Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee who has been on the receiving end of Donald Trump’s efforts to whip holdouts in the House Republican Conference, pulled back the curtain on his relationship with the president during an interview for this week’s episode of the On NOTUS podcast.
Burchett said that while he respects the president, he wouldn’t want Trump teaching his daughters at church.
“I don’t want him teaching my daughters dadgum Sunday school class down there at the little Baptist church down there on Tazewell Pike,” Burchett said. “But I like him in the White House because, yeah, he does talk tough to some of these thugs.”
Burchett also said he believes House Speaker Mike Johnson is “doing a great job.”
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“He’s got a one- or two-person majority. And some of these Republicans are in Democrat districts that Biden won by 14, or Kamala Harris won by 14 or 15 points,” he said. “You know, you got to deal with some pretty liberal Republicans. I really wish we would message better.”
Burchett added that he wished more legislation from members like himself would get pushed, but he doesn’t have the “big money boys” behind him.
“Most of my contributions come in the form of a $20 check with a Bible verse tied to it, some sweet little lady, you know,” Burchett said. “I don’t have the stroke that a lot of these guys do. And I see people, legislation, move that to me has nothing to do with the agenda that America is demanding.”
Burchett said that while some members of Congress “make fun” of him, he believes that they need to visit the sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, a secure room used by lawmakers to discuss and store classified information.
There’s some pretty miraculous stuff. It’s not about little green men. It’s not about flying saucers. It’s, what are we spending tens of millions of dollars on?” Burchett said. “And why are departments telling us they don’t exist? Yet, people in those departments tell us they do exist. And why am I sitting with some bureaucrat with a man bun, telling me that the president’s on a need-to-know basis? That’s pretty chilling to me to think that some unelected person has that capability.”
Burchett said he “100%” believes that much of the information classified by the federal government should be released to the public.
“I shouldn’t be the gatekeeper on what you can or cannot handle, especially when it’s your dollars that are funding it,” he said.
When asked about the recent sexual assault allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell — and the affair former Rep. Tony Gonzales had with a staffer who later died by suicide — and what Congress can do better for accountability, Burchett said its “ultimately up to the voters.”
“Quit electing dirtbags,” Burchett said.
He added that he still believes the justice system needs to play itself out.
“They’re dirtbags and they need to be burned. But I do want to make sure that they’re guilty and we don’t throw somebody out innocently,” he said.
On NOTUS is a weekly podcast where NOTUS reporters talk to lawmakers about how they got to Washington and what motivates them. You can download or listen here.
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