YouSaid · the spoken record

Kelly Ayotte

lines on the record: 83
first: 2018-05-03
most recent: 2018-05-03
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“He is. I mean, he's the leader of our party for sure. He's the president of the United States And I, as an American, I want to see him succeed, not just because I'm a Republican, but. For our country. So I think for Republicans, they need to be who they are. They need to obviously decide for themselves where they're going to work for him and where they're going to work with him and where they disagree with him. I mean, I think we should be doing that with everyone in office because we've frankly not reaped the benefits of being just party loin on any party. And especially when the president says things that aren't inclusive, we should be clear about that, that that's not who we stand for as a party.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm not contemplating anything right now other than I'm really feel blessed to have more time with my kids and my husband. So I don't know whether I'll return to public life. It was such a great privilege to serve for almost 20 years in public life between being a prosecutor, attorney general, and a senator and to represent the people of New Hampshire. But I think one thing that they do know about me is that I will call it like I see it. And my decision in the last election, I don't know how it would have played out had I done it differently, but when you ask me, would I have changed my mind? No, I did it for my own moral compass and what I thought was right.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I did. I mean, I agree with, you know, but that doesn't mean that I necessarily would agree with how he says things and how he conducts himself sometimes.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I mean, I believe, first of all, when it comes to, you know, Where we are with the president is that I would like him to demonstrate some character. I would like him to, I think, like many Americans to, you know, spend less time on Twitter and spend, obviously. His words matter, and I would like his words to be inclusive. I would like them to be thoughtful. You know, for me, that is important, as I think it is for many Americans. There's still many policy issues I agree with them.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I think it would have been better for the long term of the Senate to maintain the 60-vote threshold on the judiciary as a whole. And there's no doubt that all of this contributed both sides on this. And the reason I say that is that when you have, when the minority party does have a voice to some extent on who gets on the federal bench, you can understand where the president is going to have to really look at more consensus candidates than where we are now.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm not going to obviously we'd have to look at what happens in each situation, but the thing that bothered me about it is the outrage on the other side. I have not a doubt in my mind they would have done the exact same thing. So it's kind of hard to.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But let me just say, David, I don't have a doubt in my mind that had the tables been turned with the same party configuration, with an upcoming election. And if the Democrats thought there was going to be a shift on the court, that there's not a doubt in my mind that Harry Reid would have done the exact same thing that Mitch McConnell did. So I felt that the sort of outrage.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But it's a completely, I mean, that's a little bit of a red herring in the sense that just because you're approved for the Circuit Court of Appeals, you then have obviously a record of being a judge there, but also the implications of being a Supreme Court justice are so much greater and the scrutiny is so much greater.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm not saying it's a direct causation. I just want to understand the history here. That started us down this road. And then, frankly, when Justice Galia passed away unexpectedly before the election, with a lot at stake for the country with an upcoming election presidential election and a shift in the court, we know that whoever replaced Justice Scalia, if it were someone, anyone appointed by President Obama, frankly represented a shift in that court. And it was very...”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“On those nominations. But we had approved, I believe, as many judges, if I can recall my facts, is that had happened in the Bush administration. We had approved many judges at that time. So I didn't think what he did was warranted, and he did a lot to undermine the institution when he took that move. And he set the stage. He set the stage for what happened with Justice Gorsuch.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It came up repeatedly. It came out throughout. I mean, not surprisingly. My take on this is, first of all, I was in the Senate when Harry Reid changed the rules on the Circuit Court of Appeals and the District Court judges basically I didn't think the facts warranted it and he pushed facts that weren't necessarily making his end.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Oh no, he knew. Because the one question I had was, has the president sign off on this before I decided to do it? Because I thought it was important because it was a very important nomination for him and for me it was going back obviously in the Senate right after having lost an election and bringing Justice Gorsuch to 70 meetings in the Senate wasn't exactly how I thought I would spend my post-election time. But I got to know him well and it was an honor to get to know someone of that caliber.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, you've already asked me about obviously what happened in the election and you know where I stood that I actually wrote in Vice President Pence in the election. And so I was as shocked as anyone that I got the call from the administration asking to be this Sherpa for Justice Gorset.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, I don't. Don't, and I have to say that as I've reflected even more so on that debate question that you get asked. It's really hard to find, unfortunately, role models in the political context. And I'm not sure that's where I want my children to turn. When it comes to others,”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So after the Access Hollywood tapes came out, I realized in my heart that I couldn't sleep about this. I mean, my background is I was a prosecutor, I've dealt with sexual assault victims, domestic violence. I was mother of then 12-year-old little girl. I just decided that for me, it was more important to For my family and especially my daughter to know where I stood than to think about this as winning an election. The political calculus for me, it was just what I thought was the right thing to do based on what was in my heart. And that's what I did.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Oh, it's hard to know in that election. It could have been just as damaging of the fact that I didn't vote for him. Who knows when you have such a close election?”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, no, I made a mistake. I think it just shows you when you're asked sort of a surprise question, you don't think about it. Because honestly, my initial answer was more about the role of the president. Yes, I could see as a role model because of the role of the president, not necessarily him in particular. And I quickly realized him like that wasn't what I meant to say. And of course I had to hear about it the rest of the campaign on the TV.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I mean, the French, even in this context, didn't necessarily like all. They were the tough guys in this agreement. So they'd like to see. Even President Macron has said he would like to deal with the length of the agreement and some of these other issues that he views as outstanding as well.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think that. Will have the impact. David, I believe the impact it's going to have is that they are going to want to address these other issues. And so this is an area where the president should be tough.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“At the time of this agreement, it was not an executive agreement. It was not approved as a treaty process. It was quite clear that there was a major part of the Senate that didn't like the agreement and was in opposition to it.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm less worried about that. I understand that that's an argument that people are making. The reason that I am less worried about that is because North Korea is going to act based on its own self-interest. I don't think that if we pull out of the Iran agreement, that suddenly they're going to think the same president who's entered the agreement, who he's going to think the agreement is sufficient is suddenly going to pull out of it. And in the end, for me, the president has been clear on this, that it's an insufficient agreement, and it may even put him in a tougher negotiation position with the North Koreans saying, I will abide by an agreement if it's a tough agreement. But otherwise, I'm not going to honor it. And we have to remember the context for all this, which is”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“If they're not going to do it, if the Europeans aren't going to step up to deal with these other issues, then I would. I would support him withdrawing from the agreement because I think in the end they will bock and will want to do it”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Their very weak tea. Need to be stronger. They're not really dealing with the heart of it. And Iran will argue, by the way, that the deal, even though it didn't deal with it, dealt with it. They in fact wrote a letter to the UN basically of that import right after the agreement saying, if you try to impose on terrorism our support for state terrorism or the other issues, then we're going to view that as a breach of the agreement. So if I were I believe the president is right to be critical of this agreement, I was critical of it from the beginning. I would like to see him say, use maximum leverage to address these serious deficiencies in the agreement.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“They have the knowledge, and this agreement essentially we don't have the leverage on them between 10 and 15 years, depending on how you look at the agreement, how you interpret the agreement. In addition to that, one of the pieces of legislation I introduced in the Senate I thought was a huge deficiency in the program was we did nothing to address their missile program. And they are very close, if not, I'm not privy to the intelligence now, at the point of ICBM capability and ballistic missile capability. They've had a program. It's very far along. And we didn't deal with any of it. And they kept testing. And then there's obviously there's...”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Months away from the agreement. He wouldn't have entered the agreement. I don't know that there was anything surprising that the Iranians misrepresented their program. That was one of the reasons we were in this thing. So that's not surprising. But I think the point I would make from it, though, is they have the knowledge.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“There's a huge deficiency in that agreement. There's a couple of huge deficiencies. Number one, never it's too short term. Iran's thinking long term about this nuclear program. One thing with the information that Prime Minister Netanyahu brought out in the last day or so, it's back in 2003, but the knowledge that they have on the nuclear program.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, the president has imposed a deadline of May 12th, right? Yes. And my view is that he has brought Europeans to the table and he should continue to push. There are, I think,”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“With her on this, I think the president does need to make sure that he is surrounded in this and leave the details to professionals who have studied North Korea for a long time so that the terms of any agreement that are reached are real, they're verifiable, they're concrete, and so that North Korea can't use this as a subterfuge for legitimacy that it does not deserve.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I do not think the president in the anxiousness for a deal should enter a deal that is not satisfactory because we have allies that we cannot put in a position, like we can't undermine South Korea's security for the sake of a deal that's insufficient and our own security because they have demonstrated last year they 17 ICBM tests so that has the capability of hitting the United States of America. We cannot have a deal. So I will be as critical of this president as I was a President Obama if there's somehow a deal for the sake of a deal that has no teeth and is insufficient. And I just think the jury is out on it. And interestingly enough, I saw an interview the other day by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Right, which is kind of how I felt on the Iran deal with Secretary Kiri I felt he was over anxious for a deal. I think we could have had a better deal there.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Is driving a discussion that needs to happen. So I'm encouraged by the fact we're in this position with the South Koreans and the North Koreans, you know, meeting with the Chinese, obviously stepping up a little bit more to get North Korea to the table. So whether we will get a result out of that remains to be seen, and I am skeptical of North Korea given their history. And, you know, other administrations have been in similar situations and they have not followed through North Korea and they've used it as a subterfuge to get economic relief. So the jury's out, but I am encouraged by it.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm seeing that encourages me is that an unconventional approach by President Trump has been Catalyst in part to get people to the table. And in part, I think a little bit of a fear about what he may or may not do.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It's so true. And it was the same. It's the same way running for statewide office. I think, especially in the primary context. Know just because for the nomination of your party, I can say for either party, I think you really have to get out and reach out and touch people. And I can't even name the number of debates and candidate forums I did in that primary. Was like endless.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And also, in part because we have such an important role in the presidential election, I mean, this is a state where people are used to seeing you and they are, you know, they're not impressed about your senator, whatever. They see presidential candidates and they want to have the opportunity to ask you a question and they expect you to be accessible. And so being out there not having run for office before, even though I was in a public position as Attorney General, really being out there so much and is something you have to get used to when you run for office and obviously even now I go to the grocery store and it takes me longer probably than your average person to do grocery shopping.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Was It's got both. It's a challenge on both fronts. So I won my first primary by 1662 votes. It was really close. Who's counting and three guys that I ran against? One of them was a big self funder, spent about $8 million against me. And so it was when the tea party was almost in full force then, 2010. And so our state, the Republican primary electorate, they're conservative. I mean, they're probably not as conservative as you may find in other states in the nation down south or something like that, but they're a conservative electorate. And in a swing state. And so it really is a state that can go back and forth.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I think. The one thing about running is It really bears you open, meaning anything that you had for flaws. I mean, it's out there for people to see and anything that you had for strengths are also out there. And what I learned from it is I learned a lot about myself because you're put in situations where in a campaign context where you really have to convince people why they should vote for you and why what is it that you have to offer in representing them that they need to know about and be able to communicate effectively. And I learned a lot and I think I learned a lot about how to communicate that I didn't know before. And then in terms of serving, I'd never been a legislator. So learning on being a senator, I think relationships matter. I think your ability to build coalitions.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Then there were people who came to me and said, you should do this, surprisingly, and probably one of the most important people who said, I think you could do this is Judd Gregg, who I had a lot of respect for, who was my predecessor. But at the end of the day, it was really my husband and I who decided we would do it. And it was kind of crazy because I had never run for office before. And I had to resign my position as Attorney General and I took a year and a half off from work. And we just ran the numbers at home, put them on the wall. Could you could we go from two to one income for a year and a half? My husband has a small business. And do we want to do this? And I didn't actually know fully what I was getting into, which was probably good because it's better not to know when you first run how crazy and hard it is.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I ran for the Senate because, well, first of all, I was actually quite surprised when Judd Gregg decided he wasn't going to run for another term. I mean, he obviously was. Nominated at one point to be Commerce Secretary, and that kind of fell apart. But I have a lot of respect for him, and I thought for sure he would then run for another term of the Senate. So I was surprised by it. I have to tell you, though, I was looking at what was happening with the country, and I didn't agree with what was happening. I didn't like the turn on the healthcare piece money spent on the stimulus. A whole host of issues came up where philosophically I just didn't like what was happening.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I supported that. That's why I think when people talk about, for example, The NRA didn't agree with that, but I thought it made sense. I mean, I dealt with national security issues. I was concerned about what happened in Orlando, and I thought that that was something that would be important to prevent that in the future.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“They also don't want dangerously mentally ill people to have a gun. And in my state, We had a list that still the people who were adjudicated dangerously mental ill were never on the list. And that, you know, that needs to be fixed too.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I don't think it's an either or thing either, but. Both sides should get together and figure out what they agree with here because I don't want to fall into get a gun. Of course not. I was a prosecutor. We lawful gun owners don't want to fall into get a gun. And they also want...”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So if you extend them, then you'll catch more. If you prosecute them too, we'll get more. People know there's no teeth in that. So few prosecutions happen.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, I mean, I think someone like me, I'm for background checks. I didn't end up voting for the mansion to me proposal because I had some issues with it. But I think there is a way to get to where we have background checks that can ally people's concerns that universal means, I mean, even issues like some of the biggest issues we have aren't going to be addressed with the background check issue. I mean, unfortunately, if you look at all these incidents, they're not going to be solved with the background check. Most of these people would not have been discovered in the background check system. That was not the issue in most of these masks that I can think of as I think about the facts of each of them.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That somehow there's a feeling that if you aren't willing to do all these things, then somehow you don't want public safety or you don't care about safety. And for me, it gets frustrating because I've lived it. I've been a prosecutor. I understand the issues. And one of the biggest gaps we have is actually enforcing. I mean, people think it's an excuse, but every one of these cases, I can tell you if we actually put more resources into enforcing as a first step, it would be a big step.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Is there are things that maybe don't go as far as one side or the other wants to go that could be done now and today that would be voted on and voted yes. They did some of it in the appropriations bill and the omnibus, but I think that we're in this situation where it's become too much of a political football instead of saying I don't fully agree with you or you don't fully agree with me. Why don't we at least start where we agree? And then you can keep fighting like hell you want. Well, you want universal background checks then keep pushing for it. And I'm going to keep worrying about the registration implications. And there's middle ground there somewhere in between. I don't know if it's in between or somewhere. I think there's a disconnect between.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“One of the reasons that we're not going to that I don't see us coming together is you may not fully agree with everything that wants to, that one side wants to do, like say that the Democrats want to do on gun control. But there's a lot of common ground that isn't being dealt with, that isn't being dealt with even on the background check issue, on the bump stock issue, on the mental health issue, on the issue of education and prevention. And I think that why aren't they for it? Because people are concerned, for example, on the universal background check issue, that that's somehow going to lead to a gun registry. And so there are different viewpoints that my constituents have on this issue. But what frustrates me when I look at it and I look at how this debate has developed.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But I think it's more about where people in the American public come on this. It's more about constituents than any pressure that...”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I actually think that This whole debate, number one, in some ways there's a little bit of a disconnect of where you live in the country and what your perspective is. And so the issue itself has also been wrapped up in how people feel about their individual rights and their freedom. And that's driven by perhaps what your experiences with firearms or what your background is. And so in an inner city, you're probably going to feel different than you do in rural New Hampshire based on your experience and what you see happening. So I would describe it less in terms of pressure. I mean, I think that the pressure piece is It's on both sides. I mean, I frankly have been, you know, attacked more on the gun issues by the left than probably almost anyone. So I understand that. I mean, there's lots of pressure to bear on both sides.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Be the Aot. And that case was less. Although I, you know, I am pro life, and that case is less about, was less about my ideology. I think people thought it was about my ideological viewpoints, but it really wasn't. For me, it was more the legislature passed a law. And my job as Attorney General was to defend it. And so that's how I viewed my role there in the sense that the legislature passed a parental notification law. And so I defended it to the United States Supreme Court. So I think that as Attorney General, you do have to respect the separation of powers. And there are times you have to defend laws as long as they're not blatantly unconstitutional. You have to defend them even if you don't agree with them. So yes, I agreed with that law, but that was less of why I brought that case than I felt that was my responsibility”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah. Although interesting, yeah, I have argued a case for the U.S. Supreme Court and the name of the case is AOT versus Planned Parenthood.”
2018-05-03 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 239 - Kelly Ayotte · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source