IN HER ALLEGATION. I’VE NEVER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED
DR. FORD OR ANYONE.
>> FOR MORE ON WHAT HAPPENED
TODAY, AND WHERE KAVANAUGH’S
NOMINATION STANDS I’M JOINED BY
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR KIRSTEN
GILLIBRAND OF NEW YORK.
REACTION TO WHAT YOU SAW TODAY?
>> I THOUGHT DR. BLASEY FORD’S
TESTIMONY WAS INCREDIBLE.
I THOUGHT SHE WAS SO HEARTFELT,
SHE SPOKE HER TRUTH SO
PASSIONATELY, WITH SUCH CANDOR,
WITH SUCH EMOTION, I WAS REALLY
INSPIRED BY WHAT SHE DID TODAY.
I THOUGHT THE SECOND HALF,
THOUGH, WAS SO DISCOURAGING.
I THOUGHT THE WAY JUDGE
KAVANAUGH STARTED WITH PARTISAN
ATTACKS, IT REALLY MADE ME
QUESTION HIS FITNESS FOR THIS
OFFICE FOR THE FACT THAT HE DOES
NOT HAVE THE TEMPERAMENT OR THE
CHARACTER OR HONESTY OR
INTEGRITY TO BE A SUPREME COURT
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. I WAS REALLY DISTURBED BY THE
SECOND HALF OF THE HEARING AND
DISTURBED BY MY REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES AND HOW THEY ACTED
AND WHAT THEY SAID.
>> THAT OPENING BY JUDGE
KAVANAUGH, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A
NOMINEE FOR JUDICIAL POSITION,
PARTICULARLY SUPREME COURT
NOMINEE, SPEAK THIS THAT KIND OF
WAY USING LANGUAGE LIKE
BOURQUING, TALKING ABOUT A
CLINTON CONSPIRACY, ET CETERA?
>> I’VE NEVER HEARD ABOUT IT.
AND I COULD NEVER HAVE EVEN
IMAGINED IT.
IMAGINED IT. AND IT REALLY MAKES ME QUESTION
HIS ABSOLUTE UNFITNESS FOR THIS
NOMINATION.
NOMINATION. I JUST CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW HE
COULD TURN SOMETHING SO
IMPORTANT AS THIS HEARING INTO
A -- INTO FINDING OUT THE FACTS
OF A CREDIBLE ACCUSATION OF
SEXUAL ASSAULT INTO SOME KIND OF
POLITICAL HIT.
POLITICAL HIT. AND THE WAY HE TALKED, HE WAS SO
ARROGANT IN HOW HE SPOKE TO
SENATORS.
SENATORS. AND DISMISSIVE.
AND DISMISSIVE. I WAS REALLY OFFENDED BY HOW HE
BEHAVED AT THE HEARING.
>> THERE WAS A STRANGE FORMAT IN
WHICH A WOMAN HAD BEEN BROUGHT
IN, A PROSECUTOR WAS BROUGHT IN
TO CROSS-EXAMINE ESSENTIALLY THE
WOMAN WHO DR. FORD WHO IS MAKING
THIS ALLEGATION.
THIS ALLEGATION. SHE STARTED TO ASK SORT OF
SIMILARLY KIND OF POINTED
PROCEDURAL AND PROSECUTORIAL
QUESTIONS OF JUDGE KAVANAUGH AND
THEN WAS STOPPED AND THEN THE
REPUBLICANS TOOK THE GAVEL BACK
AND ASKED THE QUESTIONS THE REST
OF THE WAY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
>> WELL, I THOUGHT HER ROLE IN
THE FIRST PLACE WAS HIGHLY
CONCERNING.
CONCERNING. THE FACT THAT THEY ASKED A
PROSECUTOR TO ASK QUESTIONS OF
DR. BLASEY FORD, AS IF SHE’S ON
TRIAL, SHE’S NOT ON TRIAL, SHE
WAS BRINGING FORTH CREDIBLE
ALLEGATIONS AT A THIS COMMITTEE
NEEDED TO ASSESS AND THEN LOOK
AT JUDGE KAVANAUGH AND ASSESS
HIS CREDIBILITY.
HIS CREDIBILITY. AND THEN THE FACT THAT SHE
STARTS TO QUESTION JUDGE
KAVANAUGH AND THEN IS CUT OFF BY
THE REPUBLICAN SENATORS AND
DISMISSED.
DISMISSED. I MEAN, IT REALLY WASN’T FAIR.
AND IT JUST GOES TO THE HEART
THAT THIS HEARING WAS NEVER SET
UP TO BE FAIR.
IT WAS NEVER SET UP TO GET TO
THE BOTTOM OF IT.
THE FACT THAT, AGAIN, JUDGE
KAVANAUGH COULD NOT ANSWER THE
QUESTION, FIVE DEMOCRATIC
SENATORS ASKED HIM, WILL YOU ASK
FOR AN FBI INVESTIGATION AND HE
COULD NOT SAY YES, NOT ONCE.
HE CONTINUED TO OBFUSCATE, TO
PIVOT TO DIFFERENT ISSUES, TO
FILIBUSTER AND TALK ABOUT THINGS
THAT WAS NOT BEING ASKED ABOUT.
I JUST THOUGHT HIS BEHAVIOR AND
THE CONTENT OF HIS TESTIMONY WAS
ABSOLUTELY INAPPROPRIATE.
ABSOLUTELY INAPPROPRIATE. >> DO YOU THINK HE WAS LYING?
>> YES, I THINK HE LIED SEVERAL
TIMES.
TIMES. THE FACT THAT HE KEPT SAYING OH,
YEAH, I LOVE BEER, I LOVE BEER,
HONESTLY, AND THEN COULDN’T
POSSIBLY SAY NO, THERE WAS NO
EVENING WHERE I DRANK SO MUCH I
DIDN’T REMEMBER.
DIDN’T REMEMBER. EVEN THOUGH HE MADE JOKES ABOUT
IT WITH HIS BUDDIES WHEN THEY
WENT TO WATCH THE BASEBALL GAME.
IT WAS SHOCKING THAT HE COULD BE
SO DIRECT IN NOT TELLING THE
TRUTH ABOUT HIS DRINKING AND HOW
IT AFFECTED HIM.
>> DO YOU THINK HE WAS LYING
ABOUT THE CORE SUBSTANCE OF THE
ALLEGATION, DR. BLASEY FORD SAYS
HE ASSAULTS HER, HE SAYS HE’S
INNOCENT.
INNOCENT. YOU THINK HE REMEMBERS THAT
NIGHT AND IS LYING ABOUT IT.
>> I BELIEVE DR. BLASEY FORD, I
BELIEVED HER TESTIMONY.
I THINK SHE SPOKE FROM THE HEART
AS SOMEONE WHO WAS RELIVING THE
WORST MOMENT OF HER LIFE.
YOU COULD SEE IT ON HER FACE.
THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS
TRAUMATIC, DEEPLY TROUBLING FOR
HER FOR HER WHOLE LIFE.
SHE TOLD THE TRUTH AND THAT WAS
VERY CLEAR.
VERY CLEAR. I DON’T SEE HOW POSSIBLY WHAT HE
SAID COULD POSSIBLY BE TRUTHFUL
GIVEN WHAT SHE SAID.
SO I THINK HE WASN’T TELLING THE
TRUTH AND I DON’T BELIEVE HIM.
>> YOU KNOW, WE’RE AT A MOMENT
OBVIOUSLY IN THE COUNTRY, THIS
SORT OF PROFOUND RECKONING AND
AWAKENING AROUND QUESTIONS OF
PATRIARCHY, SEXISM, GENDER
INEQUITIES.
INEQUITIES. WHAT WAS TODAY?
WHAT WAS THE SPECTACLE TODAY
THAT ALL OF THOSE MEN ON THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE OF THAT DAIS,
BRETT KAVANAUGH, DR. BLASEY
FORD, WHAT MESSAGE DID IT SEND?
>> WELL, IN SOME WAYS IT WAS A
TRAGIC DAY FOR AMERICA BECAUSE
TO HAVE THOSE REPUBLICAN
SENATORS DISREGARD DR. BLASEY
FORD’S TESTIMONY, TO HAVE THEM
SEEK AS IF SHE DIDN’T JUST TELL
THEM WHAT HAPPENED SO HONESTLY
AND SO FORTHRIGHTLY.
AND THEN TO TRY TO TURN THIS
HEARING INTO A SPECTACLE AND
ACCUSE DEMOCRATS OF BEING
PARTISAN AND THAT THIS IS SOME
CONSPIRACY.
CONSPIRACY. I MEAN, IT WAS SHOCKING TO ME.
AND I THINK FOR A LOT OF WOMEN
IN THIS COUNTRY, PARTICULARLY
FOR SURVIVORS, IT WAS A REALLY
LOW MOMENT.
LOW MOMENT. I THINK A LOT OF WOMEN ARE
SUFFERING AND FEEL THAT THIS
COUNTRY DOES NOT HAVE THEIR BACK
THAT, IN FACT, THESE REPUBLICAN
SENATORS ARE DISREGARDING THEM,
DISREGARDING THEIR TRUTH,
DISREGARDING THEIR VALUE AND
THEIR VOICES BY HOW THEY BEHAVED
AND BY HOW THEY TREATED JUDGE
KAVANAUGH AND AS IF HE IS THE
VICTIM HERE.
VICTIM HERE. HE IS NOT THE VICTIM HERE.
HE IS SOMEONE WHO IS HOPING TO
BE ABLE TO SERVE ON THE SUPREME
COURT IN A LIFETIME APPOINTMENT.
HE IS BEING GIVEN AN
EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY, AND
HE SHOWED SO LITTLE HUMILITY AND
SO LITTLE GRATITUDE FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY HE’S BEEN GIVEN AND
HE TURNED THIS ENTIRE HEARING
INTO A SAD STORY ABOUT HIMSELF,
THAT HE IS SOMEHOW THE VICTIM
HERE.
HERE. THAT IS NOT THE CASE.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY TO DR.
BLASEY FORD, HER COURAGE, I
MEAN, SHE’S THE HERO.
AND SHE’S THE ONE WHO SPOKE
TRUTH TO POWER IN A POWERFUL
WAY, AND IN A TRUTHFUL WAY THAT
I THINK INSPIRED PEOPLE ACROSS
THIS COUNTRY.
THIS COUNTRY. IT’S A TOUGH DAY.
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT’S --