Appropriate for Trump to 'actively manage' Mueller probe: ACU's Schlapp on Powerhouse Politics
Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union – the country's oldest conservative lobbying organization – discussed the Mueller investigation, the Koch brothers’ refusal to endorse a prominent Republican senatorial candidate, and the GOP’s challenge recruiting women to run for office on ABC's Powerhouse Politics podcast.
Shortly before the Wednesday taping, President Donald Trump called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the special counsel investigation – from which Sessions has recused himself – with a tweet that quickly sparked debate about whether Trump's comment constituted obstruction of justice.
Asked whether it's appropriate for Trump to weigh in on the ongoing investigation, Schlapp said, “That’s the best way to move forward.”
The ACU chairman insisted that the president should “actively manage” the Department of Justice probe. He suggested that Trump is aiming to apply a “stopwatch” to the investigation, “an end time when they have to simply say what they have in mind.”
As for Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to investigate matters related to Russian interference in the 2016 elections, Schlapp said, “the politics of this investigation are really getting away from him.”
ABC's Political Director Rick Klein pointed out that Mueller has not weighed in on the politics of the probe, despite repeated attacks from the president.
In response, Schlapp argued that Mueller has “surrounded himself with attack dogs who are known partisan Democrats,” adding, “people who have animosity towards the president shouldn’t be hired.”
Turning to the upcoming midterm elections, Deputy Political Director MaryAlice Parks raised the issue of gender diversity in the GOP, pointing out that Democrats have 228 female candidates currently in the running to Republicans’ 79 women.
Schlapp acknowledged that the GOP has a problem recruiting women to run, saying, “You have to have a welcome mat, and you have to be encouraging.”
He said that, conversely, Democrats struggle to attract men. “Democrats have the polar opposite – they have huge problems with male voters. And, I suppose in this day and age, you wouldn’t so much worry about trying to recruit men to run for office.”
In Schlapp’s telling, Democrats have overreached on their goal of attracting candidates aside from white men: “They’ve been so hungry for diversity that they’ve become a party of solely diversity.”
He thinks the focus on diversity has made it hard for white men to attain positions in Democrats’ party leadership.
“They have unwritten codes of, ‘well we really hold this for an African American member, we’re holding this for a female member or a diverse member,’ and we don’t tend to do that in the Republican party, and I actually think that’s better,” he said.
Schlapp, who noted that he was previously employed by Koch Industries, also weighed in on the Koch brothers’ recent decision, announced Monday, not to back Rep. Kevin Cramer, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in North Dakota.
Though he praised the Koch family’s work in business and industry, Schlapp called the decision to cut Cramer loose a “big mistake,” stressing that Kramer has the ACU's enthusiastic endorsement.
Still, Schlapp is optimistic about the midterms, saying he believes strong economic growth will likely prevent Democrats from taking back the House. He acknowledged that a Democrat-controlled Congress would be a major problem, saying he thinks Democrats would move quickly to impeach the president.
The ACU chairman also lauded a number of Trump’s policy initiatives, including his recent work on trade. “He believes he’s gotten more things done than any president he can remember, and it’s hard to argue with that,” he said.
Every Wednesday, ABC Radio and iTunes brings you the Powerhouse Politics Podcast which includes headliner interviews and in-depth looks at the people and events shaping U.S. politics. Hosted by ABC News’ Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and ABC News Political Director Rick Klein.
