I THINK YOU’LL SEE EVEN MORE OF THE DISMANTLING OF OUR
INSTITUTIONS WITH VERY DIRE
EFFECTS.
EFFECTS. >> THINKING ABOUT THAT BALANCE
BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND
THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, OF
COURSE, THE OTHER BRANCH OF
GOVERNMENT IS THE JUDICIARY.
I HAVE TO ASK YOU ABOUT SOME
BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> I IMAGINE YOU’VE BEEN
FOLLOWING THE TWISTS AND TURNS
OF THE BRETT KAVANAUGH
NOMINATION.
NOMINATION. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> SO HEADING INTO THIS EVENING,
AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, THE PLAN
HAD BEEN FOR THE KAVANAUGH
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS TO
ESSENTIALLY REOPEN ON MONDAY
WITH TESTIMONY BOTH FROM JUDGE
KAVANAUGH AND PROFESSOR
CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD, WHO
ALLEGES THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO
RAPE HER WHEN HE WAS 17 YEARS
OLD.
OLD. WELL, TONIGHT, ACTUALLY, JUST A
FEW MINUTES AGO PROFESSOR
BLASEY’S ATTORNEY HAS SAID THAT
PROFESSOR BLASEY WILL NOT
TESTIFY ON THIS MATTER UNTIL THE
FBI HAS INVESTIGATED IT.
WE JUST OBTAINED A LETTER THAT
SHE HAS SENT TO SENATOR GRASSLEY
IN WHICH SHE SAYS -- I’LL JUST
READ YOU SOME OF THE LETTER.
"IN THE 36 HOURS SINCE HER NAME
BECAME PUBLIC, DR. FORD HAS
RECEIVED A STUNNING AMOUNT OF
SUPPORT FROM HER COMMUNITY AND
FELLOW CITIZENS ACROSS OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. AT THE SAME TIME, HOWEVER, HER
WORST FEARS HAVE MATERIALIZED.
SHE HAS BEEN THE TARGET OF
VICIOUS HARASSMENT AND EVEN
DEATH THREATS.
DEATH THREATS. AS A RESULT OF THESE KINDS OF
THREATS, HER FAMILY WAS FORCED
TO RELOCATE OUT OF HER HOME.
HER E-MAIL HAS BEEN HACKED.
SHE HAS BEEN IMPERSONATE BEYOND
LINE.
LINE. WHILE DR. FORD’S LIFE WAS BEING
TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, YOU AND YOUR
STAFF SCHEDULED A PUBLIC HEARING
FOR HER TO TESTIFY AT THE SAME
TABLE AS JUDGE KAVANAUGH IN
FRONT OF 200 SENATORS ON
NATIONAL TELEVISION TO RELIVE
THIS TRAUMATIC AND HARROWING
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT. IT WOULD INCLUDE INTERROGATION
BY SENATORS WHO APPEAR TO HAVE
MADE UP THEIR MINDS THAT SHE IS
MISTAKEN AND MIXED UP.
WHILE NO SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVOR
SHOULD BE SUBJECTED TO SUCH AN
ORDEAL, DR. ARE FORD WANTS TO
COOPERATE WITH THE COMMITTEE AND
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.
AS THE COMMITTEE AS RECOGNIZED
AND DONE BEFORE, AN FBI
INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT
SHOULD BE THE FIRST STEP OF
ADDRESSING HER ALLEGATIONS.
A FULL INVESTIGATION BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WILL
ENSURE THAT CRUCIAL FACTS AND
WITNESSES IN THIS MATTER WILL
ASSESSED IN A NONPARTISAN MATTER
AND THAT THE COMMITTEE IS FULLY
INFORMED BEFORE CONDUCTING A
HEARING OR MAKING ANY DECISIONS.
WE WOULD WELCOME ANY OPPORTUNITY
TO TALK YOU.
ESSENTIALLY THE LAWYER IS SAYING
THE FBI NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS,
AND THE INVESTIGATION NEEDS TO
BE CONDUCTED.
BE CONDUCTED. THE INTERVIEWS NEED TO BE DONE
BY THE FBI BEFORE SHE SHOULD
TESTIFY.
TESTIFY. DO YOU HAVE ANY REACTION TO
THAT?
THAT? >> I THINK THAT’S A REASONABLE
REQUEST.
REQUEST. THE WHITE HOUSE COULD ANSWER IT
VERY QUICKLY BY ASKING THE FBI
TO REOPEN ITS BACKGROUND CHECK
AND TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE
ACCUSATION THAT’S BEEN MADE AND
TO GATHER THE EVIDENCE ABOUT
WHAT CAN BE KNOWN.
SO FAR THEY HAVEN’T DONE THAT,
AND AS SOMEONE WHO HAS WATCHED
THIS PROCESS UNFOLD OVER MANY
YEARS, THERE DOES HAVE TO BE
SOME DIRECTION GIVEN TO THE FBI
TO PURSUE AN INVESTIGATION.
I DON’T THINK IT WOULD BE A
LENGTHY INVESTIGATION.
LENGTHY INVESTIGATION. I THINK IT COULD BE DONE IN AN
EXPEDITIOUS MANNER.
EXPEDITIOUS MANNER. IF THEY’RE STILL TRYING TO HAVE
A VOTE ON THIS NOMINEE THAT.
>> COULD POSTPONE FOR TWO WEEKS
AND PROBABLY GET A LOT MORE
INFORMATION THAN THEY HAVE NOW.
BECAUSE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, AS
HER LAWYERS POINT OUT, IS PUT
DR. FORD IN THE POSITION OF
HAVING TO MAKE HER CASE WITHOUT
ANY KIND OF INVESTIGATION THAT
COULD BE EITHER HELPFUL OR
DETRIMENTAL TO HER.
AND I THINK SHE’S ASKING THAT
SHE BE GIVEN THE COURTESY OF
HAVING SOME FACTS LAID OUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I HEARD KELLYANNE
CONWAY SAY WE SHOULDN’T BE
SUBJECTING HER TO INSULT.
AND I THINK YOU CAN’T AVOID THE
APPEARANCE OF INSULT IF YOU
DON’T HAVE AN INVESTIGATION SO
THAT SHE IS, YOU KNOW, ABLE TO
BE EVALUATED FAIRLY.
AND WHAT I THINK THE WHITE HOUSE
AND THE REPUBLICANS ON THE
COMMITTEE ARE TRYING TO DO IS,
YOU KNOW, BASICALLY PUT HER IN
THE DOCK AND TRY TO RUSH THIS
THROUGH.
THROUGH. >> IN THE ANITA HILL CASE IN
1991, THE FBI DID INVESTIGATE
ANITA HILL’S ALLEGATIONS WHEN
THEY CAME TO LIGHT.
THERE WAS CRITICISM THAT IT WAS
RUSHED AND THAT IT WASN’T
ENOUGH, BUT THE REASON THAT THE
WHITE HOUSE DID THAT IS THE
WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL AT THE TIME
FOR FIRST PRESIDENT BUSH, BOYD
AND GRAY I THINK IT WAS ASKED
THE FBI TO DO THAT
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. THAT’S THE RELEVANT PRECEDENT
HERE?
HERE? >> THAT IS THE RELEVANT
PRECEDENT.
PRECEDENT. THE FBI IS NOT CONDUCTING AN
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION.
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION. IT’S CONDUCTING A BACKGROUND
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. AND THE CLIENT, IF YOU WILL, THE
REQUESTER IS THE WHITE HOUSE.
SO THE PRECEDENT THAT YOU JUST
REFERRED TO IS THE PRECEDENT FOR
GETTING THE FBI TO CONDUCT AN