Politics

Mike Lee: Charles Krauthammer Does Not Have A Crystal Ball

Patrick Howley Political Reporter
Font Size:

Utah Sen. Mike Lee defended himself Tuesday against allegations that his point of order vote, which he earned in partnership with Sens. Ted Cruz and Jeff Sessions, contributed to President Barack Obama being able to confirm more of his nominees through the outgoing Democratic Senate majority.

“Look, I’ve got tremendous respect for Charles Krauthammer, but he does not have a crystal ball,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee said on the Laura Ingraham radio show.

“His idea of conservatism is standing with making a statement rather than I think the conventional idea is doing something,” Krauthammer said of Lee’s working partner Ted Cruz after Cruz-Lee earned a point of order vote on defunding Obama’s amnesty orders. (RELATED: Cruz and Lee Set Off Early Friday Afternoon)

The defunding measure was voted down 22 to 74. Cruz and Lee did not have the support of Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell and Minority Whip Sen. John Cornyn.

“I’m not going to go back and rehash the events of the last few days,” Sen. McConnell told Caroline May. “You all have all written about them, you know exactly what happened over the weekend. We are where we are and I’m hoping we’ll wrap it up today or tomorrow,” McConnell said.

“It never ceases to amaze me in this town how very smart people sometimes are assumed to have the ability to see the future and to see what might have been had certain things happen differently,” Lee told Ingraham.

“I don’t know how Charles Krauthammer or anyone else for that matter has any idea who might have been confirmed and who might not have been confirmed, any idea whether we had any chance of succeeding or not. We know one thing, and that’s if we don’t try, it’s not going to work,” Lee added.

Follow Patrick on Twitter