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Transcript of The Situation Room, CNN, June 11th, 2019.
Wolf Blitzer: “…….now turning to political news, we go to discussion of the 2020 Presidential race, and some intriguing developments in the Democratic primary. We bring in the primary White House correspondent for the Washington Herald, Janine Skorsky. Janine, welcome back.”
Janine Skorsky: “Thanks for having me back Wolf.”
Blitzer: “Let’s get right into it. With President Garrett Walker having completed two productive terms in office, Democrats are looking for a worthy successor, someone who could repeat what we saw in 2000 and hold onto the office for a third consecutive term. Many would say that Vice President Jim Matthews is in fact the natural choice, and has been preparing to run, but you Janine, in your recent articles, say differently-that Secretary of State Frank Underwood is in fact, the preferred choice to be the Democratic nominee by the Walker Administration.”
Skorsky: “That’s right Wolf. From what I’ve been hearing, Underwood has emerged as the establishment choice for the nominee, and has been starting to quietly gather support for a run in a year.”
Blitzer: “How exactly did Underwood emerge as even the tentative frontrunner for the nomination?”
Skorsky: “Well, the President and Vice President have never had the closest of relationships, they were allies of political necessity, and not close friends. Vice President Matthews never had the same kind of access or influence as past Vice President’s, and was used in the more traditional, ceremonial role. Apparently, this has grated on the VP, who was more used to wielding power as the Governor of Pennsylvania. There have been some tensions behind the scenes as well, between President Walker and the Vice President, over the Vice Presidents’ role, and a number of other factors. Additionally, Vice President Matthews has reportedly been furious that President Walker will not outright endorse or support him in a primary campaign, given that Matthews has made his intent clear to run for some time.
Meanwhile, I don’t think that anyone could say that Frank Underwood has been nothing less than hugely successful as Secretary of State. He’s won accolades for his work in the Middle East, the peace settlement in the Jordan Valley and the ceasefire brokered between Palestine and Israel; with China, a peaceful resolution to the crisis in the South China Sea and the breakthrough in trade talks; with Russia in particular: the release of Michael Corrigan to return to the United States, working on the Jordan Valley deal, a number of other issues which has contributed to a warming of American-Russian relations. As well, our relationships with Europe and South America, Africa, those are all extremely strong, the United States is enjoying a renaissance in global opinion, and I think that the majority of that can be attributed to Secretary Underwood. Remember, he has been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize, so that’s definitely going to be a point in his favor.”
Blitzer: “But we’ve had Secretaries of State before, who, while capable in regards to foreign policy, utterly failed in domestic matters, like negotiating with Congress and campaigning. What makes Secretary Underwood’s case different?”
Skorsky: “Well, Underwood has emerged as not only the main foreign policy advisor and driver to the President, but also a key backer and counselor for domestic policy. The two big issues of President Walker’s first term, education and entitlement reform, both of those were passed with large amounts of help and advice from Secretary Underwood. President Walker’s budgets, every single one, passed on time, with a minimum of acrimony, and that’s got to be a record.
That can be attributed to the President’s leadership, but also the work of Secretary Underwood, and Chief of Staff Linda Vazquez. When Justice Robert Jacobs began showing the symptoms of his Alzheimer’s, and sadly had to step down, Underwood was a major backer of putting Solicitor General Heather Dunbar in that seat on the Supreme Court, where she’s become a major leader. And when President Walker turned to the economy, on his major infrastructure plans, on the minimum wage, tax reform, deficit reduction-there again, was Secretary Underwood, pushing hard with Congress.
“Additionally, Secretary Underwood is still very well-connected on the Hill. He was rumored to be a major factor in Terry Womack replacing him as Majority Whip over Wes Buchwalter of California and Howard Webb of Michigan, and has been linked with Congresswoman Jackie Sharp of California, grooming her as a sort of protégé, which I guess is working as she is one of Majority Whip Womack’s Chief Deputy Whips. And that’s just on the Democratic side. On the Republican side, Underwood had an excellent relationship with Hector Mendoza, the former Senate Majority Leader from Arizona, who was defeated by President Walker in 2016, and is said to have other good dealings with the GOP.
“More to the point, Underwood has become a close personal friend of President Walker, a confidant of sorts. All of my sources indicate that the two of them have become truly close. The Secretary and his wife Claire have hosted the President and First Lady at their home here in D.C., and the two of them have campaigned together in Secretary Underwood’s hometown of Gaffney in South Carolina and several other locations. So obviously, with President Walker remaining fairly popular, that relationship could only be useful going forward. He’s almost become a Prime Minister in that regard, a combination of America’s lead diplomat, domestic advisor, campaign advocate and personal sounding board for the President, and he’s undoubtedly the most powerful Secretary of State we’ve had in a very long time.”
Blitzer: “Has Secretary Underwood given any indication that he would run? And what would happen with the State Department if he did so? As a sitting Cabinet member, the Secretary is not forbidden to run, but it would make for a potentially awkward situation.”
Skorsky: “Absolutely yes. Again, it’s not forbidden for Underwood to run while Secretary of State, but it would be an area of contention. And to be, if you will pardon the wordplay, a bit frank-” (Blitzer chuckles, Skorsky grins) “the Secretary of State’s job is one that takes him out of the country on a frequent basis, adding an additional level of complexity in campaigning. Now, there’s been no statement that Secretary Underwood will be announcing a run, but my sources say that there have been a number of conversations that would indicate that he is planning to do so, i.e., there have been quiet discussions with money people, organizers, advocates, that sort of thing, within the Democratic Party, both on a national and state level. I imagine that a first step in that direction would be Secretary Underwood announcing his resignation, probably within the next month or so, with an announcement of his campaign within a week or two, a month outside, tops, after that.”
Blitzer: “Janine, you think that President Walker would give his direct support and endorsement to Secretary Underwood, if he ran? Potentially lock the nomination up for him?”
Skorsky: “It’s possible Wolf, but I don’t know if that would be the case. I think that President Walker would want to avoid an intra-party controversy, the appearance he was trying to apply pressure to ensure Underwood’s nomination outright. I imagine that there will be some indicators drawn from President Walker’s lack of support for any other candidates, but I don’t think that the President will risk a civil war breaking out and potentially damaging his party.”
Blitzer: “Since we’re talking about 2020, let’s look at the rest of the potential Democratic field, aside from Secretary Underwood and Vice President Matthews.”
Skorsky: “Well, frankly Wolf, there aren’t a lot of options, aside from those two. A lot of speculation centered on Senator Catherine Durant of Missouri-”
Blitzer: “Who ran in 2012.”
Skorsky (nodding): “Right, exactly. She was then-Governor Walker’s opponent in that race, and gave him a tough contest, but she’s since stepped into a prominent role on both the Senate Armed Services and Select Intelligence Committees, and is part of the Democratic leadership in the Senate, where they briefly took over in 2016, before the mid-term loss in 2018. A lot of people might want her to run, but my sources have indicated that she’s more comfortable in the Senate, and would like a chance to move in the Majority Leader’s position.
Additionally, Durant is reportedly close with Secretary Underwood, and he was apparently one of the people who negotiated the reconciliation between the Durant and Walker camps in 2012, so it’s possible that she might be holding out to endorse him, and gain a prominent position in a potential Underwood Administration.”
Blitzer: “How prominent would you expect that position to be, if that occurred?”
Skorsky: “That’s hard to say Wolf. I would imagine that Senator Durant would turn down anything short of Secretary Underwood’s current position. She’s been interested in military and intelligence affairs, so it might be possible for her to make some history as Secretary of Defense. Of course, she could make more history as Vice President Durant, but that’s strictly speculation.”
Blitzer: “Indeed. Now, Durant and Underwood-both from the moderate/centrist wing of the Democratic Party. Is there a possibility that there would be a challenge from the left wing?”
Skorsky: “Certainly Wolf. The left-wing of the Democratic Party has been a bit put-out the last few years, even though President Walker is clearly left-of-center, but they feel they haven’t had a real standard-bearer. I imagine that Vice President Matthews would move to take that role, a sort of ‘practical populist.’ Another name I’ve been hearing is Donald Blythe, the long-time Congressman from New Hampshire, whose main effort has been in education, and of course, he was the principal sponsor of the Walker education bill, and was mentioned for Secretary of Education as well. There’s some swelling of support for him in his home state, which of course votes second, and sympathy for him regarding the tragic death of his wife Marjorie, which he’s also been a major campaigner for research for and sponsored a large part of the Walker health care bill that passed in 2017.”
Blitzer: “And of course, last but not least, the very favorite of the left is Senator Dennis Williams.”
Skorsky (nodding): “Of Washington State, exactly. He’s every progressive and liberal’s favorite candidate: young, African-American, extremely well-spoken as the Keynote Speech he gave at the ’16 Democratic National Convention showed, economics major, graduate of Princeton and Stanford, Rhodes Scholar, former Mayor of Seattle and now Senator, beautiful wife and daughters-he’s basically an American success story.”
Blitzer: “How likely is it that Williams will run?”
Skorsky: “It’s hard to say Wolf. Senator Williams clearly has a taste for high office, and he’s been campaigning pretty hard for Democratic candidates the last few years, but he’s also only been Senator for about a year. He’s liberal, strongly so, which might be a hard-sell in certain areas, and he’s been consistently pushing against Wall Street, which has ruffled some feathers not only in New York, but also in the Walker Administration. He also doesn’t have a lot of foreign policy or national security experience, though he’s been working to rectify that. However, again, it is hard to understate the support and enthusiasm he generates among liberals, young voters, and African-Americans, who would be delighted to see him as the first African-American to reach the White House.”
Blitzer: “Senator Williams seems like he would be the consensus choice for Vice President then Janine, no matter who else wins, if he doesn’t run.”
Skorsky: Absolutely Wolf.”
Blitzer: “So Janine, as we’re wrapping up, and I realize we’re a year out, but how do you see the race playing out?”
Skorsky: “Well Wolf, again, a year out, it’s hard to say. There’s always something that I can imagine happening, some turn of events that discourages one candidate or bolsters another, but right now, I see it as being between two big titans: Frank Underwood and Jim Matthews. It will likely be a battle over Garrett Walker’s legacy in the White House, and his endorsement will play a huge part, but ultimately, I’d pick Underwood to win that fight.”
Blitzer: “And your reasoning for that?”
Skorsky: “Anyone who’s met Frank Underwood will tell you-he’s charming, smooth, smart, ambitious, tough, and just a bit ruthless. I don’t think anyone would use those words to describe Jim Matthews. Underwood wants to be President, and has the drive, capabilites and connections to make that happen, and there’s a long list of people who have doubted him and come off on the wrong end. For my money, Frank Underwood has done an excellent job of Secretary of State, and he’s ready to move onto the top job.”
Blitzer: “That’s Janine Skorsky, Chief White House Correspondent for the Washington Herald, and we’ve been talking about the Democratic candidates for President in 2020. Thanks for being with us, Janine.”
Skorsky: “Always a pleasure, Wolf, I’ll come back anytime.”
Blitzer: "We'll take a short commercial break, and be back with more of the day's news. I'm Wolf Blitzer, in the Situation Room."
End Transcript