McConnell open to new gun laws

>> a couple of quick ones, leader. chuck hagel appears to be set to be nominated as defense secretary . will he be confirmed, do you believe?

>> well, i think he'll be subjected to the same kinds of oversight hearings that any nominee for such an important position would expect. and his views with regard to israel, for example, and iran and all of the other positions that he's taken over the years will be, you know, i think very much a matter of discussion during the confirmation process.

>> so you're not predicting smooth sailing for chuck hagel ?

>> i think it will be a lot of tough questions of senator hagel , but he'll be treated fairly by republicans in the senate.

>> as you know, i spend the holidays in kentucky, your home state, and i know full well there's a much different view of gun regulation in your state than in other parts of the country. never ttheles nevertheless, the president appears to be ready to push forward to a more comprehensive package dealing with mental health . have your views changed? are you willing to entertain the idea of new gun regulation ?

>> i think we need to see what the vice president's group comes up with, what their recommendations are. there will be plenty of time to take a look at the recommendations once they come forward. what's going to dominate washington for the next three months here is going to be spending and debt.

>> before i let you go, you talked about your re-election next year. there's talk that ashley judd , the actress, might indeed try to challenge you for your senate seat. i know you've said you're a fan of her movies. do you think she'd be a formidable opponent if it comes to that?

>> look, the election is going to occur in 2014 . in the meantime, i've got my hands full trying to deal with all of the issues that we've been discussing here this morning. we'll worry about the election in 2014 .

>> all right. leader mcconnell, thank you very much as always.

>> thank you.