Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., comments on the aftermath of Friday's bombing in Nashville.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Now, over to you Rachel
Rachel, you got it
Fox news alert authorities
searching a home tied to a
person of interest in the
Nashville Christmas bombing
Griff, the Tennessee governor,
asking President Trump to
declare a state of emergency
will Tennessee congressman
Chuck Fleischmann is joining us
now with the latest in the
investigation
congressman thanks. So much
youre, of course, congressman
from the State of Tennessee
tell us what you know about the
latest on the investigation
there with the bombing in
Nashville.
Well, obviously, this is
still under investigation,
a very sad occurrence any time,
but for this to happen to our
great Capitol City in Nashville
on Christmas day is so saddening.
I spoke with Mayor Cooper
yesterday in Nashville offered
my full assistance but its an
ongoing investigation.
I applaud local and federal law
enforcement authorities who have
gone out very quickly and
theyre gathering the facts.
Theyre gathering the facts.
They will present them to the
american people as soon as
possible, but no real
conclusions have been drawn yet
Rachel congressman whats, the
feeling in Nashville right
now.
Well, this is a very
beautiful city.
This is a city that, over the
years, has grown into a
tremendous metropolis.
People from all over the country
come there, but this particular
part of Nashville is very
touristy, very old, just very
quaint and beautiful, so shocked
shocked, saddened to think that
in the United States of America
that something like this could
happen, its almost unfathomable,
but not only our
thoughts and prayers. But I told
Mayor Cooper yesterday that, in
my role as the ranking member
on the homeland Security
appropriations subcommittee
were going to do everything
with FEMA to make sure that the
funding is there. So we can
rebuild this part of
Nashville and get it back on
track.
Griff congressman as a fellow
Tennesseean, I want to give you
an opportunity to really commend
the six Nashville Police Officer
S who, on what was no
doubt a quiet cold Christmas
morning. You see them there
officer, Hosey, Luellen, spy, all
and wells and Sargent Miller.
They had essentially fifteen minutes.
They dont know what was coming
and they had a very strange
Erie and, quite honestly, weird
recording with music playing out
of an rv, and yet they lept
into action. With the
heroic decisions that are to
be commended this morning,
all of these fantastic law
enforcement officials ought to
be praised
and lauded for everything that
they have done
again. Thats, why we have got to
support law enforcement in
America.
These men and women put their
lives on the line for us every
day, just think about the short
timeframe in which they had to
operate, and then the tragedy
that followed.
They clearly kept people from
being killed.
Something like this is obviously
a horrific event, but they
clearly did their actions made
it now that people were not
killed and that we can move
forward with the cleanup
they all ought to be commended
not only locally but nationally
as well
will Griff. I did not know you
were a native tennesseean that
makes three people who is near
and dear to their heart. On this
set,
I spent a good portion of the
pandemic in Blunt County,
Tennessee and ive grown to love
that state
theres a reason, its called the
volunteer state, and you see
it in the spirit of the
officers rushing towards
danger
congressman. Let me ask you about
something more important coming
up tomorrow and that is a vote.
Nancy Pelosi intends to put
two thousand dollars direct payments in line
with what President Trump wants
as well to vote for the american
people.
We had congressman KEN Buck of
Colorado on yesterday.
I asked him: would he vote for
two thousand dollars direct Covid relief
bill and he said only if its
accompanied by a reduction in
spending in the omnibus?
What will you do?
Will you vote for a increase in
direct payments tomorrow?
Well, first and foremost, we
have to see how this comes
together,
consistent with what my
colleague, Mr Buck had said, and
what other people are looking at.
Weve got to understand that
there were actually a con
ruence a coming together of two
very odd bills.
You have the appropriations
package which had been passed
from October until this time
being joined by a covid package.
Typically, these would have been
standalone
the fact that they got merged
together. It was messaged as a
mess.
Now we all left Washington
candidly thinking that there was
a deal.
It was not an ideal situation,
but my goal was to bring the
most relief to the american
people as quickly as possible:
unemployment relief, direct
relief aid to small businesses.
Our airlines are bringing thirty two thousand
people back to work, so we want
to get aid to the american
people, but the american people
who were calling me my
constituents are very upset with
what they deem to be wasteful
spending on the appropriations
side of the bill.
We understand that
I dont think the Democrats are
willing to take that out
to his credit leader, Mccarthy,
put up a bill to get that
wasteful spending out and that
was defeated
in the press. They talked about
the two thousand dollars being defeated, but in
reality both were defeated,
not only the two thousand dollars, but the
wasteful spending so lets
see how it comes together.
My goal is to get the most
relief to the american people as
quickly as possible,
Griff Congressman in just a
word. Do you think the president
waited too late to get this
involved?
No, actually, the president
has been involved with this
situational along and has
done a very good job. In my
estimation,
Secretary Mnuchin was and has
been involved for months with
negotiation with congressional
leaders, and I think you raise a
very good point, though.
The covid side of the bill was
largely negotiated by leadership
on both sides of the capitol and
both sides of the political
spectrum.
The appropriations bill has been
a process that actually has gone
on throughout the whole year,
for example, on the homeland
side, I worked hard to get money
in for the wall that is actually
in there for I dot CE beds that
is actually in there for law
enforcement that is actually in
there.
So there are basically the sad
part about it is because of the
timing and everything that
these two very different bills
came together as basically one
package. So this is something
that everyones concerned.
Obviously, the president has a
big heart for the american
people always has and always
will, but we do as well.
Transcript generated on 2020-12-27.