McCain Aide Holtz-Eakin on “Nightly Business Report”

GERSH: Top economic adviser to Senator McCain was Phil Gramm, who said we’re in a “mental recession,: and that people were whining about it — some people were whining about it. Is he going to have any role going forward in economic policy in Senator McCain’s campaign?

HOLTZ-EAKIN: Senator McCain made it very clear that Senator McCain speaks for Senator McCain. He doesn’t endorse or in any way show any sympathy for those comments. And he said that, you know, Senator Gramm
is now high on the list of candidates to be the ambassador to Belarus, so I think…

GERSH: That’s very funny, but is he going to be talking to Senator Gramm? Is he going to have any role?

HOLTZ-EAKIN: Obviously, the senator doesn’t endorse those views and he is not going to promote anything that looks like a mindset that suggests we don’t understand that Americans are suffering. They need jobs, and the senator is focused on those kinds of efforts.

GERSH: Is Senator Gramm still giving advice to Senator McCain?

HOLTZ-EAKIN: No.

GERSH: No.

HOLTZ-EAKIN: At — I haven’t spoken to Senator Gramm since the comments took place, and I’m not expecting to.

For the full transcript, click here.