Gov Rick Snyder talks Flint, Detroit and past 8 years

He has spent the last eight years as Michigan's governor, but Rick Snyder's time in office is quickly coming to an end. While he still has some legislative decisions to make, he's also reflecting on his term in office.

Charlie Langton: "Do you hear the protests outside, what do you think about that?"

Gov. Rick Snyder: "I am not sure what their message is but it's part of democracy. It is lame duck and so there have been a number of issues that are controversial going before the legislature and there are strong feelings on both sides."

Langton: "Do they influence you at all?"

Snyder: "I hear them obviously but I always step back and say it's not what's happening in the moment or what a group of people are saying, it is what's best for the state of Michigan. And that's 10 million people."

Langton: "Do you think you were unfairly blamed for what happened in Flint?"

Snyder: "Again, I don't do blame, I set that aside. I try to live with the values I thought we were raised with which is if someone who works for you makes a mistake you should take responsibility for it. And I had some people in departments make some poor judgements there that contributed to the problem. So if you stop and look at it, that's the way most of us were raised."

Langton: "But those people are being prosecuted right now. Some of them for involuntary manslaughter - is that right?"

Snyder: "Again, I don't want to get in the middle of criminal investigations - that's a whole different world. Again, they haven't been found guilty of anything, let's see how the process plays out. I appreciate all the response we've made in Flint, Charlie. We've done a lot."

Langton: "You aren't worried that you might be prosecuted?"

Snyder: "I don't know for what, again this is a process that's gone on very long. Again it is a difficult situation but I am proud of the response we've made to help heal Flint, help address the issues and challenges and to make our state better."

Langton: "How much time did you spend on Detroit (during the bankruptcy and grand bargain with the EM.

Snyder: "I spent a huge amount of time - as you know I have a Detroit office. For a year or two I was probably working in that office one or two days a week. It was a huge time commitment but it was worth it, look at the outcome."

Langton: "Would you say you worked more on Detroit than any other single issue?"

Snyder: "Again, Detroit and Flint would account for a huge amount of time."

Langton: "What did you learn from the bankruptcy?"

Snyder: "That it worked - it proves what can happen when people come together. If you remember Charlie when I put Detroit in bankruptcy, there were not a lot of people standing with me. A lot of people thought there was no way it would have a positive outcome. Look at the success."

Langton: Would you ever run again for any other office?"

Snyder: "I have no intention or aspiration for that. This was not something I was looking to do necessarily; this was something Michigan needed me to do."