♪ ♪ >> Eric: DAYS AFTER MINNESOTA'S ENTIRE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTED TO RELEASE THE INFAMOUS EPSTEIN FILES, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S THREATS TO EXECUTE DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS FOR SEDITION DREW PARTICULAR OUTRAGE FROM MINNESOTANS STILL REELING FROM MELISSA HORTMAN'S ASSASSINATION.

AND ELECTION FALLOUT FROM EARLIER THIS MONTH PROMISES MORE SPECIAL ELECTIONS ON THE HORIZON FOR THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE.

SO TO TALK ABOUT THIS, REPUBLICANS UP FIRST, BRIAN MCDANIEL, FORMER LEGISLATIVE STAFFER, NOW A LOBBYIST AND STANDUP COMEDIAN.

FRITZ KNAAK.

ALYSSEN NESSE, PARTY LOYALIST AND LOBBYIST AT THE CAPITOL.

WELCOME TO THE COUCH TARA ERICKSON.

BRIAN, I WANT TO START WITH YOU AND YOUR INTERNSHIP WITH JIM RAMSTAD AND THE QUESTION THAT MARY ASKED.

COULD RAMSTAD WIN A ELECTION THESE DAYS?

>> A VERY, VERY, VERY LONG TIME AGO I WAS AN INTERN FOR JIM RAMSTAD.

HIS DISTRICT DIRECTOR AT THE TIME WAS ERIC PAULSON WHO EVENTUALLY WENT TO THE HOUSE AND SUCCEEDED HIM AND ERIC IS WHO HIRED ME AT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SO I'M SITTIN' HERE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF JIM RAMSTAD AND I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT.

AND COULD HE WIN THESE DAYS?

NOPE!

[ LAUGHTER ] >> Eric: WOW.

WELL, WHY DON'T WE GO TO NATIONAL NEWS.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN, CONGRESSWOMAN FROM GEORGIA SAYS SHE'S LEAVING CONGRESS IN JANUARY SAYING TO THE PRESIDENT, LOYALTY IS A TWO-WAY STREET.

IMPLICATIONS?

>> REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

I MEAN, THERE IS NO GOOD NEWS ON THIS FROM EITHER SIDE.

IT'S I WOULD SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHERE THE FALLOUT IS, TALKS OF THREATS, WORRIES ABOUT HOW THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT THE IMAGE THE PRESIDENT HAS, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.

LET'S THROW THE EPSTEIN IN TO PUT IT IN SOME CONTEXT, YOU DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THAT UPPOSEDLY PICKING ON SOMEBODY.

SO I DON'T THINK HE'S COMING OUT OF THIS THING LOOKING VERY GOOD AND CERTAINLY SHE HAS BEEN -- PLENTY.

>> Eric: IS CONGRESS JUST UP FOR GRABS RIGHT NOW?

WHO INSIDE THE BELLWAY IN WASHINGTON JUST SEEMS TO -- >> -- IMPLODING.

>> WELL, HE DEFINITELY SEEMS TO BE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, PICKING WINNERS AND LOSERS A LITTLE BIT LATELY.

AND WE SAW THAT WITH HIS VERY INTERESTING MEETING TODAY WITH MAMDANI.

AND JUST THINKING THE FACT THAT OBVIOUSLY CONGRESSWOMAN MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN HAS BEEN ONE OF HIS BIGGEST SUPPORTERS FOREVER AND IF YOU BREAK EVEN A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, THREATS ON YOUR LIFE.

AND I JUST THINK SHE FINALLY MAYBE JUST SAID I'M GOING TO BACK AWAY FROM THIS RIGHT NOW.

THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS.

>> Cathy: WHAT DO YOU THINK, BRIAN?

>> SO WE'VE CHASED MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE OUT OF THE PARTY?

INTERESTING TIMES.

UP IS DOWN, DOWN IS UP.

DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER.

ALL OF THAT.

BUT IT'S SO INTERESTING HOW TRUMP EEPS WINNING AND PEOPLE ON HIS TEAM KEEP LOSING.

WHETHER IT'S MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN, GIULIANI, CHRIS CHRISTIE, YOU KIND OF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE ALONG FOR THE RIDE THERE'S NOT REALLY A LOT OF PROSPECTS.

AND I'M JUST KIND OF WONDERING, WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT LAME DUCK A LITTLE EARLIER, I'M JUST WONDERING WHEN DO PEOPLE KIND OF JUMP OFF THE RIDE AND START THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S IN THEIR OWN BEST INTERESTS.

>> Cathy: WELL, WHEN YOU THINK IN TERMS OF, ALYSEN, DO YOU THINK THE PARTY IS FRACTURING A LITTLE BIT AT THIS POINT?

>> I THINK THAT THEY'RE REALIZING THAT THERE HAS TO BE A PARTY BEYOND TRUMP, BEYOND 2028 AND WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO MAGA BEYOND THAT IS THE QUESTION I THINK REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS MASSIE WHO WAS REALLY THE FORCE BEHIND GETTING THIS BILL TO FORCE THE DOJ TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES SAID IF YOU DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS, IN 2030 THERE WON'T BE DONALD TRUMP BUT YOU WILL HAVE VOTED TO PROTECT PEDOPHILES.

>> I AGREE WITH THAT AND I THINK THAT THERE WAS SOME SPLIT THIS WEEK WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THUNE TOOK THE BILL UP IMMEDIATELY AND THEY DID NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.

SO OBVIOUSLY WHEN THAT KIND OF BROKE YOU COULD SEE THAT SPEAKER JOHNSON WAS PHYSICALLY UPSET ABOUT THAT NEWS.

AND SO IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE COULD BE SOME SPLITS KIND OF COMING WITHIN MAGA.

>> I THINK SOME OF THE IT'S THE DYNAMIC OF CONGRESS ITSELF TOO, THOUGH, I THINK THEY'RE TIRED OF THIS.

FOR THE MOST PART I KNOW THE REPUBLICANS ARE.

AND I'M GUESSING THAT ANYTHING THAT THEY COULD DO TO MOVE THIS THING ALONG, THEIR LEADERSHIP WAS GETTING PUSHED AND TRUMP COULDN'T STOP THAT.

WE'LL SEE WHETHER OR NOT IT ULTIMATELY MATTERS, BUT HE COULDN'T STOP IT.

>> Cathy: RAND PAUL HAD SOME CHOICE WORDS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS ABOUT SEDITION AND TRAITOR COMMENTS THAT HE WAS MAKING, AND THE HOUSE SPEAKER WAS ALSO PRETTY UNCOMFORTABLE TOO AS REPORTERS WERE CHASING HIM ACROSS THE CAPITOL THERE AND I'M WONDERING, WE'RE IN THIS STATE WHERE WE HAD A POLITICAL ASSASSINATION, AND I WONDER THE WHITE HOUSE WAS WALKING BACK THOSE COMMENTS, BUT WHAT'S -- OBVIOUSLY HE RHETORIC HAS NOT BEEN TONED DOWN AT ALL.

>> MM-MM, IT HASN'T BEEN TONED DOWN.

AND WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I WAS OBVIOUSLY, THERE WERE MANY OF US WHO WERE AT THE HUMPHREY DINNER WITH MELISSA HORTMAN HOURS BEFORE SHE WAS ASSASSINATED, AND I JUST THINK FOR THE PRESIDENT TO BE SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT TO THE PUBLIC, WE KNOW THAT WORDS HAVE CONSEQUENCES AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE WILL ACT ON THOSE.

>> AND IT'S NOT JUST THAT THIS WEEK, HE SAT WITH MBS AND DEFENDED THE MURDERING AND DISMEMBERING OF KAMAL KHASHOGGI, A JOURNALIST FOR THE WASHINGTON POST.

HE CALLED A JOURNALIST "PIGGY" AND THEN HE TALKED ABOUT THE EXECUTION FOR SIX SENATORS WHO RELEASED A VIDEO JUST REINFORCING EXISTING LAW.

>> AND THE CONSTITUTION.

>> I MEAN -- AND THE CONSTITUTION.

SO IT'S BEEN QUITE A WEEK FOR HIS PRESS SECRETARY, BUT IT'S ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSABLE, IT'S CHAOTIC AND T'S EXHAUSTING.

>> WELL, BUT THIS HAS BEEN THE NARRATIVE SINCE HE GOT ELECTED AND SO EVERY WEEK HYPERBOLE IS NOW THE BASELINE IN POLITICAL DISCOURSE, I MIGHT ADD, ON BOTH SIDES.

AND SURE, IT SURE WOULD BE NICE IF PEOPLE WOULD CALM DOWN A BIT AND THE FACT THAT YOU HAD SOMETHING ON JIM RAMSTAD HERE JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO, YOU WANT A NICE CONTRAST IN TERMS OF STYLES, THERE YOU'VE GOT IT.

YOU CAN HOPE THAT AT SOME POINT WE'RE GOING TO GET BACK TO THAT BUT I DON'T SEE THIS CHANGING AT ALL SOON.

TRUMP'S GOING TO TALK TO HIS FRIENDS THE SAME WAY IF HE DOESN'T THINK THEY'RE ACTING QUITE FRIENDLY ENOUGH AS HE TALKS ABOUT DEMOCRATS ND BOY, GOD KNOWS I HAVE NEVER HEARD A DEMOCRAT AT LEAST IN RECENT MEMORY SAY A NICE THING ABOUT DONALD TRUMP.

>> WELL, AND YOU CAN'T SAY THAT HIS RHETORIC DOESN'T HAVE REPERCUSSIONS FOR HIM.

HE WAS HOT.

WE FORGET THESE THINGS.

THIS IS THE SICK, SAD WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN IS LIKE THAT'S NOT EVEN SOMETHING WE THINK ABOUT ANYMORE.

BUT THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF GOT SHOT AND THEN, SO WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN MINNESOTA WE KNOW THIS ISN'T A GAME.

I MEAN, IT MIGHT BE A GAME FOR HIM AND ONE THAT HE'S HAPPY TO PLAY, BUT FOR THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT FUNNY, IT'S NOT TRUE, AND IT'S UPSETTING.

>> Eric: LOCAL NEWS, GOING TO STATE SIDE, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE SETTING BUDGETS, GETTING LEVY INCREASES ON THE PROPERTY TAXES, ARE WE SEEING OR GOING TO SEE OLD FASHIONED PROPERTY TAX REVOLT THAT'S GOING TO FORCE SOME LEGISLATION HERE IN 2026?

>> I MEAN, ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE DEALING WITH A SEARESS DECLINE IN COMMERCIAL PROPERTY VALUES WHICH IS SHIFTING THE BURDEN ONTO RESIDENTS WHETHER YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER OR RESIDENT RENTER.

SO THAT RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TAX IS DISPROPORTIONATE AND IT'S VERY PAINFUL.

SO CITIES ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH THAT, THE STATE LEGISLATURE'S GOING TO HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH IT.

IT'S BEEN 13 YEARS SINCE WE ADJUSTED THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT AID FORMULA BUT WE MIGHT HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT THIS NEW REALITY IS POST-COVID IS WITH COMMERCIAL PROPERTY VALUES.

>> Eric: YOU WERE IN THE LEGISLATURE WHEN PROPERTY TAXES USED TO BE A KEY KEY ISSUES.

>> YES, ALL THE TIME.

>> Eric: WALL TO WALL, YEAH.

>> CONSTANT.

>> Eric: WHAT CAN THEY DO, LOCAL PROGRAM AID, CIRCUIT BREAKER, BUT A THIRD TIER ON MORE EXPENSIVE HOUSES LIKE THEY USED TO HAVE.

>> I HAD AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE IN REPRESENTING SOME PEOPLE OVER IN WISCONSIN WHERE THEY AREN'T NEARLY AS HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED, WE DON'T REALIZE JUST HOW HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED OUR TAXES ARE IN THIS STATE ALREADY.

AND A WOMAN THERE WAS TELLING ME HER LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TAXES, JUST HERS ALONE WERE $6,000 A YEAR.

I MEAN, YOU CAN HAVE A VERY NICE HOUSE ON LAKE MINNETONKA FOR ALL OF YOUR AXES AND, YOU KNOW, BEING THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, MAYBE I'M DATING MYSELF A BIT, BUT I'M THINKING THAT THAT KIND OF THING IS, YOU KNOW, THE PRESSURE'S THERE, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ANY APPETITE FOR THE TAX INCREASES IT WOULD TAKE TO MITIGATE THE PROBLEM, THOUGH.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO SWITCH FOCUS HERE FOR JUST A MOMENT.

WE HAD EMBER REICHGOTT JUNGE, AND SHE HAD AN INTERESTING COMMENT.

I WANT OUR DEMOCRATIC FRIENDS TO GIVE THEIR TWO CENTS IN IT.

SHE SAID A LOT OF DEMOCRATS ARE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT TIM WALZ RUNNING AGAIN.

AND SHE SAID A LOT OF DEMOCRATS FEEL LIKE HE'S A RISKIER CANDIDATE BECAUSE OF ALL THE FRAUD THAT HAS OCCURRED ON HIS WATCH.

DO YOU THINK HE WILL ACTUALLY RUN?

IS IT -- OR WILL THE PRESSURE GET TO THE POINT WHERE HE DOESN'T ULTIMATELY RUN?

>> SO, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS EARLIER THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME OF THOSE RUMORS FLYING AROUND.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD TO BE TALKED INTO RUNNING AGAIN.

I THINK SPEAKER HORTMAN'S ASSASSINATION, THEY WERE VERY CLOSE, I THINK THE POLITICAL DYNAMICS ARE REALLY TOXIC, AND, I WONDER IF HE STILL HAS THE GUMPTION TO WANT TO DO THAT.

BUT THERE ARE, THERE ARE RUMORS OUT THERE.

>> Eric: ALYSEN.

>> YEAH, ANYBODY'S THIRD TERM IS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING.

WE SAW THAT IN THE MAYORAL RACES IN BOTH MINNEAPOLIS AND ST.

PAUL.

BUT I DO THINK ONCE HE DID CHOOSE TO RUN AGAIN, HE IS FULL STEAM AHEAD AND I'M NOT GOING TO BELIEVE ANYTHING UNTIL I SEE IT FOR MYSELF.

>> WELL, AND HE'S VULNERABLE.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE WOULD ADMIT THAT, THERE'S JUST A LOT GOING ON WITH THE FRAUD AND THE THIRD TERM AND RUNNING FOR VICE PRESIDENT UNSUCCESSFULLY.

SO I MEAN HE HAS TO KIND OF THINK DOES HE WANT TO DO THIS?

AND NOW WITH REPUBLICANS STARTING TO PUT UP SOME CREDIBLE CANDIDATES THAT COULD LEGITIMATELY BEAT HIM, HE HAS TO THINK ABOUT THAT, SO I DON'T KNOW IF SOMETHING, I MEAN, I'M SPECULATING OBVIOUSLY, IF BETWEEN CONGRESSWOMAN CRAIG AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FLANAGAN, MAYBE THEY WORK SOMETHING OUT AND ONE OF THEM SHIFTS TO GOVERNOR, BUT EVERYTHING'S JUST RUMORS NOW AND THEY'RE NOT HOT ENOUGH RUMORS.

>> HE IS RAISING MONEY, THOUGH.

>> Eric: WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THIS SEGMENT.

[ LAUGHTER ] THANK