CIA Analyst-Turned-Rep. Elissa Slotkin is Putting Pocketbook Issues Before Politics
*By Justin Chermol and Megan Pratz*
Elissa Slotkin is ready to swap the farmland of Michigan for the gridlock of Washington.
Come Jan. 3, the incoming Democratic congresswoman, a former CIA analyst, will represent Michigan’s 8th District, which President Trump won by a nearly 7-point margin in 2016.
Slotkin's upset victory over the Republican incumbent Mike Bishop reflected her constituents' dissatisfaction with their leadership and "the perception of chaos" in Washington.
“I think people in general feel unheard, unrepresented ー that the process needs major overhaul, and I think a lot of people call into question both parties,” Slotkin told Cheddar’s J.D. Durkin.
A third-generation Michigander, Slotkin grew up on a farm in the town of Holly. She lives on that farm today, and has seen firsthand the impact of one Trump policy that is also frustrating locals: tariffs.
“We lease all of our land to a soybean farmer and I think the tariffs have been a really destabilizing factor for a lot of our farmers,” Slotkin said. “I think they're hoping things get better, but the current situation sort of feels like the cure for the disease is worse than the disease itself when it comes to these retaliatory tariffs.
China, the world's largest importer of soy, resumed buying soybeans from U.S. farmers after a trade truce was struck with President Trump at a meeting on Dec. 1. On Saturday, Trump [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1079045134061371392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2018%2F12%2F29%2Ftrump-hails-call-with-chinas-xi-says-trade-talks-are-making-progress.html) on Saturday that he had a “long and very good call” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that a "deal is moving along very well."
In August, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented a [farmer assistance program](https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2018/08/27/usda-announces-details-assistance-farmers-impacted-unjustified), authorizing up to $12 billion in relief to farmers affected by trade with China.
But Slotkin said the instability has been tough on farmers, and government assistance is an unpopular solution.
“A lot of people don't love the idea that they have to receive aid,” Slotkin said. These are people who have made it their entire lives by working hard ー they don't want assistance.”
As for the drama transfixing Washington around Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation, the incoming congresswoman is not rushing to judgment, and said she will "read every page" of the special report before making up her mind about impeachment.
“I did not get elected to Congress, and I would not be doing my job, if I supported a truly just political act of trying to impeach him that ended up with him still in office and wasted 18 months of time where we could be getting things done,” she said.
Slotkin spent 14 years as a career national security officer in the CIA, under former President George W. Bush and former President Obama. As a young CIA officer, Slotkin said she came to respect Mueller, who was director of the FBI at the time.
"I'm a big believer in Bob Mueller," she said.
As she prepares to enter Congress, Slotkin credits her success to the pragmatism of her community and the manner in which she conducted her campaign.
“I think part of the reason we were elected was because people feel like they want a different generation that works harder and thinks bigger and never forgets that they are public servants.”
Face to face for just over two hours, President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin squared off in a secure video call Tuesday as the U.S. president put Moscow on notice that an invasion of Ukraine would bring enormous harm to the Russian economy.
Ahead of Instagram head Adam Mosseri's congressional hearing on the mental impact of the social platform on teens, the company announced a number of updates aimed at teen safety.
Troubled Chinese real estate giant Evergrande is once again nearing the brink of collapse. Shares of Evergrande sunk to a new record low on Monday, closing down 20 percent, as debt default fears resurfaced. Drew Bernstein, co-chairman at consultancy MarcumBP, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. He said U.S. investors have to understand that "there is no company in China that's too big to fail, that's for sure," and that the Chinese government will be prioritizing the social welfare of the populace. Bernstein did note that it would be a managed collapse in some form.
Joan Greve, a politics reporter at The Guardian US, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down the implications of the Biden administration announcing a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing games in response to allegations of human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. She noted the significance of the move, assessing the already frayed relationship between the U.S. and China. "The Chinese have said that a boycott would be politically manipulative, and now they are actually threatening countermeasures," she said. "And that will certainly have an impact on the spirit of the games at the very least."
The Biden administration has reached an agreement with the Mexican government to resume the "Remain-in-Mexico" policy under court order. By reinstating a Trump-era border policy, asylum-seekers will be forced to stay in Mexico until their U.S. immigration court date. The program is set to resume on Monday. Ryan Devereaux, a reporter for The Intercept, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The U.S. announced it will not send any official representation to the upcoming Beijing winter Olympics. Cheddar's Hena Doba speaks with East Asia expert Michael Swaine about the reasons behind the diplomatic move.
COVID-19 is still battering the nation's criminal justice system, causing a massive backlog in cases and delaying verdicts for months on end. This, combined with the fear of crowded prisons during a pandemic, has prompted many defendants to plead guilty in exchange for time served or probation. Tina Luongo, attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice, joined Cheddar to discuss the court backlog, the rise in plea bargains, and why this was an issue long before the pandemic.
With so many high-profile court cases taking over the media, from the trial over the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse to the ongoing Elizabeth Holmes trial, Cheddar took a look at these cases and why there is such a big interest in them. Rachel Fiset, a white collar criminal defense lawyer and partner with Zeiback, Fiset, and Coleman, and Bryan Hance, attorney-at-law, professor, and academic program director of the pre-law and paralegal studies program at National University, joined Cheddar for a roundtable discussion on why there is so much public interest in so-called courtroom drama.
Carlo and Baker discuss the sweeping new vaccine mandate in NYC that will target all private businesses. Plus, Trump's media venture gets its CEO and more.
