Although Mark Sanford has been a vocal critic of President Trump's excessive spending and demeanor, the former Republican Congressman from South Carolina so far hasn't pressed his former Capitol Hill colleagues to call for articles of impeachment. Rather, in an interview with Cheddar over the weekend, Sanford brought up the idea of "censure" instead.
"If you can't kill the king, don't shoot at him," Sanford said. "I have a problem with some of the components of Trump-ism, and if you want to — in essence — end it, it has to be ended at the electoral voting booth."
On September 8, Sanford announced he, too, would run for President, saying the Republican party has lost its way. Sanford served in Congress from 1995 to 2001 and again in 2013 to 2019, with a stint as governor in between (during which he disappeared for several days with his mistress).
Sanford has stated the reason he lost his seat in last year's midterm election is because he publicly disagreed with Trump.
Although Sanford does not have a vote on any articles of impeachment, his situation as a GOP rival to President Trump during an impeachment inquiry is unique. He told Cheddar the public focus on the inquiry could put a snag in his presidential bid. "The giant sucking sound that we'll hear this fall is impeachment."
"I think you are going to see a real circling of the wagons at times," Sanford added. "That'll make it more difficult, not just for me to my message out, but frankly for a lot of others."
But despite the trouble he predicts for his campaign, Sanford thinks lawmakers need to act on the reports they have received regarding the potentially problematic use of White House power to try to get Ukraine to investigate political rival, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter.
"What you don't want is for the House to move forward with articles, the Senate to do nothing, and then what the President says: 'See, I'm absolved of all guilt, what was going on in Ukraine was totally proven false,'" Sanford said.
Sanford says he is in line with former colleague House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.
"Let's tap the breaks here," Sanford says of Clyburn. "Let's go through the process, see what we find, and then we're going to figure [out what to do] as to whether we should or shouldn't go forward with impeachment."
U.S. officials spoke to Russian leaders for nearly eight hours earlier this week, in hopes of reducing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Russia forced the west to the negotiating table by massing 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, sparking fears of an invasion, and then submitted a set of demands which the west rejected. Joel Rubin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State & President at Washington Strategy Group explains what the rest of the week might look like, and why other European nations may be on the side of the U.S.
Chicago schools opened their doors again following a dispute between the teachers union and the city over as the omicron variant continues to surge, but the safety issues they fought over weren't just limited to the Windy City. Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell, family medicine and urgent care doctor, joined Cheddar in discussing concerns of parents, teachers, and students as schools try to operate amid COVID and noted what she's been observing as the number of infections among children rises. "I am seeing them contract the illness from so many different aspects," she said. "It could be from a fellow classmate. It could be from a parent. All of those things really play in the effect of transmission as well as contracting the illness."
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) is looking for clarification about a federal standard regarding THC impairment while driving. "I think in terms of marijuana, the fact that it's still a Schedule 1 narcotic — it's treated the same as heroin and cocaine — it means that we can't get standards developed," he said about the lack of cohesive regulations. The lawmaker also explained his previous opposition to cannabis legalization in Colorado when he was governor and why his position changed.
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day fast approaching, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C. 6th District), the House Majority Whip, talked about the importance of honoring the iconic civil rights activist. "As we consider the life and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., let's think about who and what we are as a country, and whether or not we're going to give up on the ideals of this country or continue to press forward," he said. Clyburn also discussed the push for new voting legislation, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act, as well as the fate of the Senate filibuster.
One year after the attack on Capitol Hill, America is still deeply divided and politically broken. Zoe Tillman, senior reporter for BuzzFeed News, breaks down President Biden's remarks on January 6, and why the country disagrees on its views over the violent insurrection.
While the pandemic caused financial troubles for many, the unique circumstances of the last two years proved helpful to many Americans. Whether it was the federal government's stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, or general lockdowns, recent data reveals that the covid-19 pandemic helped many reach financial security. Neale Godfrey, Financial Expert and New York Times #1 Best Selling Author joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
U.S. markets opened higher despite red-hot inflation data which showed the highest surge in nearly 40 years. Jon Maier, CIO, GlobalX ETFs joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss this historic report.
Meta's request to have a Federal Trade Commission antitrust lawsuit dismissed was rejected by a federal judge. Prosecutors presented enough evidence in their latest filing to go forward with the case accusing the tech giant of operating a social networking monopoly through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Covid cases have started to spike again across the nation, and this time they seem to be hitting some of our youngest and most vulnerable - school-aged children. School districts across the nation - including the country's largest public school system in New York City- are all grappling with what to do as teachers and students alike continue to miss school in droves.
Katie Honan, reporter for the New York City-based non profit news organization, The City explains how educational leaders across the country are handling covid demands from both teachers and parents alike.
Last week, the Supreme Court began here to hear arguments on two of the President's COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The vaccine or testing requirement for employees of large businesses, as well as the vaccine mandate for health care providers who get funding through either Medicare or Medicaid. The justices in DC will ultimately decide whether or not federal agencies even have the authority to issue these types of mandates. Editor at large of employment at Law 360, Vin Gurrieri, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
