August 21, 2019

Hallie Jackson asked Tennessee congressman Steve Cohen about Trump's cave to the NRA on background checks.

"His double-speak on one of the most important issues we face as a nation is exactly why we need new leadership in the White House," Cohen said.

"It comes after the president initially after the shootings in Texas and Ohio said we would need to consider more meaningful background checks as Congressman Steve Cohen knows the president just over the last 48 hours softened that position. Congressman, thanks for being back on the show," Jackson said.

"Given what you have heard from the president publicly, do you see any kind of opening for movement on stronger background checks at all?"

"None whatsoever until January of 2021," Cohen said.

"Is that disappointing to you?"

"Extremely disappointing. Ninety percent of the American public is in favor of the background checks and the red flag laws, 80, 85%. It is just disappointing because we have a real -- this is a real crisis we have in our country. It is not on the southern border. It is not Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. It is a crisis in America where schoolchildren and people who go to church and people who go to movies and Walmart are being killed by crazy people with high capacity magazines and assault weapons who don't need to have guns.

"When I say crazy, crazy because they're going out and killing people. But they are not necessarily mentally ill like the president talks about on the front end where they can be taken and have their weapons taken away from them on the front end. We need to do something about the weapons," Cohen said.

"You say you're disappointed in the president and his position, but are you surprised by it?" Jackson said.

"No. There are three people that really matter. The three men that have a great influence over the president, Wayne LaPierre, Franklin Graham, and Vladimir Putin. Whatever those three men want, they get."

There you go. Sums it up perfectly!

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