Two new accusers have come forward with accusations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh, and the rest of the Senate Judiciary Committee is hearing testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, who says she was sexually assaulted at a house party in the early 1980s.
00:01:15.060The incident where two other men have come forward, by the way, now.
00:01:19.160And said they were the ones that did it, not not Brett Kavanaugh.
00:01:24.120That's they they came forward to the Senate Judiciary Committee to claim that they're the ones who actually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford during the House party that she described in 1982.
00:01:36.300Republicans on the committee released a timeline of events late last night, which included details about their interactions with the two men.
00:01:43.260The timeline recounts GOP staff members interviewing a man who believes he, not Judge Kavanaugh, had the encounter with Dr. Ford in 1982.
00:37:03.600They and their families have received vile threats.
00:37:08.840What they have endured ought to be considered by all of us as unacceptable and a poor reflection on the state of civility in our democracy.
00:37:21.860So I want to apologize to you both for the way you've been treated.
00:37:29.080And I intend, hopefully, for today's hearing to be safe, comfortable, and dignified for both of our witnesses.
00:37:39.220I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort of a show of civility.
00:37:46.540With that said, I lament that this hearing, how this hearing has come about.
00:37:53.440On July the 9th, 2018, the president announced Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to serve on the Supreme Court.
00:38:04.900Judge Kavanaugh has served on the most important federal appellate court for 12 years.
00:38:11.580Before that, he held some of the most sensitive positions in the federal government.
00:38:17.220The president added Judge Kavanaugh to his short list of Supreme Court more than nine months ago in November 2017.
00:38:28.740As part of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, the FBI conducted its sixth full field background investigation of Judge Kavanaugh since 1993, 25 years ago.
00:38:48.300Nowhere in any of these six FBI reports, which committee investigators have reviewed on a bipartisan basis,
00:38:56.440was there a whiff of any issue, any issue at all, related in any way to inappropriate sexual behavior?
00:39:08.420Dr. Ford first raised her allegations in a secret letter to the ranking member nearly two months ago in July.
00:39:19.880This letter was secret from July 30th, September 13th.
00:39:26.440No, no, July 30th until September 13th, when I first heard about it.
00:39:35.820The letter wasn't shared with me, our colleagues, or my staff.
00:39:39.640These allegations could have been investigated in a way that maintained the confidentiality that Dr. Ford requested.
00:39:50.340Before his hearing, Judge Kavanaugh met privately with 65 senators, including the ranking member.
00:39:58.560But the ranking member didn't ask Judge Kavanaugh about the allegations when she met with him privately in August.
00:40:05.040The Senate Judiciary Committee held its four-day public hearing from September 4th to September 7th.
00:40:11.340Judge Kavanaugh testified for more than 32 hours in public.
00:40:17.660We held a closed session for members to ask sensitive questions on the last evening, which the ranking member did not attend.
00:40:27.940Judge Kavanaugh answered nearly 1,300 written questions submitted by senators after the hearing, more than all prior Supreme Court nominees.
00:40:40.080Throughout this period, we did not know about the ranking member's secret evidence.
00:40:46.180Then, only at an 11th hour, on the eve of Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation vote, did the ranking member refer the allegations to the FBI.
00:40:57.360And then, sadly, the allegations were leaked to the press.
00:41:01.600And that's where Dr. Ford was mistreated.
00:41:06.240This is a shameful way to treat our witness, who insisted on confidentiality, and, of course, Judge Kavanaugh, who has had to address these allegations in the midst of a media circus.
00:41:24.500When I received Dr. Ford's letter on September the 13th, my staff and I recognized the seriousness of these allegations and immediately began our committee's investigation consistent with the way the committee has handled such allegations in the past.
00:41:43.360Every step of the way, the Democratic side refused to participate in what should have been a bipartisan investigation.
00:41:50.420As far as I know, on all of our judgeships throughout at least the last four years, or three years, that's been the way it's been handled.
00:41:59.300After Dr. Ford's identity became public, my staff contacted all the individuals she said attended the 1982 party described in the Washington Post article.
00:42:11.940Judge Kavanaugh immediately submitted to an interview under penalty of felony for any knowingly false statements.
00:42:19.260He denied the allegations categorically.
00:42:22.860Democratic staff was invited to participate and could have asked any questions they wanted to, but they declined.
00:42:29.920Which leads me, then, to wonder, if they're really concerned with going to the truth, why wouldn't you want to talk to the accused?
00:42:40.140The process and procedure is what the committee always does when we receive allegations of wrongdoing.
00:42:47.840My staff reached out to other individuals allegedly at the party, Mark Judge, Patrick Smith, Leland Kaiser, all three submitted statements to the Senate under penalty of felony denying any knowledge of the events described by Dr. Ford.
00:43:05.840Dr. Ford's lifelong friend, Ms. Kaiser, stated she doesn't know Judge Kavanaugh and doesn't recall ever attending a party with him.
00:43:17.240My staff made repeated requests to interview Dr. Ford during the past 11 days, even volunteering to fly to California to take her testimony.
00:43:26.540But her attorneys refused to present her allegations to Congress.
00:43:33.080I nevertheless honored her request for a public hearing, so Dr. Ford today has the opportunity to prevent her allegations under oath.
00:43:44.440As you can see, the Judiciary Committee was able to conduct thorough investigations into allegations, or thorough investigations into allegations.
00:43:56.240Some of my colleagues, consistent with their stated desires to obstruct Kavanaugh's nomination by any means precisely, by any means necessary, push for FBI investigations into the allegations.
00:44:10.340But I have no authority to force the executive branch agency to conduct an investigation into a matter it considers to be closed.
00:44:19.320Moreover, once the allegations became public, it was easy to identify all the alleged witnesses and conduct our own investigations.
00:44:29.580Contrary to what the FBI does, contrary to what the public has been led to believe, the FBI doesn't perform any credibility assessments or verify the truth of any events in these background investigations.
00:44:44.040I'll quote then Chairman Joe Biden during Justice Thomas' confirmation hearing.
00:44:50.720This is what Senator Biden said, quote, the next person who refers to an FBI report as being worth anything, obviously doesn't understand anything.
00:45:03.700The FBI explicitly does not, in this or any other case, reach a conclusion, period.
00:45:13.200They say he said, she said, they said, period.
00:45:18.520So when people waive an FBI report before you, understand they do not, they do not, they do not reach conclusions, they do not make recommendations, end of Senator Biden's quote.
00:45:36.580The FBI provided us with the allegations.
00:45:40.000Now it's up to the Senate to assess their credibility, which brings us to this very time.
00:45:47.380I look forward to a fair and respectful hearing.
00:45:54.220Some of my colleagues have complained about the fact that an expert on this side is investigating sex crimes will be questioning the witness.
00:46:04.500I see no basis for complaint other than just plain politics.
00:46:10.180The testimony we will hear today concerns allegations of sexual assault, very serious allegations.
00:46:16.760Stations, I think we'll take our break right now, and, well, Grassley is babbling endlessly, and hopefully by the time we get back, Christine Blasey Ford will be testifying.
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00:48:45.540I have to say, when I saw your CV, I was extremely impressed.
00:48:50.860You have a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, two master's degrees.
00:48:57.220All right, so again, Dianne Feinstein is making her opening address,
00:49:02.080and she's telling her just how impressed she is with her as a wonderful woman.
00:49:07.320And, uh, okay, so here's her opening statement.
00:49:12.480According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, 60% of sexual assaults go unreported.
00:49:20.920In addition, when survivors do report their assaults, it's often years later, due to the trauma they suffered and fearing their stories will not be believed.
00:49:32.980Last week, I received a letter from a 60-year-old California constituent who told me that she survived an attempted rape at age 17.
00:49:44.000She described as being terrified and embarrassed.
00:49:47.880She never told a soul until much later in life.
00:49:51.600The assault stayed with her for 43 years.
00:49:55.220I think it's important to remember these realities as we hear from Dr. Ford about her experience.
00:50:03.460There's been a great deal of public discussion about the Me Too movement today versus the year of the woman almost 27 years ago.
00:50:13.460But while young women are standing up and saying no more, our institutions have not progressed in how they treat women who come forward.
00:50:24.500Too often, women's memories and credibility come under assault.
00:50:29.540In essence, they are put on trial and forced to defend themselves and often re-victimized in the process.
00:50:40.260Twenty-seven years ago, I was walking through an airport when I saw a large group of people gathered around the TV to listen to Anita Hill tell her story.
00:50:52.340What I saw was an attractive woman in a blue suit before an all-male judiciary committee speaking of her experience of sexual harassment.
00:51:04.100She was treated badly, accused of lying, attacked, and her credibility put to the test throughout the process.
00:51:14.280Today, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has come forward to tell her story of being assaulted and fearing for her life when she was a teenager.
00:51:26.220Initially, as I said, Dr. Ford did not want to make her story public.
00:51:32.040Then, within 36 hours of coming forward, Republicans scheduled a hearing without talking to her or even inviting her to testify.
00:51:42.660She was told she had to show up or the committee would move forward with a vote.
00:51:48.800It took a public outcry from the majority, excuse me, for the majority to back down and give her even a few days to come before the committee.
00:52:00.820Republicans also scheduled this hearing with Dr. Ford without having her allegations investigated by the FBI.
00:52:11.820In 1991, Anita Hill's allegations were reviewed by the FBI, as is the normal process and squarely within its jurisdiction.
00:52:24.120However, despite repeated requests, President Trump and the Republicans have refused to take this routine step and direct the FBI to conduct an impartial investigation.
00:52:39.460This would clearly be the best way to ensure a fair process to both Judge Kavanaugh and to Dr. Ford.
00:52:49.100In 1991, the Senate heard from 22 witnesses over three days.
00:52:56.820Today, while rejecting an FBI investigation, Republicans are refusing to hear testimony from any other witness,
00:53:06.380including Mark Judge, who Dr. Ford identified as being in the room when the attack took place.
00:53:14.680And we believe Judge should be subpoenaed so the committee can hear from him directly.
00:53:22.840Republicans have also refused to call anyone who could speak to the evidence that would support or refute Dr. Ford's claim.
00:54:20.580And the burden of proof was on Professor Hill.
00:54:24.060And today, our Republican colleagues are saying, this is a hiccup.
00:54:29.680Dr. Ford is mixed up and declaring, I'll listen to the lady, but we're going to bring this to a close.
00:54:37.140What's worse, many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have also made it clear that no matter what happens today,
00:54:45.980the Senate will plow right through and ensure Judge Kavanaugh would be elevated within a week.
00:54:54.860In fact, on Tuesday, the majority went ahead and scheduled a vote on the nomination before we heard one word of testimony regarding allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by Brett Kavanaugh.
00:55:09.180Republican leadership even told senators they should plan to be in over this weekend so the nomination can be pushed through without delay.
00:55:20.220This is despite the fact that in the last few days, two more women have come forward with their own serious allegations of sexual assault involving Brett Kavanaugh.
00:55:33.180And despite the fact that two other men have admitted to the thing against Christine Blasey Ford.
00:55:38.080There was a student at Yale with Brett Kavanaugh.
00:56:35.140You're listening to the Glenn Beck Program.
00:56:36.920With Pat and Jeffy today, we are joining the Kavanaugh hearings live as Christine Blasey Ford is just beginning her testimony.
00:56:44.340To tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.
00:56:49.020I have described the events publicly before.
00:56:51.780I summarized them in my letter to Ranking Member Feinstein and again in a letter to Chairman Grassley.
00:56:59.460I understand and appreciate the importance of your hearing from me directly about what happened to me and the impact that it has had on my life and on my family.
00:57:09.280I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
00:57:13.360I attended the Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland from 1978 to 1984.
00:57:21.740Holton Arms is an all-girls school that opened in 1901.
00:57:25.360During my time at the school, girls at Holton Arms frequently met and became friendly with boys from all boys' schools in the area, including the Landon School, Georgetown Prep, Gonzaga High School, as well as our country clubs and other places where kids and families socialized.
00:57:45.360This is how I met Brett Kavanaugh, the boy who sexually assaulted me.
00:57:51.380During my freshman and sophomore school years, when I was 14 and 15 years old, my group of friends intersected with Brett and his friends for a short period of time.
00:58:02.960I had been friendly with a classmate of Brett's for a short time during my freshman and sophomore year.
00:58:09.280And it was through that connection that I attended a number of parties that Brett also attended.
00:58:15.360We did not know each other well, but I knew him and he knew me.
00:58:20.600In the summer of 1982, like most summers, I spent most every day at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, swimming and practicing diving.
00:58:33.200One evening that summer, after a day of diving at the club, I attended a small gathering at a house in the Bethesda area.
00:58:41.640There were four boys I remember specifically being at the house.
00:58:47.380Brett Kavanaugh, Mark Judge, a boy named PJ, and one other boy whose name I cannot recall.
00:58:56.280I also remember my friend Leland attending.
00:58:59.220I do not remember all of the details of how that gathering came together, but like many that summer, it was almost surely a spur-of-the-moment gathering.
00:59:10.340I truly wish I could be more helpful with more detailed answers to all of the questions that have and will be asked about how I got to the party and where it took place and so forth.
00:59:21.220I don't have all the answers, and I don't remember as much as I would like to, but the details about that night that bring me here today are the ones I will never forget.
00:59:33.440They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult.
00:59:38.340When I got to the small gathering, people were drinking beer in a small living room, family room type area on the first floor of the house.