Election 2018 Bost, Kelly on education, Mueller and the VA

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost believes it's time for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 election to wrap up.

"I think right now, after this long, he (Mueller) needs to produce any evidence he has," the Republican congressman from Murphysboro said.

"It's like beating a dead horse. If he has it, then get a grand jury seated and let's move forward. If not, then let's move on."

Bost said while no member of the U.S. House ever wants to think about impeaching a sitting president, if Mueller's team uncovers irrefutable evidence that President Donald Trump broke laws, he would do what he has to do.

"If any chief administrator does or has done something that is 'high crimes' - that's what our Constitution says - it's our job, as members of Congress, to move forward," he said.

However, he said, it's time for Mueller to either produce evidence or let the country move on.

Bost is running for re-election against St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly, a Democrat from Swansea.

Kelly said no one in the United States is above the law.

"Neither side of the political aisle should interfere in (Mueller's) investigation," Kelly said. "As a prosecutor, I believe the President, like any citizen and like other presidents before him, should comply with the laws that are at the heart of our democracy."

Green Party candidate Randy Auxier is also running for the congressional seat.

Bost, meanwhile, believes his congressional experience is a plus for the 12th district, especially when it comes to addressing reported problems at the Marion VA Medical Center.

A member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Bost asked for an investigation into allegations at the VAMC, ranging from medical mistakes to administrative lapses.

In an interview in late August, Bost expressed frustration with the situation.

"I want anybody to achieve at the highest level they can, but there were real problems with HR and this person needs to go," he said, referring to a Marion VAMC administrator who Bost has pushed to be replaced.

"They're not gone yet."

Bost sponsored H.R. 5864 (the HELP Act) that instructs the VA to establish qualifications for each HR position within the VHA and establish standardized performance metrics similar to the private sector.

"That bill is sitting in committee," said Kelly, "the same committee Bost is on."

Both, though, agree that providing quality care and services for the nation's veterans should be a priority.

"There's been some decent bipartisan effort to try and improve VA performance," said Kelly, "but we have a long way to go."

Bost contends that his tenure and experience will help him to bring more economic opportunity to southern Illinois.

Kelly, however, said the nation's extreme partisanship is hurting opportunity.

"There are a number of new people running who are tired of the partisanship," he said. "We need to stop being a red person or a blue person. Let's find a way to help people."

Both support more vocational and technical training for students.

"I want to see vocational training, preferably at the secondary level," said Bost. "We have to remember that not everybody is going to become doctors or lawyers."

He said with the past push for postsecondary education, the economy is now in need of welders, builders, and electricians.

Kelly believes the return of technical training should be encouraged as early as junior high school and should be tied to local community colleges.

"We need to respect hard work, creating, making and building things," he said.

He too noted that businesses have skilled jobs they can't fill.