i do hope with the dialogue and communication and awareness building does create communication. that we talk about it. and it goes to societies. >> and fortunately that's all the time we have today. thank you for coming on with us and taking the time to speak with us. >> thank you for the conversation. >> thank you audience members for joining us. next thursday join "washington post" life forta our next series marking aapi heritage month. thank you for watching "washington post" life. >> our first guest is barbara comstock as a representative of virginia republican for the commonwealth serving 2015

through 2019 representative comstock thank you for your time this morning. >> good morning. it's good to be with you. >> part of an effort calling for the american renewal. what is that quick. >> a center-right group of republicans, former republicans and independents who don't want to be democrats but restore the center-right party. some people maybe want to start a third-party i am in the camp of wanting to restore the republican party under the grip of the former president and in light of the january 6th actions which precipitated a lot of this. a break it was not a partisan issue at all with the liz cheney situation as she

personally has pointed out it was a-l break with constitutional principles, rule of law. we have to restore that and not make the republican party a cultpo of personality baguette back to the principles but be forward-looking in terms of the many challenges we have of domestic foreign-policy and international competition for the pandemic how do we deal with these issues we are left with? it is an effort to have forward-looking republican party with the former president and grievances. >> how much sway does the president have quick. >> i appreciate he has a lot of supporters within the republican party but this is a

president who twice did not get the popular vote only 36.nine twice impeached we lost the house and the senate and not been able to grow the party. i appreciate therere are certain parts and then to change the dynamics but you have to add and multiply with 46.nine and the former president said what he could do that was obvious in both elections but now very much dividing the party and particularly what we think is dangerous. based on the big lies you have seen that most recently this week and republican officials

in maricopa county four out of five are pointing out the election was audited twice with the same results and now the former president is still making false claims threatening to insight violence in my opinion because all of the big lies that are told certainly led to what happened on january 6 i know that morning i called family and former staff please do not go down there today. i am very worried what will happen because of what this is leading up to. i know another told his staff to work at home that day because of his concerns in georgia republican officials

point of the making public statements to say to the former president dangerous things will happen we see increased death threats from members of congress and now election officials in arizona and thiss is originating with the former president continuing to tell the big lie to be a sore loser and not accepting the results of an election.ls of the bipartisan election integrity group our purpose was to say to accept that and then to uphold regardless of

who one. we can been in the opposite situation and those on the left very upset if we had done similar things we could be in the same place so restoring our constitutional government faith and democracy and my big concern is that this continued i to press the vote of republicans and of course no better example than georgia where the president, the former president ended up suppressing the republican felt. not as many people came out in the january 5th election for the two senators because donald trump was saying this

was rigged and stolen and he continued in this new blog he has from wherever he was that it is a rigged and stolen election. something i would point out fewer and fewer republicans are publicly saying. even the presidents favored network on the far right are not saying that. because they know because of legal issues to make those claims when they have turned out to be false again and again. >> to ask about this group she is part of. spank use served with the new

republican conference chairs so what is the story that you said about the current republican c party? >> i was proud to serve with her and i'm very proud of the action she is taking. it was a vote of conscious to republican leadership in the house and the senate this is a vote of conscience. and now i'm very proud of her actions recently to makee a statement. this is between the truth and the constitution to support donald trump's big lie the former president was only

32 percent approval. so where he is at it numbers all he can do is divide if you are 46.9 percent and divide that by any number 10 percent, 20 percent, you cannot win betweenyo the election that's why i am very proud of what liz cheney did. and i thought it was very cynical for the house republican caucus to say we will bring in another woman to make it now a woman who will recite the talking points to make the former president happy. i was not happy to see the whole campaign was based on the former presidentep supported her that she made the acceptance speech after she

used his name over and over and over again to make it clear that was the litmus test for house leadership which is very much a contrast and the senate has taken a different approach. none of the senate leadership voted against certifying the election onja january 6. and those that took the vote to certify the election and that there arere republicans who were upset about this but the idea january 6 people are roaming through the halls and capital police and that oversaw the capital policeak and it breaks my heart what still happened on january 6th to be ignored.

senate leadership goes in a different direction for that subservience in my opinion is a sore loser and the voters said no to donald trump that they did not say no to republican principles because we gained seats in the house a lot of those people were minority candidates i work to help get a lot of them elected notably we did not support her. this is a very challenging time but to me, it's as easy as it was for liz cheney tuesday january 6 was a dividing line once you saw the

violence the flame lit by a donald trump at the rally was two months before that all of the lies to tell people to march down to the capital and they did that. one explains they were running down to the capital they saw that from his window in that capital. liz is a woman of courage and of all seasons even under very difficult circumstances she comes from a very republican state. i think u history will be kind to her and will not be kind to those who are supporting the big lie because it is so easily disproven. >> we have calls lined up on pennsylvania starting with mark on the republican line go ahead.

>>caller: good morning. when you keep reporting democrat talking point you are destroying republican party there is factual evidence the swing states violated the constitutional laws in their states and state laws. how do you explain how joe biden got 450 electoral votes and barack obama got 960 and with 12 million more votes than barack obama. the court cases that trump brought to courtho were split decisions a one in wisconsin should've been warned the supreme court should have been heard on the cases. this is not a figment of his imagination. the end result the people that voted for him though 75 million excuse me 74 supported donald trump's policies and what the country became under his leadership who is the majority and you are not. how can you not see the laws are broken but we should still

follow theaw constitution to become elected president? >> representative comstock go ahead. >> to hear from somebody who is reciting the presidents talking points. i'm not even flavor some of that mishmash. but yes the president got 74 million votes but joe biden got 81 million. that is a talking point repeated and repeated but when the other side gets more that is called losing. so let's go back to all of these judges. and that they support because of judges. and i sympathize with those who supported him because of that because i work extensively at the justice department it worked on senate

confirmation during the bush administration and then supported all of the republican judges. sixty court cases by the federalist society conservative judges shut down the presidents theory timet after time now after them point out he had a crackpot legal team also ridiculed to buy conservatives lawyers those appointed by republican presidents three by donald trump. to say it is the law not just democratic talking points i the benchthem on because they would support the

law. and one of the things i do say to my friends is that and then doing whatever donald trump wanted, those that were conservative or it here to the law. and that they were getting smeared by the left and that is a very difficult time. that they stood up but the talking points that he puts out and then just repeated by people again and again our proven false by republican officials in arizona. officials in georgia. now you have legal cases it

may be mistaken that conservative tv shows going on reading statements from their lawyers we just want to make clear something to the effect people on this show saying things that could be similar , we have no evidence to prove any of that. we are not making that claim. because this has been proven false. and 60 court cases. for those conservative judges that they wanted to put in place. so now youth have people left like the former president or those who claimim he has evidence but no improvement in a court of law. >> independent line from

georgia go ahead. >>caller: earlier you said you don't believe there should be a third-party. and those that are heard they are a representative of their party. there is no way those that i have talked to in my circle that we can go back for the party that basically has committed treason with severe fabricated to believe and we want a o third-party of republicans who actually in my opinion so why don't you believe you needrt to branch off for a third-party? >> representative you also

talked about your decision of third-party all earlier but to imagine the current party. how does that work what you propose as part of that quick. >> we vote for individuals. different states have different parties or a conservative party may endorse one candidate or another. so i think we do need a strong two-party system it should not be based on conspiracy theories that largely by the former president to inspect body of politics. i support those who very strongly try to turn the page with the post trump and pandemic party. to focus on the issues and

concerns of the american people and constituents. i support people like adam kinsinger a fighter pilot who has been very courageously going into the battle. somebody like liz when he stood up in the r-uppercase-letter us to talk aboutt foreign-policy issues we listen to him because we knew he was in the field with a very common sense approach to these issues. republicans like that need our support like jamie butler who did vote for impeachment issues for women and children and then to get healthcare when they are n pregnant. working on special needs childrenrs issues. she has a special needs child one of the first women if

congress to have three children while in congress. is a women i'm happy to stand with because i feel with those conservative principles i support tax cuts i voted for tax reform i don't want to see the current administration reversed that. so i will work with conservatives and independents those who will fight for those principles but there has to be respect for the constitution and the colt of personality dealing with the former president that is very destructive to the party if you look around the country use the state house of representatives and governors who have moved on it will be

good candidates. governor hogan from massachusetts. to republicans are among the most popular in the country. governor chris sununu in new hampshire outdid donald trump's numbers bynu double digits. and he was an official in new hampshire. he is somebody i can get behind. but somebody then i hope to see many of these friends candidates go by the wayside because they arer very ineffective in representing their district to get anything donesi because they are divisive people. but i can tell you right now from everything i've ever seen in congress, you will not see

marjorie greene pass a bill in my opinion. i don't expect you'll ever see a bill sponsored by her past. she will send out fundraising letters of what she has produced but one will be one of the most effective members of congress. >> since the non- trump supporters represent 9 percent why not join with the democrats just long enough to put a vampire spike through trump and then surround yourself like liz cheney? >> i think it's more than 9 percent the republicans the reason he got 46.nine because you are the last republicans like me ands. many others in the suburbs. he hemorrhaged professionals inin the suburbs. he did gain some working-class

folks but he lost the suburbs. so we need to find candidates like senator scott from south carolina in response to president biden state of the union laying out what he wanted too do going forward but he did vote to certify the election on january 6 and there are many other voices and new party to come in to do much better than donald trump that we need to hear from. i don't think either party's future will be with a white man.y each party has different voices and talents to be in

control of the house or the senate or the white house and you have the standard who lost the popular vote twice, you need to turn the page but as a republican there's candidates i can support on the state level, governors to do the right policy so you vote for individuals hoping they can be leaders and be positive and get us back on track that's where i am putting my hope over the next few years and we do see evidence of polling donald trump influence is waning and not increasing. if he goes down from that 46.nine, and he is, he does

not still have the support of those 74 million because many said okay. i didn't want joe biden but i don't want trump in the future. they of turn the page and have moved on. even some who like you realize if you can't win then try something else. at the end of the day if you want your policy to be enacted into law you have to support somebody t. >> democratic line. >> thanks for taking my call. what policy differences do you have from the wing of the trump party? >> largelyly that devotion to the former president. but the way that i did support at one point having

immigration reform. that is something both parties use as the election issue. i do support immigration reform. i voted to do that. the former president said he would support and democrats didn't want at that time. and the freedom caucus oppose that effort. and they were very destructive to the whole agenda in general. and the isolationist policies that i do not support talking about how he word immediately withdraw troops many places across the world that is

frightening to me. but i am a conservative. i support conservative judges. i support conservative economic policies. less regulation. but i support working together i pass sexual harassment legislation that the former president signed. i worked on opioid legislation. but that people work bipartisangn on. so there were a lot of good things that were done so i understand why republicans support that conservative policieses i just think donald trump did not have fundamental respect for rule of law and government and trying to rein them in but

that's not the type of person you ever want to have in the white house again. i did vote for him in 16 or 20. >> who did you vote for in 20? >> i wrote in. >> do you care to share? >> 16 i was a chair for his campaign it was marco rubio. 2020 i wrote in abigail adams. what i didn't like about the former president is he was very quick to attack republican and democratic women. just like susie collins. and the way he talked about many women which is very

distressing so he lost virginia by over ten points. i isin confident that would be the case in virginia. >> republican line representative comstock who served 2015 to 2019. >> i think my question has beenon answered. but i was going to ask if she could point to any trump policies that she disagrees with? i don't think she does i think it's a personality issue. maybe that's what j this is? >> it is a very destructive personality, if you have a leader who doesn't support the rule of law or the constitution and is willing to lie to the american people. but as i mentioned there are quite a number of foreign-policy issues looking

at the military were my generals so people who take an oath to the constitution to protect the country and then take orders from the commander-in-chief. just the whole approach to government was always troubling. but certainly while he was in office, many republican leaders whether tax policy or foreign-policy who tried to rein in that often times the worst things that he talked about doing were reined in so those of us that wanted to pass budgets with the military were able to do so.

that's why whether liz cheney or adam kinsinger they were able to vote but look at what i voted for. certainly one of the things i opposed to talk about with a meeting in the white house talk about shutting down the government politely but strongly it was a very bad idea. i continue to think that but he did shut down the government. and that is alwaysrp counterproductive. democrats also voted to shut down i was the only one in this region and the other

things that you ask me in the tech world and then this just goes out and that's what he's doing to do what he wants to do. and for private enterprises to do what they want. i do not agree at all breaking up tech companies and attacking them at a time when china is our strongest competition and they have nine tech companies us only has 11 and trump is constantly attacking 21st century businesses where we lead the

world and those policies i very much disagree with. >> from kenosha wisconsin. >> this is more of a comment or maybe a question i consider myself but it seems if you look at the republican party today it seems like they try to remake themselves with trump and the main ideas. and then give the corporation to bigger tax cuts so to be a moderate republican may not agree on a lot of things but let me ask you this.

and how businesses create jobs that my point of view businesses go into make profit and then they need workers so it is a synergy there should the government be pro- open and market. >> the most valuable thing we have for our workers is the talent that is with bipartisan support was workforce development and post pandemic that is an area to see people working together to stay competitive in the world with the workforce whether workforce training i would

visit a lot of different businesses to see how they were training their employees for government to help businesses with the independent support i served five years in the statehouse to get people skilled to jobs in the future. and then just recently in virginia we have thousands of cybersecurity jobs open so training people can be shorter than a college degree you can get certificates to be in cybersecurity. then when you work for those companies with good paying jobs and benefits with higher level education you can move up theth economic ladder.

think that is red or blue but those areos the issues of what we are working on in the future. > republican line good morning. >> if another republican doesn't get the nomination devote forha biden/harris. >> i'm doing everything now with that future oriented leader. very much support the january 6 commission with republican and democrat a very good legislature is part of that. maybe more republicans word realize to turn the page so i

will be the glass is half-full. and more to turn the page and to be supportive of somebody like the former president in that vein to support the big lie would never be on the presidential ticket and i really prefer they are not any republican ticket. >> the reasons why mccarthy in the house and the goal was to be take the house at the midterm election. what is that possibility? >>ec and with those candidates

as a attendance are looking at it. and also we think that is possible. and also it is important. and i know with this wing seats i know the numbers are even worse than they are nationally. and then to be the kind of republicans that i could support in that is the focus to get more to be part of the caucus. and with those deniers of january 6. and i would be supportive of that also.

that would be very possible in the house and the senate but certainly i want that to be people who are turning the page to focus on the rule of law. >> would you wrote - - run again? >> i'm take them in the camp i would rather set myself on fire. [laughter] i am on two groups that help women republicans get elected also a state legislators. so here in virginia an american candidate running in northern virginia is the kind i would like to see get into office in virginia and neck also running in northern virginia out knockingkn on doors

and understands we need to turn the page and focus on our constituents. when i see candidates like that that i'm now working with in congress. i'm happy to help. privilege to serve. i served a decade and a worked in congress for years. there are other ways to serve the community. ia continue to serve on charitable boards and work on issues i am passionate about and businesses i care about what the future of the 21st century economy. i'm happy to continue help elect the people i think would be good leaders around the country. not just the party.

>> republican line tennessee. >> i think you are all alone about the big lie. it is not a big lie. we saw the proof and then you are out there promoting yourself nobody else but you. frankly, i thank you are part of the swamp you voted with mitt romney and he would stay with him no matter what and people like you of the republican party. that's all i have i to say. >> again, this is the cult of personality from the former president has engendered. it is unfortunate because one of the things what the president is doing is raising money off of the big lie.

and then to have that grievance politics and that is part of what is very dangerous because like liz cheney so fearful that could happen again because of what the former president is doing and inciting with the continuation and those stories reported against election officials but i also fear from republicans able continue to suppress very

much the attitude that if i can't when i don't want anyone to win. this isit my party if you don't take me i will break it up. we've never had a former president like this. that that is why i am pleased the support is dissipating at 14 percent 32 percent public. but i would point out marjorie greene who started the attack on liz cheney and look at the clown car those two are. with the legal problems that mayo have this is not we want to see as the future of the party.

and then they do this and raising and not any particular legislation but self-importance and that's what this is w about. it's about the principles and the people. that's what donald trump never really understood. his own people are around him with a quotation to the effect that what impact does it have on me? what ise the impact on my constituents if that's notwa the question you are asking you should not be a public office. >> the commonwealth of virginia 2015 to 2019. representative comstock joining us for this conversation. thank you for your time. >> thank you.

[inaudible conversations] >> we will come to order. today we will hear from former homeland security intelligence officials as well as national security and civilse rights