host: senator chuck grassley, republican of iowa.panx for joining us from des moines guest: thank you. host: coming up, a discussion on president obama and the democratic campaign strategy. first, a look at small businesses in the des moines area preparing for the caucuses. >> we are south of downtown des moines at a bakery. we are joined by its owner, christina moffatt. she is also the president of the downtown des moines chamber. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> tell us how small business benefits from the caucus coming to town every four years? guest: did january is the slowest season. people have spent all their money and assets new year's resolutions. it is cold at that time. , morer the caucuses december people are outdoors. we have seen an increase in business. several other candidates or rather their people come to us. people are always celebrating birthdays or vague are celebrating a rise in the polls with cupcakes. we will be doing a big event on january 3 with google for the media to stop in and pick up a

sea and he went over to congress in july and he presented this information to them right where chuck grassley said well i just don't understand why an investigative body you know would want to do something like this why they would want to get rid of potential evidence and then we hadn't heard anything else from congress and only after this piece broke today now it's senator grassley once again start bringing it up so do they just play dumb even though it's on public record this is been presented to them. you know i always wonder about the two and i don't have a good answer to that when i see grasses rationally that i think you see thinking like snickering after is going to like old golly gee will or girls i didn't see that. we all get paid by these same guys what a joke this is and he's just you know more sophisticated actor or are they purposefully ignorant they don't want to know so they don't know so they tell their staff to look into things like that so that when things that are obvious happened they go oh golly gee wooders nobody could have seen it coming it's one of the other there's no

because my next guest, republican senator chuck grassley, has visited all 99 counties every single year he was elected to the senate in 1980. senator grassley? >> you're right. >> how you doing? >> glad to be with you. >> that buttering up by santorum still hasn't worked. you are still not endorsing anybody in the caucuses. first time. >> really it is. because i've been involved in most but i have found so many of these candidates, i agree with on so many things and i think they have the capability of winning, being a good president. i just didn't feel it was right for me to inject myself one over the other and, quite frankly it was difficult for meç to do. you've served with senator santorum. what kind of advice have you given him? how has he conducted himself in this caucus? do you think he has done better than others as far as campaigning? >> from the standpoint of most -- in most caucus years, ground game is who wins. he's done it better than anybody else has done it. from the standpoint of his rise in the last two or three days or week or so, i think it's directly attributable to

senator chuck grassley warned against any sort of retaliation.gents who blew the whistle claim otherwise. 8 agents took their stories to capitol hill. for most it's been down hill ever since. atf forced agent john doddson out of phoenix, leaving him with a house he can't sell and other financial problems. agent larry alt says he has unresolved retaliation claims against the agency. then there is agent pete verselli who was black balled and demoted to a desk job. >> they risked everything. knowing everything they worked for careers, finances reputations are all going to be ruined behind it and they still choose to make that decision to speak out. >> meanwhile, none of the executives who oversaw fast and furious were fired and some were promoted. phoenix chief bill newell is now an assistant in the office of management in washington. supervisor david roth is now chief of the tobacco division. former acting atf chief ken melson he moved to the office of legal affairs and coordinator bill mcmahon was promoted to assistant director of affairs. the atf

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then it was more conservative republicans in the senate, people like chuck grassley and roger wicker and john mccain attacking john boehner for "harming the republican party." then it was anonymous republican staffers on the senate side saying that john boehner and house republicans have "painted themselves into a corner. they are on their own." then it was named republican staffers on the house side circulating e-mails and then leaking those e-mails to the press, things that said -- saying things like "republicans are not playing this right." written in all caps. then it was named members of the house, members of john boehner's own caucus, the people who supposedly answer to him, coming out in public opposition to him. republican congressman rick crawford of arkansas saying, "an all or nothing attitude produces nothing." republican congressman shawn duffy of wisconsin calling out speaker boehner directly, demanding that he bring the senate bill to the floor. then today, 30 minutes after john boehner gave his i'm staying out on this limb, i will not budge press conference, 30 minutes

chuck grassley elected in 1980.en after serving for more than a quarter century, he's still the junior from his state. we'll be right back. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. ♪ [ man ] we've been in the business over the course of four centuries. [ woman ] it was a family business back then, and it still feels like a family business now. the only people who knew about us were those in new england, that moment that we got our first web order... ♪ ...we could tell we were on the verge of something magical. all of a sudden it just felt like things were changing. we can use this to advertise to bakers everywhere. [ man ] browns summit, north carolina. crescent city, california. we had a package go to kathmandu once. the web has been the reason this entire section of the warehouse exists today. we were becoming more than this little flour company in vermont. [ woman ] we're all going after one common goal, which is to spread the joy of baking throughout the whole world. ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> let's bring back the pane

. -- chuck grassley. it blew my mind. host: let's hear from a republican from nevada. don. morning. let me preface my question first. i am a naturalized immigrant and a veteran. this morning on the news i heard that the justice department's set up a hotline for illegals to make sure their rights are not trampled on and or if they have issues. i know that the obama administration specifically the justice department has been suing quite a few states that are inundated with illegals and would like to have some kind of i.d. card. my question to you is, is it the policy of the democratic party to facilitate illegals? if so, will you facilitate all illegals come around a world or is it just a temporary policy? guest: i probably and will not be the expert on immigration for the long term. the number-one focus of the obama in administration is to secure the border it and we have to make up for mistakes made over many years of immigration in this country. the most realistic strategy if it is not to have buses lining up from the canadian border to mexico to return everyone. we have t

it's also susan collins, dick lugar, dean heller, olympia snowe, chuck grassley, roger wicker. the name brand republican senators openly trashing house republicans for what they're doing or at least publicly prodding them to get their act together. the incoherence and infighting of republicans in washington on this issue is now even starting to spill over into the republican race for president as well. after chastising congressional republicans for failing to, quote, speak with one voice, on this issue, presidential candidate mitt romney was unable in three separate media appearances to state which side of this argument he is on. i was going to say that the only candidate with any coherence on this issue at all is candidate newt gingrich, but then he got incoherent on this as well. first mr. gingrich decided to come out and bash senate democrats on the issue. okay. the vote was 89-10, but at least you're aiming your fire outside the republican circle. so far, so good. but then just a little while later newt gingrich about faced. decided the party in the wrong is actually the ho

big oil tried to kill it and chuck grassley said i was the one person that saved ethanol from big oil. why do i believe in ethanol? pretty simple. if i have to choose between the next billion dollars going to saudi arabia or south dakota, i pick south dakota. if i have to pick between iran and iowa, i pick iowa. and the fact is, if we could make sure we retain the renewable fuel standards, go to e-15 as a blend and move towards flex vehicles and flex stations we're better off. brazilians have flex vehicles. auto companies say it's hard to do, every one of them do it in brazil. brazilians are independent of the middle east in their energy supplies. we can do this. we can get it done and it's important we do so. let me give you two quick examples of how totally wrong barack obama is on energy. as opposed to drilling offshore he put a moratorium in the gulf and he goes to brazil and he tells the brazilians how proud so of the fact that they are drilling offshore. how glad he is that we can guarantee $2 billion in loans to buy equipment from a company that george soros has invested in and

[applause] i am always glad to come back to the state of shock grassley -- chuck grassley. he was the only person that voted with in 1984 for gasahol. that was ethanol when ronald reagan signed into law. it is great to be back. i have to confess that while i was hoping for a wave, we got a tsunami. i thought about what should i talk about tonight? i want to give you a talk that builds off of kevin's introduction. i want to talk about the possibility that we have to rebuild the america that we love. we are a mess. we are a mess in washington, economically, ms with radical -- a mess with radical judges, you can go down the list. i think is wrong to focus primarily on the ms. -- on the mess. we have been here before -- in 1979 and 1980, jimmy carter got us to 13% inflation, 22% interest rates, 10.8% unemployment, the soviet invasion of afghanistan, 444 days of a hostage crisis. finally, in despair, carter gave a famous speech in which he said everything is going to be a lot worse, but at least we can share the misery equally. [laughter] i did not make that up. ronald reagan ca

senator chuck grassley is pushing for lannie brewer to resign.arned of it in 2010 was bad enough, but this is the final straw. mr. brewer lost my confidence and his ability to effectively serve the justice department. if you can't be straight with the congress, you don't need to be running the criminal division. it's time to stop spinning and start taking responsibility. >> gretchen: all right. so that's what he's asking for. here is the response from the drug enforcement administration. they say that they have been working collaboratively with the mexican government to fight money laundering for years as part of that collaboration, dea works with mexican authorities to gather and use information to counter the threats they pose to both of our countries. does that explanation suit you, congressman issa? >> you remember justice told us in writing and in testimony that they never let guns walk, so don't trust, do verify on behalf of the american people becomes a responsibility. that's the whole point. if you have confidence, it becomes performa to

sometimes the chuck grassley knows better about what to spend in iowa than a bureaucrat in washington, d.c. [applause] yes, sir. >> i am a former marine. i brought to my 12 year old daughter here tonight. what can you do to make sure she is not deployed? >> what can we do to make sure america is strong and to make sure we finish the job and that we protect our values throughout the world with all the relationships we have? in particular, i believe if we do not deal with the situation is particularly with iran right now, there is a much higher probability that not only will your children be deployed somewhere, but your children are likely to be harmed in this country. if we do not stop iran, the greatest purveyor of terror in the world today, from having a nuclear shield that will protect them from being attacked, you will see terror explode not just in the middle east, but around the world. iran has systematically attacked this country. they continue to do so. you say, what do you mean? iran has been at war with the united states since 1979. they captured the hostages, as you recall.

chuck grassley the senator got involved early on and said did you let guns walk or didn't you?to that. there was fierce back and forth. and the u.s. attorney for arizona and others. but how to respond to this letter? i want to talk to you about lanny brewer. this -- he is high up within the department of justice. this guy testified before the senate in november that he could not say for sure whether he saw a draft of this letter. it appears to be full of inacross a is. the doj withdrew it it was so riddled with inaccuracies. he said in written testimony i have month recollection of seeing it before it was sent. the document dump shows brewer forwarded versions of the letter from his personal gmail and his deputy was deeply involved in the drafting of it and brewer praised him on it saying great work as usual. what should be done with brewer. neither he nor anybody else has been fired or disciplined. >> you hit it on head. the fact of the matter is no one has been disexplained or terminated. they reassigned the atf people. but no one has taken responsibility. what congress is do

. >>> now we want to take to you capitol hill for a moment, senator chuck grassley of iowa speaking on the senate floor about the botched gun walking program fast & furious, senator grassley is the ranking member of the senate judiciary committee in that operation and he has just called for the resignation of assistant attorney general lanny brewer. grassley says this is evidence that brewer knew about the operation, that the justice department provided congress with inaccurate information about that sting. this comes as a slew of lawmakers and gop an kaeupbts -- candidates i would also mentioned have called for the resignation of eric holder, the attorney general of the united states. this is becoming a very hot situation, and grassley testifying about it light now. we're going to take you back there as soon as we get more information out of capitol hill on that story. >>> in the meantime, congress has approved tough sanctions on iran in a 100-nothing vote. the complete clampdown on their central bank on their cash. but now the white house says they want lawmakers to rethink that hars

if chuck grassley, the republican senator from iowa makes a decision to go ahead and endorse, that couldan impact. the governor, terry branson says he's not going to endorse anyone but he can always change his mine. i'm heading the iowa tomorrow and will be interviewing newt gingrich in "the situation room." on wednesday, mitt romney will be interviewed. >> big important interviews. let's talk about the difference in the narrative, how newt gingrich posits how the divorce came about in his first marriage and what we found out, cnn reporting from the paperwork. does it matter knowing eye wants as you do, knowing their sensibilities. will it matter to them? >> it might matter to some. some social conservatives, some others. but it's been so well documented. now there's a little bit of new information coming in. alan duke got the actual documents, the court papers when newt gingrich filed for divorce. i guess there's a technical distinction. they could say, yes, newt gingrich did file, technically he filed the papers for the divorce, but his first wife asked for the divorce, never going for

iowa republican senator chuck grassley has been sounding the alarm for months. latest developments in this matter. senator grassley, thank you for joining us. >> i'm glad to be with you. thank you you very much, ma'am. >> shannon: i want to ask you about the attorney general's testimony on capitol hill this week. there has been something made of the fact that he wasn't sworn in as other witnesses sometimes are. did that bother you at all on the house side? >> if it is a departure from the house from practice the answer is, yes, and i would like to know why. in the senate i think that he was sworn in. that was a month ago. they swore in almost everybody in our committee and i don't remember during the senate if he was sworn in or not. >> shannon: a representative suggested impeachment may be on the table. he said to officials within the doj. is that something you could see happening as we learn more about exactly what was going on? >> i don't think so. that isn't something i would call for now. my goal is three things. one to find out hot highest person up in the

. >> senator chuck grassley hasn't endorsed either. >> he has not and he will not. >> and the governor. >> correct. both are very republican fles that state. both said they will stay neutral tral. >> thank very much. >>> let's dig deeper in the strategy. joining us from new york, here in washington terry holt. thanks guys very much. we will see rick santorum next hour hunting with congressman steve king. santorum, he has worked hard. he did get an endorsement, if you will, from a family leader, if you will, in iowa. terry, first to you, is this going to help santorum come from way back if the polls to emerge second, third, fourth in iowa? >> i wouldn't count rick santorum out in iowa at all. 20 years ago, he was running as a no-name candidate. he came out of nowhere as a congressman because of hard work and values resonate with average people. and wide open is the iowa race. we have a majority of people undecided. people changed their mind a number of times. rick santorum has the kind of profile and attitude it takes to surprise people in iowa and i look for a surprise from rick santor

senators dick durbin and chuck grassley to require the court to allow cameras in the courtroom the firste. one former senator arlen specter of pennsylvania was a witness today. he answered the charge this could raise a constitutional question. can congress tell the courts what to do? >> the court can come back and say it is a violation of separation of powers. i frankly do not think they would because you have very strong public opinion in favor of having the court televised, and the final analysis the court does listen to the public. >> reporter: only two federal appeals courts have so far allowed in their cameras in their courtroom. the supreme court only provides transcripts and audiotapes of their proceedings. jon: it will be quite a battle to watch. steve centanni, thanks. jenna: one of america's cover girls. jon: my favorite. >> your favorite. there she is christie brinkley getting a hefty bill from the irs she is 57 years old, can you believe that. the former supermodel owes half a million dollars in taxes. brinkley says she will pay quickly and the tax lien resulted from an hones

developments in the fast and furious scandal skwraot justice department admitting it gave senator chuck grassleye information about the botched gun-tracking sting. that is one of the surprising details of 1400 pages of documents quietly released by the justice department late on friday while so many in washington were preparing for the weekend. didn't get it by william la jeunesse, though, he's live in los angeles. what is in all the documents? >> reporter: what we're talking about is what got this ball rolling in the first place. a whistle-blower you might recall went to senator grassley with the allegation back in february that the u.s. was helping arm the mexico cartels. grassley asked, is this true? a response was coordinated by lani brewer. he said categorically no, the atf did not knowingly have guns going to mexico and none of the guns showed up at the brian terry murder scene. now we know both of those statements are false. friday he blamed the inaccuracies on dennis burke. kenneth mels on bill newell among others, sayin saying his office relied on the assertions that the agency was not

we'll also talk with a ron paul campaign adviser and senator chuck grassley of iowa.ps over and bursts into flames, and everybody onboard survives. we'll tell you more. and a medical breakthrough for the e.r. that could save your life. we'll see you in just a few minutes, "happening now." patti ann: all right, jon, looking forward to it, thanks. >>> well, you have probably heard the expression i feel your pain, well, some twins claim they actually do feel each other's pain. lauren was nearly killed by an airplane propeller, her twin sister now say she's been hurting too. is that even possible? we'll talk about it. gregg: and a rose bowl tradition may have actually saved a man's life when a college ball player came to his aid during dinner at larry's beef bowl in beverly hills. we're going to hear from the hero next. >> you never want to have to use something like that, but the guy was struggling, and the guy that was helping him didn't seem like he was getting the job done. gregg: welcome back. a college football player saving the life of a fan during a special rose b

we will talk with chuck grassley. also the democratic party is perspective.hairman artie rybak joins us. also david swenson is our guest. "washington journal" at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. >> it is a three day holiday weekend on book tv. the 3000 year history of jerusalem. saturday night at 9:00 p.m. eastern. on court afterwards, free will and the side of the brain. monday at 7:00 p.m., mark stein believes if current political and cultural trends continue with the u.s. is destined for collapse. your calls and emails "in depth". chris hedges writes about religion and war and its impact on civilizations. his latest is "the world as it is." >> we will hear from ron paul. the texas congressman was on the jan michaelson show. this is 55 minutes. >> good morning. over here. your seat is warmed up. thank you for coming. make yourself comfortable. you timed that exactly right. >> guess which book you got me to read? >> currency wars. he puts it in good context. >> welcome back. we're simulcasting with c-span. taking as many calls as we can. ron paul has joined

we sent chuck grassley to d.c. as well as tom harkin's. other deal is these candidates have to come, they have to do one on one, small groups, they go through a rigorous process and they get ask every question imaginable. iowa is very good at separating the wheat from the chaff, and saying who will stand up. four years ago, it was a natural for a lot of this caucus goers to coalesce around mike huckabee because he had john mccain and guiliani and romney and thompson in the race. this time you have a lot of conservatives in the race, and because of those conservatives in the race, that is why a lot of this vold will be splintered -- a lot of the vote will be splintered. romney note advantage goes to him if it happens. host: in your view, is mitt romney pro life and if he were the nominee, would you support him? guest: well, the problem we have with governor romney is that not only has he been on both sides of the life issue, but the marriage issue, and the healthcare issue -- and not just on both sides, but he has been passionately on both

we will talk with chuck grassley. we will also get the democratic party's perspective.ins us -- r.t. ryback joins us. later, dave swenson is our guest. each morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. ♪ >> with the iowa caucuses next week in the primaries later in the month, c-span's series "the contenders" looks back at 14 candidates who ran for president but lost. friday, four-time governor george wallace. on saturday, george mcgovern, followed by ross perot. "the contenders" every night at 10:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> now we will hear from presidential candidates michele bachmann -- she was on the radio show in des moines. she talked about foreign policy and the departure of her iowa campaign chairman. this is about 50 minutes. >> thank you for joining us this morning. we have ron paul coming in a little bit later, and we get a chance to talk with you here this morning. did you park the edsel out front? >> yes, we did, and it is of u.d.. >> in her biography, she actually admits and seems to be proud of that her family owned an edsel station wagon when you were a kid.