AND THANKS FOR COVERING THIS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WE CAN'T MOVE FORWARD
TOGETHER WHEN WE ACKNOWLEDGE
REALITY IN PRIVATE AND THEN
PEDDLE FALSEHOODS IN PUBLIC.
THAT IS A QUOTE FROM AN ARTICLE
PUBLISHED THIS WEEK BY THE
FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE BROWN
COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY, WHO
LEFT THE PARTY WITH THE 2016
ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP.
IN HIS ARTICLE, MARK BECKER
RECOUNTS A PHONE CALL HE HAD
AFTER THIS YEAR'S ELECTION WITH
WISCONSIN SENATOR RON JOHNSON.
AND BY BECKER'S ACCOUNT HE WAS
HORRIFIED BY WHAT HE HEARD.
HE JOINS US NOW FROM GREEN BAY
AND THANKS A LOT FOR DOING SO.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE.
>> SO WHAT DID SENATOR JOHNSON
SAY TO YOU THAT YOU FOUND
UNCONSCIONABLE?
>> WELL, IT'S JUST SO
FRUSTRATING TO UNDERSTAND THAT
ELECTED OFFICIALS LIKE RON
JOHNSON KNOW THE TRUTH.
THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED.
THEY HAVE A FIRM GRASP ON
REALITY WHEN THE CAMERAS ARE
OFF, BUT THEN THEY DON'T THINK
THAT THE PUBLIC DESERVES TO HEAR
THAT SAME TRUTH WHEN THE CAMERAS
ARE ON AND IT'S ON RECORD.
AND THE DAMAGE THAT'S DOING
TUESDAY, TO THE FABRIC OF OUR
SOCIETY, IS -- LIKE I SAID, IT'S
UNCON SEVENTEENABLE.
IT'S HORRIBLE.
>> SO HE TOLD YOU THAT HE KNOWS
THAT JOE BIDEN IS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT, BUT HE'S NOT
WILLING TO STATE THAT PUBLICLY
AND WHY DID HE SAY THAT?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAW IN
THE 2016 ELECTION WAS RON WAS
THE HIGHEST VOTE GET ER GETTER OF ANY
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IN THE
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN.
HE SAID MY GOAL WAS TO GET 1.5
MILLION VOTES IN WISCONSIN.
HE SAID I DIDN'T GET THAT.
BUT DONALD TRUMP DID.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, HE DIDN'T WANT
TO TICK THOSE VOTERS OFF AND HE
SAW THE BIG SWELL THAT PEOPLE
THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN ABLE
TO GET.
BUT HE WASN'T WILLING TO ROCK
THAT BOAT.
>> IN FACT, IN YOUR ARTICLE YOU
SAY THAT HE SAID TO YOU I KNOW
BIDEN WON, BUT IT WOULD BE
POLITICAL SUICIDE TO ADMIT IT.
>> YES.
YES.
THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> SO WHAT ABOUT THE SILENCE ON
THE PART OF OTHER ELECTED
REPUBLICANS AND THE STOKING OF
CONSPIRACIES?
HOW IN YOUR MIND DO THEY
UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY, AS YOU
NOTE?
>> WELL, IT UNDERMINES DEMOCRACY
BECAUSE THE SANCTITY OF THE VOTE
IS THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THAT
WE HAVE IN OUR POLITICS.
IT'S STOKING THAT.
IT'S UNCONSCIONABLE.
IT'S HORRIBLE TO KNOW THAT THESE
ELECTED OFFICIALS VALUE THEIR
PARTY OVER THE OATH THAT THEY
TOOK TO SERVE THE COUNTRY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, RON JOHNSON IS
NOT UNIQUE IN THIS.
I MEAN, THERE ARE REPUBLICANS
ALL OVER THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
AND ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT
INSTEAD OF TELLING PEOPLE THE
TRUTH, THEY LINE UP BEHIND THE
-- YOU KNOW, THE ONE-TERM
PRESIDENT.
SO IT'S HORRIBLE.
>> YOU WRITE THAT IN FACT,
THOUGH, THAT JOHNSON WAS
UNCONCERNED ABOUT ALL OF THAT.
HOW SO?
>> WELL, HE SAID THAT THE
BIGGEST THING WAS, YOU KNOW, THE
PILLARS OF OUR DEMOCRACY ARE
STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THIS.
AND, I MEAN, I GET IT.
THE PILLARS OF OUR DEMOCRACY ARE
VERY STRONG AND WE ARE LUCKY FOR
THEM.
BUT RON JOHNSON IS PART OF THAT
PILLAR OF OUR DEMOCRACY, THE
UNITED STATES SENATE, THE HOUSE,
CONGRESS.
THAT IS ONE OF THE PILLARS OF
OUR DEMOCRACY.
AND IT'S UP TO THEM TO BE ABLE
TO STAND UP TO WHEN THEY NEED TO
BE STOOD UP TO AND THEY'RE
FAILING IN THAT MISERABLY.
>> SO SENATOR JOHNSON DECLINED
TO BE ON THE PROGRAM, BUT SAID I
HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT IN
BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
STATEMENTS THAT I BELIEVE THERE
ARE WAY TOO MANY IRREGULARITIES
AND SUSPECT ISSUES THAT NEED TO
BE INVESTIGATED AND PUBLICLY
VETTED BEFORE A FINAL RESULT IS
DETERMINED AND A PEACEFUL
TRANSITION OF POWER TAKES PLACE.
THE ARTICLE, THE ONE THAT YOU
WROTE, HE SAYS, SHOULD BE VIEWED
AS THE POLITICAL HIT PIECE IT IS
AND SIMPLY IGNORED.
SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO HIS
STATEMENT?
>> YOU KNOW, I WISH HE WOULD
TELL ME -- I WISH HE WOULD TELL
THE PUBLIC WHAT HE TOLD ME IN
PERSON.
YES, HE WAS CONSISTENT ABOUT HE
THINKS THERE'S IRREGULARITIES,
BUT HE ALSO SAID THAT HE
UNDERSTANDS THAT IT WASN'T
ENOUGH TO OVERTURN THE RESULT OF
THIS VOTE.
HE SAID THE SAME THING THAT
WILLIAM BARR, DONALD TRUMP'S OWN
ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID.
SO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW ON, IF HE
THINKS THAT THIS SHOULD BE
IGNORED, THAT'S FINE, YOU CAN
IGNORE IT, BUT WHY DON'T YOU
IGNORE THE PEOPLE IN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION THAT ARE SAYING
THE SAME THING?
IF YOU WANT TO IGNORE MY PIECE,
THAT'S FINE, BUT WHY DON'T WE
PAY ATTENTION TO THE REPUBLICAN
ELECTION OFFICIALS IN
BATTLEGROUND STATES THAT ARE
SAYING THAT THIS VOTE WAS
SECURE, IT WAS OVER AND JOE
BIDEN WON, FULL STOP.
SO I WISH RON WOULD SAY THAT.
>> JUST VERY BRIEFLY, WHAT KIND
OF REACTION HAVE YOU BEEN
GETTING FROM YOUR ARTICLE?
>> I MEAN, IT'S BEEN POSITIVE.
I'VE BEEN ENCOURAGED BY SOME OF
THE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW THAT ARE
REPUBLICAN OPERATIVES AND
REPUBLICAN OFFICE HOLDERS WHO
HAVE SENT ME MESSAGES AND SAID,
YOU KNOW, GOOD JOB, THANK YOU,
BECAUSE, I MEAN, THIS IS A
TURNING POINT AND THIS IS A
DECIDING POINT FOR THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY ON WHERE DO
THEY WANT TO GO NOW.
YOU KNOW, THEY LOST THE
PRESIDENCY AND IT'S UP TO THEM
IN THESE CONVERSATIONS IN THESE
VERY PIVOTAL MOMENTS TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT THE FUTURE IS GOING TO
LOOK LIKE FOR THEIR PARTY.
AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE NOT DOING
THE RIGHT THING.
>> ALL RIGHT.
MARK BECKER, WE NEED TO LEAVE IT
THERE.