ALSO: Murray on the Need for an FBI Investigation: “Senate Republicans Have Predetermined the Outcome of That This Will be a He Says, She Says by Taking That Away”
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. David Perdue on Kavanaugh Confirmation: “There’s No Rush Here”
PLUS: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Says U.S. is Pushing Back on “Russia’s Malign Activity Around the World”
NEW: NBC News / WSJ Poll Shows Democrats Hold the Advantage in November’s Elections
SEPTEMBER 23, 2018 – In an exclusive interview this morning on Meet the Press, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) addressed the Senate’s handling of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, telling moderator Chuck Todd: “Congress failed the test in 1991 with Anita Hill … how the Senate handles this and the Senate Republicans handle this will be a test of this time, of 2018, in the #MeToo movement.”
Murray made the case for an FBI investigation into Dr. Ford’s accusations, saying: “I have said many times, that the Anita Hill hearing was a disaster, but they did have an F.B.I. investigation … There were other ways to judge this. The Senate Republicans have predetermined the outcome of that this will be a he says, she says by taking that away.” Watch the full interview.
Also this morning in an exclusive interview, Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) commented on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote stating, “there’s no rush here,” adding, “look if we don’t get all the information this week I have total confidence that Senator Grassley will take his time and make sure we have all the information we need. There is absolutely no rush to judgment.”
Asked if there is anything Dr. Ford could say that would change his mind about supporting Judge Kavanaugh, Perdue answered: “These are serious allegations. I hope Dr. Ford can be put in a comfortable situation, where she can provide the information. Look, this is a democracy. We have a judicial system. But we also have innocent until proven guilty. And so my view is that we need to hear from both parties and make sure that we do it in a timely manner.” Watch the full interview.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined the broadcast to discuss the United States’ efforts to “push back against Russia’s malign activity around the world,” as the United Nations General Assembly gets underway this week. Pompeo stated that just last week the U.S. put sanctions on China for purchasing Russian weapons. Asked if it’s fair to say that the Russians have not been helpful on foreign policy objectives, Pompeo noted, “it’s a pretty fair assessment.”
Pompeo also spoke to Todd about the conspiratorial nature of Congress, saying that certain members would be less conspiratorial if they could see what he saw from his positions of leadership both in the C.I.A and now the State Department. He added that while he tries to share as much information as he can with Congress that “sometimes being conspiratorial’s appropriate too. Sometimes asking hard questions — it’s their job, their oversight role.” Watch the full interview.
New NBC News / Wall Street Journal poll numbers debuted on this morning’s broadcast showing that six weeks before the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats hold a 12-point lead in congressional preference among registered voters. Read more.
The New York Times’ Helene Cooper, National Review’s Jonah Goldberg, POLITICO’s Eliana Johnson, and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews joined the broadcast’s roundtable for insight and analysis on the week in politics. Additionally, Marvin Kalb, author of “Enemy of the People: Trump’s War on the Press, the New McCarthyism and the Threat to American Democracy,” joined the broadcast.
Read the full transcript of Meet the Press this morning, and follow the show on Twitter and on Facebook for the latest.
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