MANY WAYS WAS A BACKLASH TO THE WAY THAT ANITA HILL WAS TREATED
IN THE CLARENCE THOMAS
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS.
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS. >> LET’S BRING IN A MEMBER OF
THE JISHTUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHRI
COONS.
COONS. YOU SAID YOU WILL BE A VOTE FOR
JUDGE KAVANAUGH’S NOMINATION.
WAS THIS BECAUSE OF THESE
ALLEGATIONS FROM CHRISTINE FORD?
>> I TAKE THESE ALLEGATIONS VERY
SERIOUSLY.
SERIOUSLY. I’M GLAD WE’RE GOING GIVE THEM
AN OPEN HEARING.
MY REASONS FOR VOTING AGAINST
JUDGE KAVANAUGH ARE DEEPLY
ROOTED IN MY GRAVE CONCERNS
ABOUT HIS EXTREME VIEWS ON
PRESIDENTIAL POWER.
PRESIDENTIAL POWER. THAT’S THE MAIN THING I FOCUSED
ON IN QUESTIONING HIM.
HE’S ALSO GOT WAYS IN WHICH HE
HAS SPOKEN AND WRITTEN AND
DECIDED ON ISSUES ABOUT
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY AND OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE
CONSTITUTION IN THE MODERN ERA
THAT I THINK ARE ALSO OUTSIDE
THE MAINSTREAM.
THE MAINSTREAM. SO I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO
MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I ALREADY
HAVE HEARD ENOUGH TO IN MY VIEW
JUSTIFY A NO VOTE AND I INTEND
TO FULLY PARTICIPATE IN WHAT I
EXPECT WILL BE AN OPEN AND FAIR
PROCESS WHERE DR. FORD’S
DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS WILL BE
GIVEN FULL WEIGHT.
>> SENATOR DO YOU TAKE DR.
FORD’S ALLEGATIONS AT FACE
VALUE.
VALUE. >> I DO.
>> I DO. I’M ENCOURAGED TO HEAR
REPUBLICAN LEADERS ALSO SAYING
WE NEED TO LISTEN TO HER AND
TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.
FRANKLY THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN
ONE NOMINATION TO THE SUPREME
COURT, MORE THAN ONE JUDICIAL
NOMINATION.
NOMINATION. THIS IS ABOUT WHETHER WE AS A
COUNTRY HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT
WHERE WE LISTEN TO WOMEN WHO
RAISE ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL
ASSAULT.
ASSAULT. I DO THINK WE SHOULD TAKE
PRESIDENT TRUMP AT HIS WORD AND
ENSURE THAT EVERYONE IS HEARD
AND THAT THERE’S A FULL PROCESS.
THAT REQUIRES THE FBI TO DO SOME
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION HERE SO
THAT IT’S NOT SIMPLY A HE
SAID/SHE SAID TESTIMONY IN FRONT
OF US.
OF US. WE NEED FULLER DEVELOPMENT OF
THE FACTS.
THE FACTS. >> IT SEEMS LIKE FULL
DEVELOPMENT OF THE FACTS WILL BE
DIFFICULT TO ASSESS HERE.
UNDERSTANDABLY SO MUCH TIME HAS
ELAPSED AND THE VICTIM HAS NOT
OR THE ALLEGED VICTIM HAS NOT
HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY
FULLY ENGAGE THESE MEMORIES SO
THE FBI DOESN’T HAVE A LOT TO GO
ON.
ON. WE DON’T HAVE A PLACE OR A TIME.
VERY LITTLE CORROBORATING
EVIDENCE.
EVIDENCE. WITNESSES ARE HARD TO FINE.
SO CAN THIS VICTIM, ALLEGED
VICTIM WHO IS IN FRONT OF YOU
TESTIFYING, CAN SHE RECEIVE A
FAIR HEARING?
FAIR HEARING? IS THIS PROCESS IN ANYWAY FAIR
TO HER?
TO HER? IT’S GOING TO EXPOSE HER TO A
LOT OF SCRUTINY TO FRANKLY I
DON’T KNOW IF SHE HAS THE
ABILITY TO STAND UP TO.
IS THIS PROCESS IN ANYWAY GOING
TO CLARIFY OR IS IT SIMPLY GOING
TO MAKE A BAD SITUATION WORSE?
>> THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I THINK
WILL MAKE MONDAY A VERY FRAUGHT
HEARING.
HEARING. IT WOULD NOT BE THAT DIFFICULT
FOR INVESTIGATORS, PARTICULARLY
IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO
FIND HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATES OF
BOTH JUDGE KAVANAUGH AND DR.
FORD AND TO INTERVIEW WHAT I
SUSPECT IS A FEW DOZEN OF THEM
WHO WILL HAVE RECOLLECTIONS AND
HAVE INSIGHTS INTO WHETHER OR
NOT JUDGE KAVANAUGH ROUTINELY
WAS SOMEONE WHO DRANK IN HIGH
SCHOOL, WHETHER OR NOT HE
ATTENDED SOCIAL EVENTS LIKE THIS
AND THEN, FRANKLY WHETHER OR NOT
DR. FORD CAN FIND IT IN FRIENDS
OR CLASSMATES THAT SHE WAS THE
VICTIM OF ASSAULT.
TO HAVE JUST THE TWO OF US IN
FRONT OF US WITHOUT JUDGE
KAVANAUGH’S CLASSMATE MARK JUDGE
ALSO IN FRONT OF US WOULD STRIKE
ME AS REDUCING THIS LITERALLY TO
A HE SAID/SHE SAID SESSION.
I DO RESPECT THAT SENATOR DIANNE
FEINSTEIN DELAYED RELEASING THIS
LETTER EXACTLY BECAUSE DR. FORD
WAS SO UNCOMFORTABLE WITH COMING
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC. AND THAT’S FOR EXACTLY THE
REASONS YOU JUST REFERENCED IN
YOUR QUESTION.
YOUR QUESTION. THIS WILL BE A DIFFICULT
NATIONAL SPECTACLE FOR HER TO GO
THROUGH AND I THINK IT’S
INCUMBENT ON ALL OF US AND ALL
OF US ON THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
HAVE TO TAKE EXTRA STEPS TO MAKE
SURE WE’RE BOTH RESPECTING AN
ASSUMPTION OF JUDGE KAVANAUGH’S
NRS AND LISTENING TO AND DEEPLY
RESPECTING THE COURAGE IT TOOK
FOR DR. FORD TOULTLY COME
FORWARD WITH THIS ALLEGATION.
>> SENATOR, YOUR DESCRIPTION OF
WHAT YOU WOULD HOPE TAKE PLACE
USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PERHAPS
SEEK OUT PEOPLE WHO KNEW THE
WOMAN 36 YEARS AGO, THAT JUST
HAS A ROUNDED DESCRIPTION OF
POTENTIAL OF THIS TURNING INTO
AN EVEN LARGER CIRCUS THAN IT
MIGHT ACTUALLY BECOME.
I MEAN FORENSICALLY, 36 YEARS
AGO WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT
STORIES.
STORIES. WHAT WOULD YOU ASK AS AN OPENING
QUESTION OF JUDGE KAVANAUGH?
WHAT WOULD YOU ASK?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE GOOD NEWS
IS WE HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS OF
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE WHO ARE
EXPERIENCED PROSECUTORS.
EXPERIENCED PROSECUTORS. I’M NOT AN EXPERIENCED
PROSECUTOR.
PROSECUTOR. BOTH SENATOR KLOBUCHAR AND
HARRIS ARE PROSECUTORS FROM
THEIR RESPECTIVE STATES.
AS I’VE BEEN TURNING OVER IN MY
HEAD WHAT SORTS OF QUESTIONS I
WILL ASK MONDAY I’LL TELL YOU AS
SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER
INVESTIGATED OR PROSECUTED A
SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE, IT IS GOING
TO BE DIFFICULT FOR THIS TO BE A
CONSTRUCTIVE AND MEANINGFUL
ENGAGEMENT.
ENGAGEMENT. BUT THE THING I KNOW IS THAT
I’VE GOT VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY
IN FRONT OF ME AS FACTS.
THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS, DR. FORD
AND JUDGE KAVANAUGH ATTENDED
SMALL ELITE PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS
HERE IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C.
SUBURBS.
SUBURBS. MY HUNCH THE LIST OF CLASSMATES,
THEIR SOCIAL COMPANIONS WOULD BE
VERY EASY TO ASSEMBLE.
WHAT CONCERNS ME LAST NIGHT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS NOT DIRECTED
THE FBI TO ENGAGING ANY
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION TO
ASSESS THE CREDIBILITY OF WHAT
EVIDENCE THERE IS.
>> SO, SENATOR, THE FINAL
QUESTION -- JUST WANT SOME
CLARIFICATION HERE.
CLARIFICATION HERE. DIANNE FEINSTEIN WAS GIVEN THIS
LETTER A FEW MONTHS AGO.
SHE DIDN’T REVEAL THE LETTER
BECAUSE DR. FORD REQUESTED
ANONYMITY, IS THAT CORRECT?
>> THAT’S MY UNDERSTANDING.
>> WHAT CHANGED BETWEEN THEN AND
LAST WEEK WHEN DIANNE FEINSTEIN
DECIDED TO RELEASE THE LETTER.
HAD SHE BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION BY
DR. FORD TO RELEASE THE LETTER
>> NO.
>> NO. TWO THINGS FIRST DR. FORD THEN
HIRED A LAWYER AND THERE WAS A
FAIR AMOUNT OF BACK AND FORTH
WITH HER ATTORNEY ABOUT WHETHER
THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER LETTER
FORTHCOMING, WHETHER SHE WOULD
BE WILLING TO TESTIFY OR NOT.
AND I RESPECT THAT SENATOR
DIANNE FEINSTEIN WAS PRINCIPALLY
RESPECTING REPEATED ASSERTIONS
BY HER ATTORNEY THAT DR. FORD
WANTED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS.
I BELIEVE IT WAS A LEAK TO THE
MEDIA THAT COMPELLED THIS.
IT WAS A LEAK TO THE MEDIA OF
THE UNDERLYING THAT FORCED
SENATOR FINE’S HAND.
>> WHERE DID THAT LEAK COME
FROM?
FROM? >> I HAVE NO IDEA.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> WHO ELSE HAD THE LETTER OTHER
THAN DIANNE FEINSTEIN’S OFFICE?
>> I DON’T KNOW THAT.
MY HUNCH IS THAT THERE WERE
FOLKS ON COMMITTEE STAFF WHO HAD
SEEN THE LETTER AND I DON’T KNOW
WHETHER THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
COMMITTEE HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT IT
OR SEEN THE LETTER.
>> ALL RIGHT.