U.S. Sen. Tina Smith was in Rochester Friday for the first time since voting last week to convict President Trump on both articles of impeachment. (Both articles failed in a largely party line vote).
Smith, a Democrat who is up for re-election this November, toured One Discovery Square, Destination Medical Center's health care innovation campus. Smith also visited Hiawatha Homes, a non-profit residence for people with developmental disabilities.
PB: Do you think it was a mistake for President Trump to be impeached, given that his approval rating is at a near or all-time high and he seems more unbound than ever?
Smith: I was slow to come to the idea that the president should be impeached. When I read the contents of the whistle-blower's report outlining the ways in which the president used his political power as a president to gain a personal advantage, I knew there was no choice but to get to the bottom of these allegations.
The impeachment trial in the Senate was really about the rule of law. It was really about, should anybody be above the law.
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PB: Sen. Amy Klobuchar was one of the big winners from Monday's New Hampshire primary, finishing a surprising third and ahead of Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden. What do you think voters are responding to?
Smith: I think people in America are responding to Amy's positive, really joyful idea about how we can move the country forward for all of us. She is not tied up in the politics of Washington, and she has a record of actually accomplishing things, working across party lines. She is progressive on how to move issues forward, but she is practical about how you move those issues forward.
I've known Amy as a friend and a colleague for more than 20 years. She is determined. She is tenacious. And I can't wait to see what she does next.
PB: Do you think she can win the Democratic nomination?
Smith: I think she can totally get the nomination. I think this is really wide open.
PB: Is there much work getting done in the Senate, given the current level of political polarization and paralysis.
Smith: Yesterday, the Senate passed in a bipartisan way an important piece of legislation marking Congress as the constitutional branch of government that should be declaring war. In general, however, the Senate has mostly been focused on confirming judges. The Senate is so much bigger than that. There is so much more that we should be doing.
I'm greatly disappointed that we haven't done more on surprise medical billing or lowering prescription drug prices. We passed a farm bill last year, which was a big deal. I think the U.S. Senate should be rising to the occasion, not just acting like a personnel agency.
