HELD OVER.

♪♪ >> Mary: AND JOINING ME NOW LIVE, YOU JUST SAW HIM THERE, REPUBLICAN MINORITY LEADER MARK JOHNSON.

WE DO WANT TO SAY WE OFFERED THE SENATE DFL A SLOT HERE AS WELL AND THEY DECLINED.

SENATOR JOHNSON, WHAT'S NEXT?

>> THAT'S A REALLY -- THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

THAT'S WHAT WE WERE ASKING TODAY ON THE FLOOR AS WELL.

RIGHT NOW, AS YOU SAW IN THE VIDEO, THERE'S A CLOUD HANGING OVER, THERE'S QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED RIGHT NOW, WILL SENATOR MITCHELL BE ABLE TO VOTE?

AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF BIG LEGISLATION COMING THROUGH HERE.

>> Mary: MOST OF THE BIG LEGISLATION, I MEAN, TO JUMP IN HERE -- >> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Mary: -- MOST OF THE WORK REMAINS, WHICH IS TRADITIONALLY TRUE IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS.

>> AND OW WE HAVE THIS HANGING OVER US RIGHT NOW.

LOTS OF UESTIONS.

AND, SO, WE WANTED TODAY'S MOTION WAS ABOUT JUMPING IN TO THAT COMPLAINT, LET'S GIVE HER THE DUE PROCESS, LET'S LOOK AT WHAT MITCHELL DID AND SEE IF SHE IS HOLDING UP TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD IN OUR BODY IN THE STATE SENATE.

>> Mary: YOU DON'T HAVE THE VOTES, WE SAW THAT, IT WOULD BE 33-33 EVERY DAY TO THE END OF THE SESSION.

>> AS YOU SAW REPORTS, THEY RELEASED A TRANSCRIPT OF WHAT HAPPENED.

THE SENATE REPUBLICANS DID NOT ASK FOR THIS.

NOW, IF WE WANT TO GET TO THE END, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER ON THESE BILLS.

THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG ISSUE.

>> Mary: LET'S DEAL WITH THE LATEST NEWS, THE TRANSCRIPT, AND PROBABLY THE PART THAT'S INTRIGUING THE PEOPLE THE MOST, THERE WAS A REFERENCE THAT SHE WAS ON THE FLOOR, MAYBE IN HER MOTHER-IN-LAW'S BEDROOM AND SHE WAS AFRAID AND ON THE PHONE WITH POLICE.

DOES THAT FURTHER CONFUSE OR CLOUD THINGS FOR YOU?

>> I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY.

AGAIN, IT GETS EEPER INTO THE DETAILS.

THERE GETS TO BE MORE QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASKED ON THIS.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO THE BED NEXT TO YOUR STEPMOTHER?

YOU KNOW, ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENING.

I THINK RIGHT NOW WE NEED TO TAKE SOME ACTION IN THE SENATE.

YOU SAW THE SENATE DEMOCRATS DELAY THAT TODAY ON A PARTY-LINE VOTE.

THIS ISN'T ABOUT PARTY RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS ABOUT DOING WHAT'S RIGHT FOR MINNESOTANS AND THE INSTITUTION.

>> Mary: IS THERE ROOM FOR SOME GRACE AND UNDERSTANDING?

THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A LOSS IN THE FAMILY.

WE SHOULD ALSO SAY, SENATOR MURPHY'S ALSO DEALING WITH A LOSS IN THE FAMILY.

IT'S A REALLY TOUGH TIME PERSONALLY FOR MEMBERS.

IS THERE ROOM TO GIVE SOME SPACE?

>> I THINK THERE IS.

YOU'LL SEE IN MY STATEMENTS, I ACKNOWLEDGE A LOT OF WHAT IS GOING ON, THIS IS A FAMILY ISSUE, WE ALL HAVE THOSE FAMILY ISSUES.

AND WE'RE NOT FAR FROM, YOU KNOW, THINGS HAPPENING WITHIN OUR OWN FAMILIES.

BUT THE JUDGMENT THAT SHE EXERCISED, SHE'S A LICENSED ATTORNEY, SHE'S A LIEUTENANT COLONEL IN THE AIR FORCE, SHE'S A FOSTER MOM, SHE'S A STATE SENATOR, AND WE'RE HELD TO THESE HIGHER STANDARDS.

SO RIGHT NOW, WITH THAT STATEMENT THAT CAME IN, THE CONTRADICTIONS, IT REALLY DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE HOLDING UP TO OUR HIGH STANDARDS IN THE SENATE.

>> Mary: THE HIGH STANDARDS ALSO HAVE MANY LAWMAKERS, PAST AND PRESENT, ACTUALLY BEING ARRESTED, ACTUALLY BEING INVESTIGATED.

I THINK THERE'S ABOUT FIVE CURRENT LAWMAKERS WHO HAVE DUIs, THIS IS NOT UNPRECEDENTED.

DO YOU HAVE TO BE DELICATE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THROWING STONES IN A GLASS HOUSE?

>> OH, BSOLUTELY.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK OF THE LEGISLATURE, YOU THINK OF POLITICIANS, FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A STELLAR REPUTATION AMONG THE CLASS, BUT YOU THINK OF DUIs, YOU THINK OF THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT THIS IS SO FAR OUT OF THE REALM OF TYPICAL SHENANIGANS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN, THIS BRINGS IT TO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEVEL OF SCRUTINY.

>> Mary: IT'S NOT A BUDGET YEAR.

WHAT HAS TO GET DONE IN YOUR CAUCUS' OPINION?

>> YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO SIT BACK AND TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT I THINK THERE ARE SOME BIG THINGS.

WE NEED TO BE INVESTING IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF OUR STATE.

>> Mary: BONDING BILL, YEAH.

>> SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT.

THERE'S ANOTHER -- OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN, BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, OT A BUDGET YEAR, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF LEEWAY TO EITHER TAKE UP OR NOT TAKE UP DIFFERENT ITEMS.

>> Mary: ARE THERE SOME THINGS YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO SEE MAYBE NOT PASS, ER.A., ABORTION RIGHTS, GUN CONTROL, THOSE THINGS MAY NOT HAPPEN NOW.

>> YOU SAW LAST YEAR THE NUMBER OF THINGS THAT CAME THROUGH, WITH THE $18 MILLION BUDGET THAT WAS SPENT, TAXES RAISED, ALL THOSE THINGS, NOW IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE COMING FOR A SECOND BITE ON A NUMBER OF THESE SORTS OF ISSUES, E.R.A.

IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE MORE EXTREME POLICIES THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO PUSH FORWARD HERE.

>> Mary: WELL, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

HOPEFULLY KNOW SOME MORE BY THE END OF THE WEEK R EARLY NEXT WEEK, IT SOUNDS LIKE.

THANK YOU, SENATOR.