Sunday shows – Guns dominate after Democratic debate
by The Hill staff
Gun reform measures dominated the Sunday political talk shows in the wake of the last Democratic presidential debate.
Guests also discussed new reported allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and a drone attack on Saudi oil facilities that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Sunday defended President Trump’s apparent backtrack on strengthening background checks in the wake of a series of mass shootings in August, saying the shootings would not be used as an “excuse” for gun confiscation.
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is dismissing criticism of his call for a mandatory buyback program for assault weapons, saying it is an example of lawmakers’ “screwed up” priorities.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said on Sunday that he agrees with critics that fellow 2020 White House hopeful Beto O’Rourke played into the Republican Party’s hands with his comments about a mandatory gun buyback proposal.
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said Sunday that former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-Texas) comment that “hell yes, we’re going to take” assault-style rifles is unhelpful but noted that no one has proposed such a thing legislatively.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the attention to the recent The New York Times report on sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh reflects with the “shameful circus” from the Senate hearing last year.
“I think the whole thing was a sham and that those documents need to be turned over, as well as the documents that the White House hid from his time in the White House Counsel’s Office,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)told George Stephanopoulos. “All of that needs to come forward to even look at a proceeding like that.”
Kellyanne Conway on Sunday demurred on Sen. Lindsay Graham’s (R-S.C.) call to bomb Iranian oil fields but said the Trump administration will “keep many options on the table.”
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Sunday that the United States needs to focus on deescalating conflicts in the Middle East, after two Saudi oil refineries were struck by drones this weekend.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday said that diplomacy with Iranian leaders is essential amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran after a drone attack on Saudi oil production facilities for which the U.S. has blamed Iran.
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang on Sunday defended the legality of his campaign contest to give 10 families a share of $120,000 as a way to promote his “freedom dividend” proposal.
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said Democrats can and must balance investigating the Trump administration and their legislative priorities amid mixed messaging about whether the House is engaged in an impeachment investigation of President Trump.
Lawyer Alan Dershowitz told John Catsimatidis in a new interview that the potential criminal charges faced by former FBI Director Andrew McCabe are a result of the “criminalization” of political differences in America.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Sunday responded to a family member of a 9/11 victim who called her out on the anniversary of the attacks, saying she intended to highlight civil rights violations.
