As Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tells it, he helped persuade Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to run for office after her Republican predecessor reneged on an agreement that could have kept him in office.
Schumer was asked in an interview with the New Republic published Monday why he says Warren shaped his outlook. In response, the New York Democrat spilled the details of an alleged deal with former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA).
“I went to Scott Brown and said, ‘If you give us the sixtieth vote for the Citizens United rollback, we won’t go after you,'” he told the New Republic. “I spent a lot of time lobbying him, and met some of his friends and had them lobby him. He said yes. Then he said no. So I wanted to recruit the strongest candidate against him, and I thought that was Elizabeth Warren.”
Schumer was referring to the Disclose Act, which would have enhanced transparency in corporate campaign contributions. That legislation was filibustered by Senate Republicans.
Warren defeated Brown in 2012 for the seat he took over from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA).
Brown, who is rumored to be considering another run for U.S. Senate from New Hampshire, responded to Schumer’s comments in an email to the Washington Post.
“As the most partisan person in Washington, it’s difficult to take anything that Chuck Schumer says seriously,” Brown wrote the Post. He added: “With people like Chuck Schumer running the Senate, it’s no wonder the American people hold Congress in such low regard. He and his Democratic colleagues in the Senate are the problem. Fortunately for voters, next year we get a chance to replace these Schumer acolytes with fresh, new leadership.”
This post has been updated.
