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Who?
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Ask a Pol’s big ask
Have you heard anything about DEA / Biden administration moving to reschedule marijuana?
“I do not want to comment on that.”
Key Booker
“I have heard a lot about it,” Booker tells Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo.
Rumor’s it might be April 15th — have you heard that?
“I do not want to comment on that,” Booker replies.
LISTEN: Laslo & Booker
Initial question
So if the DEA reschedules cannabis is the SAFER Banking Act still needed?
Caught our ear
“I think there's a lot of elements to the SAFER Banking Act, like helping with access to capital, for example, that's really important,” Booker tells us.
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), slightly edited for clarity.
Booker background (Sept. 20, 2023)
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Cory Booker
SCENE: Sen. Booker just left the tram connecting Senate Office Buildings — which house most senator’s main Washington office — to the US Capitol Building. Per his usual, Booker’s dialoguing with US Senate Pages, some of whom are tasked with counting each senator that comes through this underground corridor on their way to the Senate floor to vote.
Prof. Laslo: “Can you stop bothering the students?”
Booker and his aide join Laslo in laughing.
Sen. Cory Booker: “Students? They’re fellow colleagues within the United States Senate.”
They start walking towards the staircase to the Capitol.
Prof. Laslo: “Ooh — I like the way you think.”
Matt Laslo: “So if the DEA reschedules cannabis do we even need the SAFER Banking Act?”
Cory Booker: “I think there's a lot of elements to the SAFER Banking Act, like helping with access to capital, for example, that's really important.”
ML: “Yeah?”
CB: “Yeah.”
ML: “Have you heard anything about DEA and the administration moving?”
CB: “I have heard a lot about it.”
ML: “I've heard rumors that it might be April 15th — have you heard that?”
CB: “I do not want to comment on that.”
Booker laughs as he hops onto elevator with his aide.
ML: “Ooooh — I'm warm?”
CB: “Yes...”
Confusion as elevators are shutting and people shuffling past.
CB: “…you didn’t say ‘420.’”
ML: “Right? Have a good one.”
CB: “Huh?”
Matt Laslo’s a veteran congressional correspondent, new media prof. & founder of Ask a Pol — a new, people-powered press corps.
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