Sen. Amy Klobuchar Monday fired back at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others, saying that so far, Republicans have conducted all work on the draft legislation to replace and repeal Obamacare behind closed doors.
"We have not even had a hearing," the Minnesota Democrat told MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" program.
"No Republican amendments, and what we have now is a bill that's being drafted behind closed doors."
All Democrats know, complained Klobuchar, is President Donald Trump called the House version of the American Health Care Act "mean."
"We don't even have a chance to see a bill that could throw over 20 million people off of their insurance," said Klobuchar. "It is strongly opposed by AARP and seniors groups and trouble for rural America.
"We want to work with Republicans on changes to the Affordable Care Act. We have been so clear about that."
Klobuchar said there has been some talk about finding space for hearings, but there is more than enough space.
"I'm actually the highest-ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee and I have something to say about space in the Capitol," she said. "I can tell you, we will find the space for a hearing."
Klobuchar also is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and said it's unprecedented that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has testified before the Intelligence Committee, but not Judiciary.
"I think it's very important that he went before the Intelligence Committee," she said, but Judiciary has jurisdiction over the FBI and what happened with the firing of FBI Director James Comey.
She also called President Donald Trump's tweet last week that he is under investigation a "shocker, when you don't think you can be shocked anymore. He not only said he was being investigated, but he blamed it on someone he said told him to fire Jim Comey."
Klobuchar also disagreed with Trump's tweets that the Russia investigation is a "witch hunt,"
"I think it's a truth hunt," she said, and every time Trump tweets, he "squanders another opportunity to govern."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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