Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the seven Republicans to vote for convicting former President Donald Trump earlier this year, said Sunday he's not concerned about party retribution because he is honest with voters and believes the party will have to find a way to unite both sides.
"I feel incredibly welcome," the Louisiana Republican said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Believe me, there are some people still upset with me, and there are some people who are very pleased...almost every American wants to support and defend the Constitution. Once we begin to see it in that light, folks are okay with where I am. I'm okay as well with this procession we're working through."
He also said he pushes back on the issue by "being honest" when he's confronted.
"What I found is there's a lot of misinformation out there," said Cassidy. "When you listen to people, they know you're listening and you present the other side. You get people who are least neutral but oftentimes, hmm, I didn't know that. They'll agree with you."
He also on Sunday called on a focus on policy solutions, rather than fighting, for the party to move forward.
“The policies really worked," said Cassidy. "Before COVID hit, we had the best economy we’ve had in my lifetime. I would argue there are some who still see (Trump) as the messenger of that set of policies, they felt was incredibly positive for our country."
Meanwhile, Cassidy said he has "always loved" Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who is under fire and faces a potential ouster from her House leadership role over her pushback on Trump's claims about the 2020 election and her vote to impeach him over the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol.
"If you look at polls, there's a whole group of folks that agree with Liz Cheney," said Cassidy. "For us to live in 2022 and 2024, we need everybody. We need those who feel like Liz, those who feel like Lindsey (Graham). Ultimately it's about the policies...those policies are a ticket to victory and will bring us back in 2022."
Meanwhile, Cassidy said that he believes bipartisanship can be achieved, even with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying that 100% of his focus is on stopping the Biden administration's agenda.
"I'll give an example," he said. "On the Asian hate crime bill, we said we don't like the way the bill starts off, but we can work with Democrats and get to a better place."
However, Cassidy said he doesn't think any Republican can go for the $7 trillion in spending the administration has proposed for this year alone.
"Any time you're talking about $7 trillion in one year, grab your wallet," said Cassidy. "I don't care who you are; of course they're nervous. You're talking about spending that inevitably ends up hurting the economy. When you let people keep their own money and invest in what they want to invest in, the economy takes off."
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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