>>> A SPECIAL REPORT ON THE KAVANAUGH FIGHT.
KAVANAUGH FIGHT. LET’S BEGIN WITH A QUOTE.
"THE TIME FOR ENDLESS DELAY AND
OBSTRUCTION HAS COME TO A
CLOSE."
CLOSE." ARE THOSE OBAMA’S WORDS?
REPUBLICANS OBSTRUCTED HIS
NOMINEE.
NOMINEE. NO HEARING.
NO HEARING. FOR 293 DAYS FOR MERRICK
GARLAND, RESPECTED JUDGE IN THE
D.C. CIRCUIT, THE SAME COURT
BRETT KAVANAUGH SERVES ON.
THE QUOTE IS NOT FROM OBAMA.
IT’S FROM MITCH McCONNELL.
WHO HAD 85 DAYS INTO KAVANAUGH’S
PROCESS, WITH TWO SETS OF
HEARINGS, SAYS TOO MUCH
OBSTRUCTION.
OBSTRUCTION. McCONNELL TRYING TO TURN HIS
TEAM INTO THE VICTIM OF
OBSTRUCTION.
OBSTRUCTION. THE LAST SUPREME COURT NOMINEE
FROM ANOTHER PARTY, GARLAND,
WAITED MORE THAN TRIPLE THE
AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT TOOK FOR
MITCH McCONNELL TO GET TO THIS
POINT.
POINT. THIS HYPOCRISY IS QUITE BLATANT.
>> LET’S LET THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
DECIDE.
DECIDE. THE SENATE WILL APPROPRIATELY
REVISIT THE MATTER WHEN IT
CONSIDERS THE QUALIFICATIONS OF
THE NOMINEE THE NEXT PRESIDENT
NOMINATES, WHOEVER THAT MIGHT
BE.
BE. >> THIS IS A NOMINATION THAT
DESERVES TO MOVE FORWARD, AND
THAT IS PRECISELY, MR.
PRESIDENT, WHAT IS HAPPENING.
>> I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY
THERE WILL NOT BE HEARINGS OR
VOTED.
VOTED. >> THEY’RE COMMITTED TO
DELAYING, OBSTRUCTING, AND
RESISTING THIS NOMINATION WITH
EVERYTHING THEY’VE GOT.
>> ONE OF MY PROUDEST MOMENTS IS
WHEN I LOOKED BARACK OBAMA IN
THE EYE AND I SAID, MR.
PRESIDENT, YOU WILL NOT FILL
THIS SUPREME COURT VACANCY.
>> THERE’S THAT PROUD MOMENT.
AND THE TIME FRAME FOR
OBSTRUCTION MITCH McCONNELL SAYS
MUST END TODAY.
THIS ISN’T ABOUT TRUMP, IT’S NOT
ONLY ABOUT McCONNELL, WHO MAY
ARGUE AS PARTY LEADER HE’S GOT
TO DO PARTISAN STUFF.
IF THE REST OF THE SENATE IS
SERIOUS ABOUT PROTECTING AN
INDEPENDENT COURT, THOSE OTHER
SENATORS HAVE TO STAND UP TO THE
PARTISAN PEOPLE IN THEIR RANKS.
IF LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS
HISTORICALLY ACCURATE ABOUT ONE
THING, IT WAS YES, SOME SENATORS
ON THE COMMITTEE HAVE TRIED TO
DO THAT AND PUT JUDICIAL
INDEPENDENCE ABOVE PARTY
POLITICS.
POLITICS. BUT THAT’S CHANGING.
CONSIDER HOW A REPUBLICAN WHO
ONCE RAN THIS COMMITTEE, ORRIN
HATCH, WHO HAD SAID THERE WAS NO
QUESTION GARLAND SHOULD BE
CONFIRMED TO THE SUPREME COURT,
IS NOW CHANGING IN THIS
POLITICAL MOMENT.
POLITICAL MOMENT. >> WE’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE OR
EVEN DISCUSS THE QUALIFICATIONS
OF ANY NOMINEE UNTIL AFTER THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. >> THE GOAL IS DELAY.
NOTHING NEW TO MOST OF US.
IT SHOULD BE CLEAR NOW TO ALL
AMERICANS THAT DEMOCRATS ARE
ENGAGED IN A COORDINATED EFFORT
TO STOP JUDGE KAVANAUGH’S
CONFIRMATION BY ANY MEANS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. THE DRIVING OBJECTIVE HERE IS
NOT THE TRUTH, BUT POLITICS.
>> YOU CAN JUDGE FOR YOURSELF
WHETHER HATCH IS BEING
CONSISTENT.
CONSISTENT. HE DID ONCE ARGUE THAT MERRICK
GARLAND’S CREDENTIALS COULDN’T
BE QUESTIONED.
BE QUESTIONED. THAT WAS BEFORE OBAMA ANNOUNCED
HE AGREED WITH ORRIN HATCH,
WHICH APPARENTLY MADE ORRIN
HATCH SISTER AGREE WITH HIM.
THIS IS 1997.
>> TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO ONE,
ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, DISPUTES THE
FOLLOWING.
FOLLOWING. MERRICK GARLAND IS HIGHLY
QUALIFIED TO SIT ON THE D.C.
CIRCUIT.
CIRCUIT. HIS INTELLIGENCE AND HIS
SCHOLARSHIP CANNOT BE
QUESTIONED.
QUESTIONED. >> THEN THERE’S LINDSEY GRAHAM
INVOKING POLITICAL CALCULUS AS
PART OF THE STANDARD FOR HOW THE
SENATE SHOULD DO ITS ADVISE AND
CONSENT.
CONSENT. IN FACT, HE USED THE PRESIDENT’S
FAVORITE MEDIUM TO ACCUSE
DEMOCRATS OF SEEKING A POLITICAL
OUTCOME, KEEP THE SEAT OPEN,
HOPE THEY WIN THE MIDTERMS,
PATHETIC.
PATHETIC. YOU MAY NOTICE THE STRATEGY
MATCHES MITCH McCONNELL AND WHAT
THE REPUBLICANS USED.
THE REPUBLICAN STRATEGY SUGGESTS
WHAT GRAEME WROTE IS INACCURATE
BECAUSE DR. FORD TRIED TO SPEAK
OUT BEFORE KAVANAUGH WAS PICKED,
NOT PART OF SOME KAVANAUGH
CONSPIRACY THEORY WHERE THE
CLINTONS ARE RIGGING THE TIMING
FOR THE MIDTERMS.
YOU CAN JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.
>> JUST HAD A GOOD MEETING WITH
JUDGE GARLAND.
JUDGE GARLAND. HE’S HONEST AND DPABL.
HIS REPUTATION IS BEYOND
REPROACH.
REPROACH. I’VE TOLD HIM THAT I BELIEVE
THAT THE SCALIA VACANCY SHOULD
BE FILLED BY THE NEXT PRESIDENT.
>> I WOULD NEVER DO TO THEM WHAT
YOU’VE DONE TO THIS GUY!
THIS IS THE MOST UNETHICAL SHAM
SINCE I’VE BEEN IN POLITICS.
AND IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO KNOW
THE TRUTH, YOU SURE AS HELL
WOULDN’T HAVE DONE WHAT YOU’VE
DONE TO THIS GUY.
>> WHEN YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT
GARLAND, THAT’S THE ARSONIST
COMPLAINING ABOUT THE FIRE, AS
FAR AS I’M CONCERNED.
DOESN’T BOTHER ME ONE BIT.
>> LET ME TELL YOU, MY
DEMOCRATIC FRIENDS, IF THIS IS
THE NEW NORM?
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT FOR YOUR
NOMINEES.
NOMINEES. >> YOU BETTER WATCH OUT FOR YOUR
NOMINEES, EXCEPT THEY ALREADY
DID THAT TO YOUR NOMINEES.
ON SUBSTANCE THE QUESTIONS
WHETHER NEW INFORMATION AND
KAVANAUGH’S RESPONSES SHOULD
IMPERIL THE NOMINATION.
THERE’S A HIGHER STANDARD FOR
JUDGES, THEIR WORD IS BOND.
SENATOR GRAEME FROM THE ’90s
THOUGHT ANY LYING OR PERJURY IS
UNACCEPTABLE FOR A JUDGE.
>> I HAVE ARGUED TO YOU THAT
WHEN YOU FOUND THAT A JUDGE WAS
A PERJURIER, YOU COULDN’T IN
GOOD CONSCIENCE SEND HIM BACK IN
A COURTROOM.
A COURTROOM. BECAUSE EVERYBODY THAT CAME IN
THAT COURTROOM THEREAFTER WOULD
HAVE A REALLY SERIOUS DOUBT.
>> A REAL SERIOUS DOUBT.
WHETHER KAVANAUGH IS PROMOTED OR
GOES BACK TO THE D.C. CIRCUIT,
THOSE DOUBTS MAY REMAIN.
THE LARGER RISK HERE IS NOT JUST
THESE TONE DEAF THREATS OF
PAYBACK BY WARRIORS ON THE
PARTISAN FIELD BUT THE PROSPECT
OF HAVING A NOMINEE PUBLICLY
MISLEAD THE SENATE UNDER OATH,