recuse themselves from the russia investigation because they were advising donald trump on the campaign or were somehow otherwise involved in the transition . Sen. Grassley i think the president and the people close to the president do not want to emphasize that anymore. They will get someone entirely away from that as far as i can tell. Journalists,le, meet me on capitol hill and this name has been suggested or another name and my usual response is to wait until we get a list of names and it is hopefully a short list and i would be happy to weigh in but i am not in the business of suggesting except for someone who is independent and have will do the job and who will have the respect of the people who are the fbi agents. Anything more to your statement on fox this past wednesday . Sen. Grassley i think that from that standpoint, i think that question prefaced something that the democrats were saying. There is nothing wrong with the democrats taking a position but we cannot dwell just on the news of the moment. To do andenty of work that is why i said we need to suck it up and move on. Say i said the same thing to a lot of conservatives three or four years ago when there was an issue of conservatives being not content with the president ial candidates. Thisd the conservatives is our candidate, suck it up and move on unless you want more of the same. Mr. Lesniewski how much are you aware of what is going on in terms of the Senate Intelligence committees work . Feinstein has been on the Intelligence Committee for a long time and used to be the chairwoman. Goingearly knows what is on there. How much involvement are you having with that or how much are you kept in the loop on what they are doing . Sen. Grassley i have conversations with her, what she can tell. Are some things that Intelligence Committee members know that other senators should not know because it is highly secret. But i am mostly attune to what i get from the news. You can say that is not a very good place to get it. I talked to some of my colleague on the committee. But most often, the thing that i would have directly that they have would be the one secure briefing that senator feinstein and i have had. That is the same thing that they would get. And we have her quest from both republicans and democrats to move forward with all of the that heat comey told us cannot tell us in an open setting. We will have a secure briefing on that but we would know we will dovetail that in with the white house and graham subcommittee with gates and clapper there. Things they could not tell them. At that point, i will get a lot more information and probably the same thing that the Intelligence Committee gets. Mr. Lesniewski how active have and how an how active has your staff in with senators graham and the white house . Have made ay we request for a totally independent group of people to help them. We did not have the resources to do that. So our regular staff is working with them. I emphasize what i just told you. One of the Democratic Senators, i suppose was indirectly criticizing me because i did not have been an independent group to work with them. We just did not have the resources to do that. But they are doing a good job and we will encourage them to continue to move forward. Ms. Werner based on everything that you have heard and seen so far, what is your personal level of concern, if any, about russias ties with the Trump Campaign or even ongoing with members of the administration . Sen. Grassley well, first of all, it is very important that we get all of the information. I can answer your question more fully. I think three or four committees of congress are investigating it. I am looking for them to do that early including the subcommittee of my committee. We will not for know what the fbi is finding out in their respect to it but we need to get to the bottom of it. So that people are not cynical about our election process. Know, not onlyu in the United States, we know there was an attempt to influence things. What has not been shown, and maybe it will not because there is no evidence of it, whether or not they manipulated any votes there is no indication of that. At this point, there are there are accusations but no proof. You have with the president said in his letter to comey that comey told him three times that he was not a target or being investigated i should say that that does not mean that someone else in the campaign could not have been involved. We also have evidence of their involved didnt of their involvement of hacking the dnc. Way back in 2015. In the fbi or someone offered help to the dnc and they turned it down. As i brought out in my Committee Meeting recently, the dnc should have taken the advice of the people who wanted to help them eight or nine months beforehand haveay be things would not gotten as bad as they did. But no, they wanted to handle everything by themselves. Ms. Werner you referenced what the president said that comey him him that comey told three times he was not under investigation. A number of former prosecutors and fbi officials have said it is highly unlikely that comey would actually have said that to the president. Would you like comey to be asked about that when he is on the hill next week . You have questions about that . Sen. Grassley as i said in my immittee meeting on thursday, can tell you that senator feinstein and i did not hear in our briefing by comey anything that departed from what was said in that letter. That is all i can tell you because Everything Else was secure. Alle scully senator, with of these investigations, the president ran on the promise of making America Great again hope this thing on tree, jobs, the economy and health care. Do you worry that that will all be sidelined . That the agenda that they ran on in 2016 will be distracted by this . But grassley i think it is not as much as the democratic obstruction in the United States senate of having to have a filibuster on almost every nominee for the cabinet and i have even heard now that we will on the governor of iowa being the ambassador to china. And he was reported out of committee in a minute unanimously. I am more worried about the historical amount of obstruction than what you have brought out. But what you have said is some detraction. Probably more for the white house than it is for the congress. We can move ahead on all of these things. In fact, you will hurt you will hear the word trumpcare. The weekend after he was sworn in, he was going to have a plan to present to congress within a few days. We never got such a plan. The house and the senate are on texthead on health, revision and eventually we will be moving ahead on the third most important thing that we have to do, infrastructure. Getting to the obstruction point for a minute, makes me ask the question about the blue slip process for judicial nominees. There has already been some talk that some of these nominations being sent out may not have the approval of Democratic Senators from their home states. How are you going to be approaching that if it falls in with a pattern that you are talking about . Believe they i blue slip process goes back almost 100 years. Pretty much consistently until the 1960s. It was pretty much that the blue slip was a factor but it may not personould not keep a from getting out of committee and if the person object did with and have to go and if ed wouldon object have to go to the floor. There have always been some exceptions. Leahy, said he was going to make sure the blue slip process was not abused. That is pretty much my position as well. I think it is very important that the white house work very closely with senators, both republican and democrat, but particularly those states where they have two Democratic Senators. And i think a big factor for me is the extent to which those Democratic Senators make sure that they have adequate communication with the white house. Then, there is another division. I think the blue slip is more judgesed for district or than it has been for circuit. In the case of circuit, going way back to ronald reagan, i can tell you that senator grassley and then senator jepson suggested someone for the eighth circuit. We got a phone call that said they decided to go with somebody else. It is much more a white house decision on circuit judges than the District Court judges. So, then, that would lead me to going to be an individual casebycase decision, but it leads me to say there is going to have to strict use or obligation to the blue slip policy for circuit. Because that has been the way it has been. Ms. Werner back on the issue of the fbi director. Just to be clear, do you have any names in mind you would like to recommend for that post or that you have already recommended to the white house . Sen. Grassley no. I have been asked that question and given the same answer. If you want a show of independence, then maybe someone from the Judicial Branch may be a good place to start. About twon asked different individuals. I have declined comment because i want to see a list. Ms. Werner would you declined comment on your colleague mike lees suggestion of Merrick Garland . Sen. Grassley i thought we ought to file the biden will and let people have a voice in the final analysis. I think garlin is an outstanding individual. As aw his reputation judge. I do not know anything out anything else about his reputation that there is not anything about garland himself that i could say no to. Steve scully you first came to the house in 1975 immediately after watergate. Seven terms in the senate. Where would you put the political divide in this town between the two parties based on your tenure in congress . Get thissley i question asked at my town meetings. Cants like this why you guys in washington, d. C. Get along with each other . Than it hasworse ever been but it is not as bad i know you are a journalist so you know this, but it is not as bad as my constituency. You folks in journalism like controversy and controversy gets attention. If grassley is fighting with the senator it gets in the news but if grassley was getting along and we voted unanimously and 18 bills got to the white house, you dont read about that because we are not fighting. I think it is worse and i help people in journalism will make sure that people know it is not quite as bad because all you read in the newspaper is controversy. Steve scully why do you say it is worse . Sen. Grassley well, i guess i gave you the judges as an example. Since 2001. Intohe shubert rule went effect and we could filibuster judges and we have been able to filibuster judges ever since. That is a pretty good example of it. But that is only one example. A filibuster on more than half of the Supreme Court on within half of the cabinet this year. Is theators said this slowest a cabinet has been approved since george washington. Another example, the first day of the obama administration, we approved half of the cabinet. Ms. Werner you indicated that you have problems with director comey and you welcomed a fresh start. What are your thoughts that there are that there is at least a perception problem with the president ousting the person at the head of the investigation of the president . Sen. Grassley well, the only thing i can go back to is the one document that was put together by rosenstein. And more portly, the personality rosenstein and i do not know him well except when he came to my office for an interview and then he was before our committee. I do not know him. Himpresident bush appoints and a president obama keeps him on and he wins 946 for confirmation. He is second in charge. The fbi reports to him. He feels there is a lack of confidence in him so i have to take the judgment of a guy that has such but broad bipartisan support. Mr. Lesniewski some of your colleagues on the judiciary committee, on the democratic side, blumenthal and urban come to mind they are drafting legislation to revive the old independent counsel statute or to allow for some other congressional method of getting a special prosecutor if rosenstein does not go the way they would like him to go, i believe in appointing a special prosecutor through the Justice Department. Will there be any appetite among republicans, yourself or others, for bringing back that law or some variant of it . Sen. Grassley not as a general the justicewhen department can do it on its own. Basis for ae the change in law. Instance like this, i do not see it happening now but that would be the only way it would be considered, i am sure. What you mentioned rosenstein. Thinke only reason i people have legitimacy, and at this point, i do not think they have legitimacy for talking about passing a bill, they probably all supported rosenstein in the first place. Maybe blumenthal didnt but most of them did. Why would they be questioning his judgment if they thought he a 946d enough to get vote for the United States senate . I think there is a bigger reason here. That is what have we been talking about since early january about getting to the bottom of the russiaflynn connection or the russiapresumably trump connection . We want transparency. You know how special counsels work. If there is not an indictment, there is no report done. We have the Intelligence Committees of both houses, a House Oversight committee, my Committee Investigating it. And we are going to report so people are going to know everything that we know when it is all said and done. Steve scully what are your thoughts on the tweets of the president . He gives us a lot of reasons to have to explain. And clarify. Steve scully do they bother you . The answer um is, from the standpoint of may be not running them by other people before they go out. But it is they do, like sometimes when i tweet something that i should not tweet. Steve scully he says that they are all his. Sen. Grassley without a doubt. I think that he has made a case for continuing to do it because he gets his message out and he gets people concentrating on what he wants to talk about instead of what the media wants to talk about. Steve scully do they become a distraction for you and others in the house and the senate . Sen. Grassley no. Ms. Werner you just spoke about transparency. That is apparently very important to you and you have pursued that goal in various ways throughout your career. What do you think of the transparency or lack thereof of this administration . They have taken steps like closing the white house visitor log. Perhaps asking agencies not to make congressional requests public. Other things of that ilk. Sen. Grassley i think i made that clear in the letter that and i wrotechavis to the hhs secretary. He put that is a violation of the constitutional right of Freedom Freedom of speech. Its a violation of the whistleblower protection laws. And we ought to be an executive branch that wants more transparency, not less. Because the federal government appears to obscure, to so many people in the grassroots of america, from the president on down, we ought to be doing everything we can to aquaint more people with the workings of government. When you have anything that obscures that, i think its bad. Your question implies about trump. I dont after 110 days, 120 want to draw a judgment about trump yet. But you heard me draw this judgment about president obama. On january 21, 2009, im going to be the most Transparent Administration in the history of the country. I wouldnt say that hes different than other people, but by his own benchmark he turned out to be the most stonewalling of any president informant history of our country. President in the history of our country. Im going to do everything i can to make sure this president doesnt do that. Mr. Lesniewski ill take the final question and ask about another item on the agenda going forward. How do you expect that, the white house didnt send over the new health care proposal, in the first weeks and you all are having to do the hard work. You used to be the finance Committee Chairman vand been very active on that committee. How long is it going to take everyone to get a Health Care Bill written that can with stand reconciliation and get enough votes to pass . Mr. Grassley you kind of answered your own question. This may sound like a facetious answer but were not going to go through the Public Relations problems that the house of representatives had for a month in particular that week when they said they were going to pass it back in march. The answer to your question is when we get 51 votes. Mr. Lesniewski are you prepared or preparing for a confirmation hearing for another vacancy on the Supreme Court . Mr. Grassley not preparing but im exenkting one. Based upon expecting one. Based upon the rumors that you hear during may and june. When you get down. Every year you get these rumors. Everybodys looking, have they hired their clerks, etc. , etc. Are they sick or something. I dont know who its going to be, but i think were going to ave one yet this year. Thank you very much for being with us on news makerers d and the questioning of newsmakers and the questioning ms. Werner and mr. Nes lesniewski. O all of you, thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] one of the headlines in politico, mccabe contradicts white house on comey. The acting f. B. I. Director Andrew Mccabe said his predecessor, james kobe coal miney, who was fired tuesday, had not lost the confidence of rank and file f. B. I. Agents. Contradicting the reasons put forward by the white house. Heres the acting f. B. I. Director. Mr. Mccabe is it accurate that the rank and file no locker supported irector comey . Mr. Mccabe no, sir, thats not accurate. I can tell you i worked very closely with director comey from the moment he started at the f. B. I. I was his executive assistant director of National Security at that time. Then worked for him running the Washington Field office. Of course ive served as deputy for the last year. I can tell you that i hold director comey in the highest regard. I have the highest respect for his considerable abilities and his integrity and it is has been the greatest it has been the greatest privilege and honor of my professional life to work with him. I can tell you also that director comey enjoyed broad support within the f. B. I. And still does to this day. We are a large organization, we are 36,500 people across this country, across this globe. We have a diversity of opinions about many things. But i can confidently tell you that the majority, the vast majority of f. B. I. Employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to director comey. Thank you for your candor. Do you feel like you have the adequate resources for the existing investigations that the bureau is invested in right now to follow them wherever they may lead . Mr. Mccabe sir, if youre referring to the russia investigation, i do. I believe we have the adequate resources to do it and i know that we have resourced that investigation adequately. If youre referring to the many constantly multiplying counterintelligence threats that we face across the spectrum, they get bigger and more challenging every day and resources become an issue over time. But in terms of that investigation, i can assure you, we are covered. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] you can watch the entire Senate IntelligenceCommittee Hearing tonight at 8 00 eastern on cspan. Education secretary betsy devos delivered the commencement address at bethunecookman university. A historically black college in daytona, florida. Graduates booed during her speech. At one point the schools president threatened to mail the students their degrees. Ms. Devos dr. Jackson, board of trustees. Thank you so very, very much for his great honor and privilege. [crowd booing] im honored to become a wildcat. And its a real honor and privilege to be with you as we