Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) sat down with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Thursday night for an interview in which the two took turns trashing Republicans such as Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and President Donald Trump.
“Well, I don’t agree with Orinn, and I don’t agree with what Orrin said,” Kasich began the interview in response to a video clip of Hatch claiming that “the president has a right to do whatever he wants to there.”
Hatch was specifically responding to questions about the president’s pardoning powers, despite Matthews’ presentation of the topic.
“Look, Chris, for me you’ve just got to let this whole investigation be completed. It shouldn’t be interrupted. You know, I was thinking about what I wanted to say tonight knowing I was going to come on the show. There are people who are watching this this thinking, ‘Oh, well, Kasich’s happy. Maybe he’ll run for president.’ Chris, this makes me sick to my stomach all these things that are happening,” Kasich continued.
The Ohio governor then suggested that Trump has “90 percent Republican support” because the Republican Party is “shrinking.”
“People are upset in this country. They don’t want to see these kinds of things happening, and the party’s shrinking. Can it be saved? I don’t know. I’m a Republican. We did pretty well out here,” Kasich said.
The two then discussed a clip of McConnell claiming that a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is “irrelevant” because “the president’s not going to fire Robert Mueller.”
“I would disagree with the fact that this is not relevant. Of course it’s relevant, and we need to get to the bottom of all this,” Kasich said. “At the end, there’s going to be a report from Mueller. And that report has to be clear. It cannot be tarnished. It shouldn’t be limited.”
Matthews concluded the segment by discussing “recent Twitter activities” from Trump, specifically a tweet he sent out that depicted his political foes in prison for treason.
“I think it’s terrible, Chris. I mean, look, the country’s divided enough,” Kasich responded. “People are hungering for an end to all this—the name calling, the chaos. Look, Chris, I’m the governor of the state—the seventh largest state in the country. I got things that make me mad, that get me upset. I’m not going to start putting out a list of people that are my enemies or something.”
He then said he “thought we got over that when Nixon left—no more enemies lists.”
“You’ve got to work with people even when you don’t like them. It’s just a matter of fact. It’s life,” Kasich continued.
Kasich will be leaving office in January due to term limits, but said again Thursday night that he’s “seriously” considering another presidential run.
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Chris Matthews and John Kasich” by MSNBC.
