Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday referred to as for time period limits and psychological competency assessments in Congress, arguing that “we’d like folks on the prime of their sport” after Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell’s newest episode of freezing up in public.
Haley, a former U.S. ambassador and governor of South Carolina, mentioned on CBS Information’ “Face the Nation” that getting old members of Congress want to know when “it is time to step away,” after McConnell froze for greater than 30 seconds whereas fielding questions from reporters in Covington, Kentucky, on Wednesday.
“Right here you will have Mitch McConnell, who’s achieved nice service to the nation,” Haley mentioned. “You’ve got Dianne Feinstein who had an awesome profession. You have bought Nancy Pelosi who’d been there a very long time – at what level do they get it is time to go away?”
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (Fox Information)
MCCONNELL CLEARED TO RESUME ‘SCHEDULE AS PLANNED’ FOLLOWING KY PRESS CONFERENCE FREEZE
“This isn’t only a Republican or Democrat drawback, this can be a congressional drawback, and so they’ve bought to know when to go away,” she mentioned. “It is time to cross this all the way down to a brand new technology of conservative leaders that wish to take our nation to a greater place.
“We want folks on the prime of their sport,” she continued. “We now have too many points on the desk that should be handled. We will not proceed to have these individuals who suppose they know higher than the American folks.”
Nikki Haley speaks throughout the Republican presidential major debate in August. (Fox Information)
Whereas Haley has beforehand supported psychological competency assessments for politicians aged 75 and older, she mentioned Sunday that she would help them throughout the board as a requirement to run for workplace.
“When a candidate recordsdata to run for workplace, incumbent or a newcomer, they’ve to offer their monetary disclosures,” she mentioned. “They need to additionally give a discover from the physician that tells about their psychological capability. I believe that we’d like that.”
“Our enemies are watching all of this, and each time they’ve an occasion like that, America is much less secure, as a result of our enemies suppose we’re uncontrolled, and that is bought to cease,” she added.
2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley provides remarks at Mothers for Liberty’s Joyful Warriors Nationwide Summit in Philadelphia on June 30, 2023. (Fox Information Photograph/Joshua Comins)
MCCONNELL FREEZES UP AGAIN DURING KENTUCKY NEWS CONFERENCE
Haley, who’s at the moment polling fourth within the crowded 2024 GOP major, got here below hearth final week after she mocked the U.S. Senate as a “nursing residence” when requested about McConnell’s episode.
“It is unhappy,” she informed Fox Information. “Nobody ought to be ok with seeing that any greater than we should always be ok with seeing Dianne Feinstein, any greater than we should always be ok with loads of what’s occurring or seeing Joe Biden’s decline.
“What I’ll say is, proper now, the Senate is probably the most privileged nursing residence within the nation,” she mentioned. “I imply, Mitch McConnell has achieved some nice issues and he deserves credit score. However it’s important to know when to go away.”
Senate Minority Chief freezes whereas attempting to reply a query from the press. (WXIX)
McConnell has been cleared to renew his “schedule as deliberate” after the occasion on Wednesday.
“I’ve consulted with Chief McConnell and conferred together with his neurology workforce. After evaluating yesterday’s incident, I’ve knowledgeable Chief McConnell that he’s medically clear to proceed together with his schedule as deliberate,” Dr. Brian Monahan, Congress’ attending doctor, wrote in a notice Thursday.
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The long-standing GOP lawmaker beforehand froze for about 30 seconds throughout a information convention alongside different Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a month in the past.
(L-R) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) reaches out to assist Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-KY) after McConnell froze and stopped speaking on the microphone throughout a information convention after a lunch assembly with Senate Republicans U.S. Capitol 26, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Photographs)
McConnell’s workplace didn’t reply to Fox Information Digital’s request Sunday for a response to Haley’s criticism.
Fox Information’ Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.
