July 25, 2025 • 9 mins
Mike Lawler talks with Mendte in the Morning about his decision to not run for Governor of New York and the work he is continuing to do in Congress.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's fascinating. They keep holding these depositions behind closed doors
into the auto pen that was used during the Biden administration,
and also about his mental competency, and person after person
after person continues to take the fifth in all of this,
(00:20):
and that means that they're worried about criminal prosecution. It's
something to watch. Also something to watch is the mayor
for governor, which just got a little bit more interesting
because it was a shock to me. I don't know
about to you, but when Mike Lawler decided he's not
going to run for governor, he's here and right now,
(00:41):
Representative Mike Lawler, he represents New York seventeenth district Representative. Congressman.
Thank you so much. I appreciate you being with us today.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Thanks for having me on, Larry.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Yeah, no, absolutely, I was shocked this week. I was
really surprised, only because recent polls showed you, you ahead
in the race for the Republican nomination to run for
governor of the state of New York, and then you
made this announcement this week that you weren't going to run.
What went into that.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, this is something that obviously I've been mulling over
for six months or so, and really put a lot
of thought into it, went through a very unemotional process,
if you will, and much more data driven and weighing
a number of factors, including the fact that I love
(01:34):
what I'm doing. You know, serving in Congress is not
only a great honor, but you're dealing with so many
national issues and issues impacting the country, and serving on
foreign affairs and financial services really gives me a front
row seat, if you will too, so many of the
(01:55):
challenges that we're facing and the big issues that we're working. Obviously,
in this most recent, big, beautiful bill, was able to
deliver on one of my big promises to my district,
which was to lift the cap on salt. And so,
you know, as I weighed all of the different factors
and considerations and including how important my seat is to
(02:17):
maintaining the House Republican majority, you know, I made the
determination that at this moment, you know, this is the
right decision for me, for my family, for my district,
and I think for our country. There's no question Kathy
Hochel is a disaster. I do fundamentally believe she is beatable.
(02:37):
She's consistently in the low forties in terms of her polling.
Most people just don't like her, and it's in large
measure because she's the most incompetent, feckless governor in the country.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
But also, you know, yeah, I get it. There's a
narrative out there, however, that you've got a phone call
from Donald Trump and he had promised that at least
a phonic if she stepped down as being the nominee
for ambassador to the UN, he would support her in
running for governor, And that your phone call with Donald
Trump was him trying to convince you not to run.
(03:14):
Is there any truth to that?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
You know, So that's that's not the way the conversation
when first of when I met with the President in
person for abn hour in the Oval office. Second of all,
the least has has no bearing on this. This really
boils down to my own considerations. Uh, And you know,
the President certainly expressed his perspective of how important the
(03:39):
House majority is. But you know, ultimately this was my decision.
And you know, at the end of the day, as
I said, one of the reasons why you know, it
took me six months to work through it was because
I actually like what I'm doing. Yeah, So you know. Look,
there's I'm thirty eight years old. There's a long road ahead,
(04:03):
and I'm a big believer life works out the way
it's supposed to, and you know, whatever the future holds,
it holds. But the fact is, in this moment, you know,
my focus will continue to be on delivering for my district,
delivering for our state, and delivering for our country in
my capacity as a member of Congress and serving as
(04:25):
chair of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee on
the Foreign Affairs Committee, vice Chair of Communications for the
Financial Services Committee, and doing the work that I was
elected to do. And there's there's a lot of work
left to be done.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
So I understand that. Yeah, I get it. I get it.
You have that, And I want to talk about especially
the Jeffrey Epstein thing, because our listeners you just can't
get enough of that, as as it seems like everybody
across the country is now focused on the Jeffrey Epstein story.
But I want to clear up one other rumor, and
I'm so glad that you cleared that up, that you
(05:02):
were offered something from the President to not run. Is
there any truth to that?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
No?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
No, okay, no.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
I again, ultimately this was my decision. He's the President
the United States. Of course you're going to sit down
and discuss, you know, these issues, especially when we have
such a tight margin, and him being from New York,
he cares about New York. He cares about you know,
what's happening in the mayor's race, for instance. We talked
(05:29):
extensively about that. But you know, ultimately, this was my
decision and mine alone, and I'm fully content with the
decision that I made.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, thank you. Now, listen, the Epstein story is not
going to go away. As a matter of fact, I
heard James Comer say he's planning on holding hearings. He
doesn't care how long the recess is. He's going to
hold hearings when they come back, and he wants to
talk to Jill Ay and Maxwell as well. What is
your position on this? Do you think think it's a
(06:00):
good use of congressional time to try to allow all
this information to get out.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Look, as I've said repeatedly, anyone who committed a crime,
anyone who acted in furtherance of Jeffrey Epstein or Kasplaine
Maxwell's crimes, should be prosecuted. Anybody who sexually abused or
engaged in human trafficking of women and children should be prosecuted.
(06:29):
And you know, frankly, what I find disturbing about this
whole thing is that the focus is not on the victims.
The focuss does a political.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Oh what, we lost you there for a second. Can
you hear me, congressman, can you hear me? Yeah, I
can hear you.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
We just lost you there for a moment. It was
a very important time. But please continue.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Where did you lose me?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
We lost you when you say the focus should be
on the.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Victims, Yeah, the focus should be on the victims. And
you know, unfortunately you have people in both parties that
are trying to use this as a political bludgeon as
opposed to actually focusing on protecting the victims and prosecuting
(07:23):
those who in fact committed criminal offenses. Does anybody really
believe that the Biden administration, having all of this information
for four years, having tried to indict and prosecute Donald
Trump through the Department of Justice, that they would not
have done so sitting on all this information. If there
(07:44):
was some connection between the President and Jeffrey Epstein with
regards to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, I mean, does anybody really
believe that? So from my vantage point, this whole thing
is become nothing but a political tool as opposed to
(08:04):
seeking the actual truth. And you know, to me, it's
just it's a disgusting use of Congress and an abuse
of the system. If there are crimes that have occurred,
they should be prosecuted. That's what everybody should be demanding.
(08:25):
But in the absence of that, what exactly are we
seeking to do.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
We'll find out maybe the end of the hearings or
maybe the end of an investigation would be exactly what
you're looking for, and that people be charged that have
been able to skate in the past.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
But respectfully, you've had for basically a decade.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I get it, I understand. Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
There was a trial.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yep, yep, you're right, there was a trial. So represented,
we're having a hard time with your phone line. I'm sorry, sir.
Representative Mike Lawler representing New York seventeenth District. Thanks so much.
He's fascinating. They keep holding these depositions behind closed doors
into the auto pen that was used during the Biden administration,
and also about his mental competency, and person after person
after person continues to take the fifth in all of this,
(00:20):
and that means that they're worried about criminal prosecution. It's
something to watch. Also something to watch is the mayor
for governor, which just got a little bit more interesting
because it was a shock to me. I don't know
about to you, but when Mike Lawler decided he's not
going to run for governor, he's here and right now,
(00:41):
Representative Mike Lawler, he represents New York seventeenth district Representative. Congressman.
Thank you so much. I appreciate you being with us today.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Thanks for having me on, Larry.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Yeah, no, absolutely, I was shocked this week. I was
really surprised, only because recent polls showed you, you ahead
in the race for the Republican nomination to run for
governor of the state of New York, and then you
made this announcement this week that you weren't going to run.
What went into that.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, this is something that obviously I've been mulling over
for six months or so, and really put a lot
of thought into it, went through a very unemotional process,
if you will, and much more data driven and weighing
a number of factors, including the fact that I love
(01:34):
what I'm doing. You know, serving in Congress is not
only a great honor, but you're dealing with so many
national issues and issues impacting the country, and serving on
foreign affairs and financial services really gives me a front
row seat, if you will too, so many of the
(01:55):
challenges that we're facing and the big issues that we're working. Obviously,
in this most recent, big, beautiful bill, was able to
deliver on one of my big promises to my district,
which was to lift the cap on salt. And so,
you know, as I weighed all of the different factors
and considerations and including how important my seat is to
(02:17):
maintaining the House Republican majority, you know, I made the
determination that at this moment, you know, this is the
right decision for me, for my family, for my district,
and I think for our country. There's no question Kathy
Hochel is a disaster. I do fundamentally believe she is beatable.
(02:37):
She's consistently in the low forties in terms of her polling.
Most people just don't like her, and it's in large
measure because she's the most incompetent, feckless governor in the country.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
But also, you know, yeah, I get it. There's a
narrative out there, however, that you've got a phone call
from Donald Trump and he had promised that at least
a phonic if she stepped down as being the nominee
for ambassador to the UN, he would support her in
running for governor, And that your phone call with Donald
Trump was him trying to convince you not to run.
(03:14):
Is there any truth to that?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
You know, So that's that's not the way the conversation
when first of when I met with the President in
person for abn hour in the Oval office. Second of all,
the least has has no bearing on this. This really
boils down to my own considerations. Uh, And you know,
the President certainly expressed his perspective of how important the
(03:39):
House majority is. But you know, ultimately this was my decision.
And you know, at the end of the day, as
I said, one of the reasons why you know, it
took me six months to work through it was because
I actually like what I'm doing. Yeah, So you know. Look,
there's I'm thirty eight years old. There's a long road ahead,
(04:03):
and I'm a big believer life works out the way
it's supposed to, and you know, whatever the future holds,
it holds. But the fact is, in this moment, you know,
my focus will continue to be on delivering for my district,
delivering for our state, and delivering for our country in
my capacity as a member of Congress and serving as
(04:25):
chair of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee on
the Foreign Affairs Committee, vice Chair of Communications for the
Financial Services Committee, and doing the work that I was
elected to do. And there's there's a lot of work
left to be done.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
So I understand that. Yeah, I get it. I get it.
You have that, And I want to talk about especially
the Jeffrey Epstein thing, because our listeners you just can't
get enough of that, as as it seems like everybody
across the country is now focused on the Jeffrey Epstein story.
But I want to clear up one other rumor, and
I'm so glad that you cleared that up, that you
(05:02):
were offered something from the President to not run. Is
there any truth to that?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
No?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
No, okay, no.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
I again, ultimately this was my decision. He's the President
the United States. Of course you're going to sit down
and discuss, you know, these issues, especially when we have
such a tight margin, and him being from New York,
he cares about New York. He cares about you know,
what's happening in the mayor's race, for instance. We talked
(05:29):
extensively about that. But you know, ultimately, this was my
decision and mine alone, and I'm fully content with the
decision that I made.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, thank you. Now, listen, the Epstein story is not
going to go away. As a matter of fact, I
heard James Comer say he's planning on holding hearings. He
doesn't care how long the recess is. He's going to
hold hearings when they come back, and he wants to
talk to Jill Ay and Maxwell as well. What is
your position on this? Do you think think it's a
(06:00):
good use of congressional time to try to allow all
this information to get out.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Look, as I've said repeatedly, anyone who committed a crime,
anyone who acted in furtherance of Jeffrey Epstein or Kasplaine
Maxwell's crimes, should be prosecuted. Anybody who sexually abused or
engaged in human trafficking of women and children should be prosecuted.
(06:29):
And you know, frankly, what I find disturbing about this
whole thing is that the focus is not on the victims.
The focuss does a political.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Oh what, we lost you there for a second. Can
you hear me, congressman, can you hear me? Yeah, I
can hear you.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
We just lost you there for a moment. It was
a very important time. But please continue.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Where did you lose me?
Speaker 1 (07:00):
We lost you when you say the focus should be
on the.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Victims, Yeah, the focus should be on the victims. And
you know, unfortunately you have people in both parties that
are trying to use this as a political bludgeon as
opposed to actually focusing on protecting the victims and prosecuting
(07:23):
those who in fact committed criminal offenses. Does anybody really
believe that the Biden administration, having all of this information
for four years, having tried to indict and prosecute Donald
Trump through the Department of Justice, that they would not
have done so sitting on all this information. If there
(07:44):
was some connection between the President and Jeffrey Epstein with
regards to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, I mean, does anybody really
believe that? So from my vantage point, this whole thing
is become nothing but a political tool as opposed to
(08:04):
seeking the actual truth. And you know, to me, it's
just it's a disgusting use of Congress and an abuse
of the system. If there are crimes that have occurred,
they should be prosecuted. That's what everybody should be demanding.
(08:25):
But in the absence of that, what exactly are we
seeking to do.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
We'll find out maybe the end of the hearings or
maybe the end of an investigation would be exactly what
you're looking for, and that people be charged that have
been able to skate in the past.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
But respectfully, you've had for basically a decade.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I get it, I understand. Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
There was a trial.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yep, yep, you're right, there was a trial. So represented,
we're having a hard time with your phone line. I'm sorry, sir.
Representative Mike Lawler representing New York seventeenth District. Thanks so much.
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