Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said that he hopes to develop a strong working relationship with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
He compared her to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), with whom Hatch became friends while working together on the Senate Labor Committee.
“We’ve become friends. I think she would like to have a relationship with me like Kennedy had. I like her. I think she’s a very bright woman. She’s certainly playing the media in a beautiful way,” Hatch told Yahoo News in an interview published Thursday.
Hatch said he thinks he could work with Warren because she remains open-minded while also championing her progressive beliefs.
“I think she recognized me as somebody who does do things around here, and we’ve had some nice chats, and she’s open to good ideas,” he said. “That’s all I can ask of anybody. I think she’s an attractive person. She’s soft-spoken, but she’s capable of saying all the right left-wing things, and I give her credit for that.”
Hatch recently opposed Warren’s successful attempt to block a Treasury Department nominee, but he said he is already working with Warren on legislation.
“There are a couple things we’re working on — I can’t go into what they are right now, but we’ll see. I’d like to see her become the new Kennedy if she can,” he told Yahoo News.
