2024 SPECIAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE. AND NOW FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON. HELLO, AND WELCOME TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATES SERIES. I’M ADAM SEXTON AND OUR GUEST FOR TODAY’S SHOW IS FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON. WE’LL BE GETTING TO KNOW THE GOVERNOR AND WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES AT THE START OF OUR SHOW, I’LL BE ASKING THE CANDIDATES SOME QUESTIONS AND THEN AFTER A BREAK, WE’LL HAVE OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE ASK THEIR QUESTIONS IN A TOWN HALL FORMAT. BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN WITH THAT, LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE CANDIDATES BIOGRAPHY. ASA HUTCHINSON SERVED A TERM LIMITED EIGHT YEARS AS GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS. AS GOVERNOR, HE OVERSAW THE ENACTMENT OF $250 MILLION IN TAX CUTS, EXPANDED COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS, AND OVERHAULED ARKANSAS MEDICAID EXPANSION, PRIOR TO HIS EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE, HE SERVED THREE CONSECUTIVE TERMS IN THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DURING HIS THIRD TERM. PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH APPOINTED HIM DIRECTOR OF THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND LATER UNDER SECRETARY OF THE NEWLY CREATED DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. HUTCHINSON ALSO SERVED AS A US ATTORNEY APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN, MAKING HIM AT THE TIME THE YOUNGEST FEDERAL PROSECUTOR AT THE AGE OF 31. HE SAYS HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT APPEALING TO THE BEST OF AMERICA AND NOT OUR WORST INSTINCTS. BORN AND RAISED IN ARKANSAS, HE EARNED AN ACCOUNTING DEGREE FROM BOB JONES UNIVERSITY AND GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS LAW SCHOOL. HE’S MARRIED TO SUSAN HUTCHINSON. THEY HAVE FOUR CHILDREN AND SEVEN GRANDCHILDREN. GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE. WELL, THANK YOU, ADAM. IT IS GREAT TO BE HERE. SO IF THE CONGRESS IS GOING TO FIX IMMIGRATION, ITS LIKELY GOING TO HAVE TO BE A COMPROMISE TO GET BOTH THE BORDER SECURITY AND SOME KIND OF SOLUTION ON THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY HERE. SO IF YOU’RE THE PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU ACCEPT A COMPROMISE THAT FINDS A PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP FOR THE UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE WHO ARE IN AMERICA ILLEGALLY? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT TO THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. AND WE’RE A LAND OF IMMIGRANTS. WE MAKE THEM A PART OF THE FABRIC OF OUR DEMOCRACY. THEY ADD A LOT. WE ALSO HAVE TO HAVE A LEGAL PATH. AND SO YOUR QUESTION IS HOW WE APPROACHED IT DECADES AGO. AND DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, WHICH WAS LET’S HAVE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM, IT HASN’T WORKED. WE HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO BUILD A CONSENSUS. SO IT HAS TO START WITH BORDER SECURITY. THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAS TO SEE CONFIDENCE THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A SECURE BORDER BEFORE WE TAKE THE SECOND STEP TO COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM THAT DEALS WITH THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE WITHIN THIS COUNTRY. AND SO THAT’S THE FIRST STEP AND THAT’S THE FIRST BILL THAT I WANT TO PRESENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS. DOES THAT INCLUDE FINISHING THE WALL THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP PROPOSED? WELL, WHEN YOU SAY FINISHING THE WALL, WE NEED TO COMPLETE ADDITIONAL PARTS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH IS PARTLY THE WALL, PARTLY TECHNOLOGY. SO WE HAVE TO BUILD THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IN THERE. OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE SOME PARTS OF THE BORDER YOU PHYSICALLY CAN’T BUILD A WALL. IT’S NOT PRACTICAL, BUT YOU’VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO DO MORE. AND RIGHT NOW, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS PARTS OF THE WALL, THE MATERIAL LAYING ON THE GROUND, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, AND IT’S NOT BEING COMPLETE. I’D CERTAINLY WE WOULD COMPLETE THAT. IT’S BEEN TWO YEARS NOW SINCE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RELEASED ITS NATIONAL STRATEGY TO COUNTER DOMESTIC TERRORISM. ONE OF THE PRESIDENT’S ACTIONS WAS TO REINSERT A TEAM THAT FOCUSED ON INTELLIGENCE RELATING TO DOMESTIC TERRORISM. THAT WAS A UNIT THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAD ACTUALLY DISBANDED. IF YOU’RE THE PRESIDENT, ARE YOU KEEPING THAT UNIT INTACT? WELL, WE’RE LOOKING AT THAT. FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED TO REFORM OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, AND WE DON’T WANT TO DEFUND THEM. THE FBI HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN LEADING THE EFFORT ON COUNTERTERRORISM, BUT IT IS UNUSUAL TO HAVE BOTH THE INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION AND THE LAW ENFORCEMENT FUNCTION IN ONE AGENCY. SO I’VE PLEDGED, BASED UPON MY LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE, AND NO ONE ELSE HAS THAT LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE THAT IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT TO REFORM ALL OF OUR FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT. DO YOU SEE DOMESTIC TERRORISM AS A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE COUNTRY? WELL, IT IS NOW. I MEAN, YOU LOOK BACK AT THE MIRROR FEDERAL BUILDING AND THE BOMBING THERE, THAT WAS DOMESTIC TERRORISM. YOU’VE HAD OTHER INCIDENCES OF IT. AND SO YOU CANNOT DIS REGARD THAT THREAT. NOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU’VE GOT FOREIGN TERRORISM AS WELL. AND AND SO YOU’VE GOT THREATS FROM BOTH SIDES. BUT REGARDLESS, WE DO NOT SPY ON THE US CITIZENS. AND THAT’S THE FUNNY POINT. AND WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES COMPLY WITH THAT FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE THAT YOU DON’T SPY ON US CITIZENS WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE. AND THAT’S WHAT’S BEEN VIOLATED IN IN RECENT YEARS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. AND WE’VE GOT TO STOP THAT. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC PLANS TO DEAL WITH INFLATION? YES, AND THAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF INFLATION IS EXCESSIVE FEDERAL SPENDING, AND THAT’S WHY WE NOT ONLY HAVE HIGHER COSTS IN THE GROCERY STORE OF THE PRODUCTS WE BUY, BUT WE ALSO HAVE NOW HIGHER INTEREST RATES. THAT’S TRYING TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGE OF INFLATION. SO WE’RE THE FAMILY IS GETTING HIT WITH A DOUBLE WHAMMY. INTEREST RATES HIGHER INFLATION. AND THAT ALL STARTS WITH EXCESSIVE FEDERAL SPENDING. IT’S ONLY A SMALL START. WHAT CONGRESS IS DOING NOW, BUT WE’VE GOT TO DO MORE TO CONTROL THE FEDERAL SPENDING TO GIVE US RELIEF AND TO BE ABLE TO SPUR OUR ECONOMY BACK TO THE LEVEL OF GROWTH THAT WE NEED. ALL RIGHT. THIS IS THE ONE ON ONE NOW. YOU GOT TO FACE THE WHOLE TEAM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS BACK THERE IN THE TOWN HALL FORMAT. SO STAY WITH US. AND COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, WE’LL BRING OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE INTO THI