'This Week' Transcript: Sen. Roy Blunt

Sen. Roy Blunt is interviewed on 'This Week'

ByABC News
March 15, 2015, 10:45 AM

— -- Below is a rush transcript for March 15, 2015. It may contain errors and will be updated.

ANNOUNCER: Now on ABC THIS WEEK, the Hillary e-mail story churning. The new steps Congress is preparing to take right now.

Extreme measures -- blowback over that letter from Republican senators to Iran -- the harsh new words from President Obama this morning.

Manhunt -- investigators worked around the clock in Ferguson.

Are they closer to tracking down suspects in the shooting of two police officers?

And will voters now recall the mayor?

And Egypt's Jon Stewart hits New York -- could Bassem Youssef be the sleeper candidate to take over "The Daily Show?"

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to step into those shoes?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From ABC News, THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS begins now.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST: And let's get right to those new developments in the controversy over Hillary Clinton's e-mails.

ABC's Jonathan Karl has learned that House Speaker John Boehner is poised to announce a new investigation.

He's joining us now with the details -- good morning, Jon.

JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: George, Hillary Clinton may have hoped that she has put the e-mail controversy behind her with that press conference, but the investigations are now about to begin.

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KARL (voice-over): Top House Republicans tell ABC News they expect Speaker John Boehner to announce a new House investigation next week into Hillary Clinton's e-mail practices as secretary of State, including her admitted destruction of some 30,000 e-mails that she determined to be purely personal.

As for how Mrs. Clinton has handled the controversy so far, it seemed like a case study in how not to do damage control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She did not want to have two phones. She couldn't be like, hey, man, could you hold this other phone for me?

KARL: Nine days of silence and then the reason she finally gave for not using government e-mail at all -- it would have been inconvenient.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I thought using one device would be simpler and obviously it hasn't worked out that way.

KARL: Under State Department rules, while she was secretary, if an employee used a private e-mail account for official business, the e-mail was to be turned over and entered into government computers.

She didn't turn over any e-mails until 22 months after she left office.

(on camera): Why did you not go along with State Department rules until nearly two years after you left office?

CLINTON: The laws and regulations in effect when I was secretary of State allowed me to use my e-mail for work.

KARL: Why did you wait two months to turn those e-mails over?

I mean the rules say you have to turn them over.

CLINTON: Look, I don't think...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Clinton...

CLINTON: I -- I'd be happy to have somebody talk to you about the rules. I fully complied with every rule that I was governed by.

KARL (voice-over): Seeing Mrs. Clinton on the defensive may be giving some Democrats second thoughts. ;as one former Obama aide told Politico, "You never feel like you're quite getting the full story.

But will it matter to voters?

In the polls since the controversy began, only 17 percent said they are following the story closely and she still has one of the highest approval ratings among all likely candidates, 50 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a hiccup. I have no concerns about what she did.

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