GREAT TO SEE YOU.
PLEASE, STAY SAFE.
>>> JOINING ME NOW, SENATOR CORY
BOOKER OF NEW JERSEY, WHO IS ON
THE JUDICIARY AND FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEES.
SENATOR BOOKER, THANK YOU FOR
COMING TO "THE SUNDAY SHOW."
>> JONATHAN, THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME.
I COULDN'T TURN DOWN A REQUEST
FROM A JERSEY BOY.
YES, I'M OUTING YOU.
I KNOW WHERE YOU'RE FROM, MAN.
>> NOT JUST A JERSEY BOY, BORN
IN NEWARK.
YOU LEFT THAT PART OUT.
>> I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED
IT ALL EXPOSED OUT THERE FOR THE
NATIONAL PUBLIC.
>> WELL, SENATOR BOOKER, THE
PRESIDENT AS WE HAVE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT AD-LIBBED THE LINE
THE WHITE HOUSE IS NOW WALKING
BACK, QUOTE, FOR GOD'S SAKE,
THIS MAN CANNOT REMAIN IN POWER,
THIS MAN BEING VLADIMIR PUTIN.
BUT ISN'T THE PRESIDENT SAYING
THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD?
>> LOOK, I MEAN, THE TOTALITY
WHAT THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
DOING IS TRYING TO STOP THAT
MAN'S OUTRAGEOUS AGGRESSION
AGAINST UKRAINE, AND HE'S BEEN
PUTTING ON REALLY GOOD GLOBAL
LEADERSHIP.
I THINK RESPECTED A LOT AS I
HEAR DIRECTLY FROM AMBASSADORS
FROM MULTIPLE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
AND UNIFYING FREE DEMOCRACY.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT IS MAKING
ALL THE RIGHT MOVES.
AND I THINK HIS COMMENT PROBABLY
WAS A VERY VISCERAL ONE.
BUT NOT A CALL FOR CHANGE IN
U.S. POLICY.
WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT LOOKING FOR
REGIME CHANGE IN RUSSIA.
>> PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY CONTINUES
HIS CALL FOR NATO AIR SUPPORT,
WHICH PRESIDENT BIDEN AND NATO
COUNTRIES CONTINUE TO REJECT,
SENATOR.
WHAT WOULD BE THE TRIP WIRE FOR
YOU TO SUPPORT DIRECT NATO
INVOLVEMENT AGAINST RUSSIA IN
UKRAINE?
>> WELL, THE PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
IS DOING EXTRAORDINARY WORK AND
HAVING BEEN IN NOW TWO DIFFERENT
ZOOM CALLS WITH HIM, ADDRESSING
CONGRESS IN ONE AND ENGAGING
CONGRESS IN ANOTHER, HE'S
PUTTING ON, I THINK, FOR SO MANY
OF US AROUND THE PLANET AN
EXTRAORDINARY EXAMPLE OF
LEADERSHIP AND HE'S RIGHT TO
CALL FOR ALL THE HELP HE THINKS
HIS NATION NEEDS.
I DO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE PUT
FORTH A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
SUPPORT AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO
DO IT FROM HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT
TO MILITARY SUPPORT.
AND THERE IS REAL QUESTIONS
ABOUT ESPECIALLY NOW THAT RUSSIA
IS FALTERING IN THEIR EFFORTS,
WILL THEY RESORT TO CHEMICAL,
BIOLOGICAL, NUCLEAR WEAPONS, ALL
OF WHICH WOULD DEMAND A RESPONSE
NOT JUST FROM AMERICA, BUT THE
LARGER COALITION.
I THINK THIS IS AN EVOLVING
PICTURE.
I DO NOT WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE
LEADERS THAT IS GOING TO
TELEGRAPH TO PUTIN EXACTLY WHAT
IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
LET HIM KNOW THERE WILL BE A
RESPONSE, AND LET HIM QUESTION
WHAT THAT WILL BE.
>> ONE MORE QUESTION ON UKRAINE
BEFORE WE TURN TO THE SUPREME
COURT NOMINATION HEARINGS OF
KETANJI BROWN JACKSON.
ON FRIDAY, THERE WAS A LOT OF
TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT RUSSIAN
DEFENSE OFFICIALS SORT OF WERE
SIGNALING A CHANGE IN TACTICS, A
CHANGE IN STRATEGY ON THE PART
OF RUSSIA, FOCUSING ON EASTERN
UKRAINE, AND YET YESTERDAY, AS
JACOB SOBOROFF REPORTED
YESTERDAY AND JUST WAS GIVING US
AN UPDATE JUST A MOMENT AGO
THERE WERE RUSSIAN MISSILE
STRIKES JUST OUTSIDE LVIV,
UKRAINE IN THE WESTERN PART OF
UKRAINE.
SHOULD WE TAKE ANYTHING THAT THE
RUSSIANS ARE SAYING AT FACE
VALUE?
>> NO, WE SHOULDN'T.
REMEMBER, WE'RE WATCHING FROM
ONE PERSPECTIVE.
BUT AS I SAID, IN CLASSIFIED
BRIEFINGS AND TALKED TO OUR
MILITARY LEADERSHIP, THEY HAVE
VERY GOOD EYES ON WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN THE THEATER OF WAR
RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT'S WHY WHAT THE SUPPORT
WE'RE GIVING FROM STINGERS AND
JAVELINS TO OTHER CRITICAL
TECHNOLOGY IS REALLY ABOUT
WINNING THIS EFFORT.
SO, AGAIN, THERE WILL BE LOTS OF
CONFLICTING REPORTS, OFTEN THEY
SAY THE FIRST CASUALTY OF WAR IS
THE TRUTH.
BUT I HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE
IN THE KIND OF MILITARY SUPPORT,
INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT, THAT WE
ARE GIVING TO THE UKRAINIANS AS
WELL AS THAT ARE ENABLING NATO
TO PREPARE SHOULD SOME OF WORST
POSSIBLE THINGS HAPPEN.
>> LET'S TURN OUR ATTENTION TO
THE SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION
HEARINGS WITH JUDGE KETANJI
BROWN JACKSON.
SENATOR, WHERE DID YOU USE YOUR
TIME AT THE MIC TO NOT JUST
CELEBRATE HER, BUT GIVE VOICE TO
THE MEANING OF HER ELEVATION FOR
AFRICAN AMERICANS?
>> WELL, LET'S JUST FIRST SAY
THAT JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON
WAS MORE THAN PREPARED FOR
WHATEVER THEY THREW AT HER.
AND SHE PUT ON IN MY OPINION A
MASTERS CLASS OF GRIT AND GRACE
AND ENDURANCE.
SHE COULD HAVE HAD A ROOM
INSTEAD OF 11 REPUBLICANS, 11
DEMOCRATS, SHE COULD HAVE HAD A
ROOM OF 22 OF THE MOST
OUTRAGEOUS QUESTIONING
REPUBLICANS AND SHE WOULD HAVE
PERSEVERED AND OVERCOME.
BUT AS A GUY SITTING IN THAT
ROOM, WATCHING THE ENERGY SHIFT
THE WAY THEY WERE SHIFTING IT, I
JUST FELT THE TRUTH OF SO MANY
AMERICANS THAT WE WERE FEELING,
WHICH IS THEY ARE TRYING TO TAKE
AWAY THE GREATNESS OF THIS
MOMENT, THE HISTORIC NATURE OF
THIS MOMENT, AND BESMIRCH
SOMEONE WHO I THINK IS
UNASSAILABLE, BUT FRANKLY I
WANTED TO SPEAK TO HER, AND THE
GLORY OF THIS MOMENT AND THE
EXTRAORDINARY ACCOMPLISHMENT
THAT SHE MADE JUST BY BEING IN
THAT ROOM.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A HABIT,
WHICH I THINK IS A SENATORIAL
HABIT OF SAYING, YOU KNOW, MY
FRIENDS, USUALLY ABOUT PEOPLE ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, MY
FRIEND LINDSEY GRAHAM, MY FRIEND
TED CRUZ, MY FRIEND, AND YET
THEY ASKED QUESTIONS OF JUDGE
JACKSON THAT WERE SORT OF BESIDE
THE POINT WHEN IT COMES TO
CASES, WHEN IT COMES TO JUDICIAL
PHILOSOPHY, AND IT SEEMED TO ME,
I WAS WATCHING TWO HEARINGS IN
ONE.
IT WAS JUDGE JACKSON'S
CONFIRMATION HEARING, BUT WHY
WERE YOUR FRIENDS TRYING TO
RELITIGATE THE CONFIRMATION
HEARINGS OF JUDGE KAVANAUGH,
JUSTICE KAVANAUGH?
>> IT WASN'T EVEN JUST THAT.
SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES WERE GOING
BACK TO FEDERAL JUDGE FIGHTS
THAT GO BACK ALMOST 20 YEARS.
I WAS SURPRISED.
THEY MENTIONED ONE JUDGE WHOSE
NAME I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE BECAUSE
I WASN'T EVEN THE MAYOR OF
NEWARK YET AND OSSOFF WAS
PROBABLY STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL.
THERE WAS A LOT OF GRIEVANCE
POLITICS BEING AIRED THERE AND A
LOT OF BUZZWORDS.
WHAT HER LEADERSHIP AND ASCEND
ANTSY TO THE SUPREME COURT HAS
TO DO WITH CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND
CRITICAL RACE THEORY, IF YOU
WERE PLAYING BINGO AT HOME,
REPUBLICAN BUZZWORD BINGO, YOU
WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOUTING OUT
BINGO EVERY OTHER SENATOR
BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST GOING
THROUGH THE LITANY OF GRIEVANCES
AND MANY OF THEM WERE GOING
THROUGH AS YOU SAID SORT OF
OUTRAGEOUS ATTACKS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THOUGH,
THIS WAS ABOUT HER.
AND THEY COULDN'T TAKE AWAY FROM
IT.
THIS IS ABOUT A MOMENT WHERE WE
HAVE SEEN IN AMERICA 115 SUPREME
COURT JUSTICES IN OUR HISTORY,
108 OF THEM WHITE MEN, WHICH IN
MANY WAYS BELIES THE TRUTH THAT
WE HAVE HAD GENERATIONS OF BLACK
WOMEN WHO WERE QUALIFIED TO SIT
ON THAT COURT.
AND HERE IS A WOMAN, WITH
UNASSAILABLE QUALIFICATIONS, IN
FACT, MORE, IF YOU JUST LOOK AT
CLERKING EXPERIENCE, OR JUDICIAL
EXPERIENCE, MORE THAN MOST OF
THE PEOPLE ON THE SUPREME COURT
NOW.
SHE IS SOMEONE THAT WAS -- AND
IS UNASSAILABLE, AND I'M GLAD
THAT THAT, I BELIEVE, IS WHAT
HAS BEEN SHINING THROUGH DESPITE
THEIR ATTEMPTS TO TAKE HER DOWN.
>> SENATOR BOOKER, OUT OF TIME,
I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS QUESTION,
THERE WAS TALK ABOUT THE
POTENTIAL OF REPUBLICANS
BOYCOTTING THE JUDICIALRY RYJUDI
COMMITTEE VOTE THAT WOULD MOVE
HER OUT OF THE COMMITTEE AND ON
TO THE FULL FLOOR.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THAT?
>> I'M ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT
THOSE THINGS.
AS MUCH AS WE ARE TRYING TO
INFLAME PARTISAN DIVIDES, THERE
ARE PEOPLE OVER THERE THAT I
KNOW, I'M GOING TO BELIEVE IN
THEM THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO
DRAG US TO THAT PLACE.
I'M GOING PRESERVE HOPE ABOUT
THIS AND TRY TO WORK MY
RELATIONSHIPS ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE AISLE, WHICH I VALUE A
LOT, TO ENSURE IT DOESN'T
HAPPEN.
>> AND WILL JUDGE JACKSON GET
EVEN ONE REPUBLICAN VOTE?
>> WELL, REMEMBER, SHE GOT
REPUBLICAN VOTES THREE TIMES,
ESPECIALLY THE LAST TIME, JUST
LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, SHE GOT
THREE REPUBLICAN VOTES TO SERVE
ON THE -- WHAT MANY PEOPLE SEE
AS THE SECOND MOST POWERFUL
COURT IN OUR LAND.
SO I HOPE THAT SHE WILL GET SOME
REPUBLICAN SUPPORT, SHE DOESN'T
NEED IT.
BUT I REALLY HOPE FOR THE
LEGITIMACY OF THE COURT IN A
SENSE THAT SHE DOES GET SOME
REPUBLICAN SUPPORT.
>> SENATOR CORY BOOKER OF THE