he knows how believable doctor ford is. he knows how the american people, a majority of them believe doctor ford was telling the truth rather than brett kavanaugh. he knows that any focus on doctor ford would bring more feelings that brett kavanaugh is the wrong person for the supreme court. he can't attack doctor ford because of her credibility greater than brett kavanaugh so he attacks, quote, democrats, increasing the partisan rancor and basically fundamental lack of getting to the truth in this chamber. i ask the majority leader a few questions based on what he said a few minutes ago. he said that this debate has been filled with partisan histrionics. mister leader, are you accusing doctor ford of engaging in partisan histrionics when she came forward? he said the politics of personal destruction is rampant. mister leader, are you accusing doctor ford of engaging in the politics of personal destruction? he talked about people being intimidated. mister leader, are you accusing doctor ford of intimidating the senate? beca

he knows how believable doctor ford is. he knows how the american people the majority believe doctor ford are telling the truth rather than judge kavanaugh. he knows any focus on doctor ford would bring more feelings that judge kavanaugh is the wrong person for the supreme court. but her credibility is greater than judge kavanaugh's so he ncattacks the democrats with public rancor and basically the fundamental lack of getting to the truth in this chamber. i would like to ask the majority leader based on what he said a few minutes ago. he said that this debate has been part of civil histrionics. are you accusing doctor ford of partisan histrionics when she came forward? he said the politics of personal destruction is rampant mister leader are you accusing doctor ford of engaging in the politics of personal destruction? he talked about people being intimidated. again, are you accusing doctor ford of intimidating the senate? because she had the courage to come forward? and then he speaks over and over about the outrageous smea

according to doctor ford's lawyers and ms. ramirez there were many witnesses they wish to be interviewed and they said they were not interviewed. what limits were placed on the fbi so that they couldn't give a full and thorough investigation. the word is that it was the white house. the white house has two choices. they can admit it or if they deny, they showed at a minimum make the directive they sent to the fbi public. if the white hous white house dd what they do when they do one of these checks it seems they did l give him the limited number of witnesses. let them see whether it was limited or not and what else should be made public as these documents. the idea that this should be full and fair over and over open, available by the pettiness of the republican site in the white house is only one document to see in the course of the day, that is hard to do and there's a lot of documents. it's just a pattern of limiting access to facts, limiting access to truth and access to the american people ought to know so i would create

if you'd like that to her of the ford school we have students outside it to give you a tour f the ford school, and have a wonderful, wonderful homecoming weekend, and go blue. [applause] >> and the betty ford book is available. [applause] and we will be happy to sign it. >> betty ford's book is available for sale. please enjoy. go blue. thank you for that correction. that was really great. >> c-span, where history unfold daily. in 1979 c-span was created as a public service by america's cable-television companies and today we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events in washington, d.c. and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. c-span cities tour travels the country exploring the american story. this weekend we visit the homes and offices of some of the country's most prominent biographers to see where the right and how they go about their research. we begin our one-hour presentation with biographer walter isaacson in his native city of new orleans louisiana. >> i think

ford in the vestibule. they capture at least some part of the strength and joy in love with which she lives her life. i am honored to introduce today's featured guest here to tell us more about mrs. ford life in like a. i will start with the host for our conversation, mr. mike ford. he's the other son of former president gerald r and betty ford. mike and his wife, gail, have three daughters and eight grandchildren. he currently chairs the gerald r ford presidential petition and served on the ford school visiting committee for many years. mike is a ba from wake forest and a masters in divinity and for the last 36 years has built a long and successful career in student affairs serving in multiple leadership roles at wake forest. as he retired earlier this year wake forest presented mike with a medallion of merit award in honor of his many years of service to the school and his students. commenting on that award, one of my colleagues, university chaplain tim allmond, set up mike -- he models for students quote

ford was telling us. we took dr. ford's statements seriously. but then it was judge kavanaugh's turn. some of our colleagues now feign concern about judge kavanaugh's judicial temperament because of the way he forcefully defended himself at the hearing where he had been accused of multiple crimes and accused of lying under oath. we know what judge kavanaugh's temperament is like on the bench because he spent 12 years on the d.c. circuit court of appeals. that's why the american bar association gave him their very highest rating not only for his experience, but for his temperament as well. they interviewed hundreds of lawyers and people who had knowledge of judge kavanaugh's exer tease and his -- expertise and his temperament and they all said it was deserving of the highest rating that the american bar association could give. i wonder how any of us would feel if we were accused of a crime that we didn't commit and were forced into the public limelight to defend our good name and our honor and our reputation and to protect our family against the

ford's wishes regarding confidentiality. they make no act of contrition about thrusting her into the spotlight and using her for partisan purposes, or for recommending artists and lawyers to shepherd her along and withholding information from the judiciary committee and the fbi for weeks on end. madame president i spent much of my career in elected office fighting to make sure that victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and human trafficking are never ignored. what at the same time i will never apologize for one second for believing in the constitutional presumption of innocence and due process of law. one of the bedrock principles of our justice system. that's because those principles are grounded in basic fairness and fair play. the spirit of the principal and the concept of due process applies to judge kavanaugh just as much as it does to any defendant taking a stand in any courtroom across this country. he has, in fact, been accused of a crime, multiple crimes. i believe we will remember last weeks hearings for

ford. and here is how undecided republican senator jeff flake of arizona reacted this morning. >> there is no time and no place for remarks like that. but to discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right. i wish he hadn't have done it. it is kind of appalling. >> let's bring in our white house correspondent jim acosta, he is in the briefing room getting ready for this briefing. jim, 12 staffers had been relie by the president's rather measured comments the past several days, but that changed last night. >> reporter: yes, the brief era of trump restraint is over, wolf. he practice that clear lamade t when he mocked christine blasey ford questioning her recollection of what she says was a sexual assault committed by judge brett kavanaugh. and wolf, the white house has been somewhat on the defensive on all of this earlier this morning, kellyanne conway said that she feels that christine blasey ford has been treated as f egg, handled with kid xwlufrs. but we're getting

to both doctor blasey ford and kavanaugh. for too long republicans have rushed this process forward and likely were rushed to a final vote if not for the bipartisan efforts of both senators to demand a full fbi investigation. what's important now is that the fbi investigation to be serious, impartial and thorough. to figure out the facts and do so quickly. that means interviewing all of the relevant witnesses and accepting corroborating accounts when theyy come forward. it also means following up on any lead that emerges from the process of the investigation. the fbi has the ample resources to do this in the one-week period requested by the members of the o judiciary committee. no one is asking to take longer than a week but everyone is asking tha that it be done thorh and completely within that week. there is concern that the white house has placed severe constraints on the investigati investigation. and until today, the president tried to dodge the responsibility. the white house even saying the senate is responsible for th

ford no ill will, and that people in the hearing room, not dr. ford, were against him. we all saw something about judge kavanaugh's temperament and character that day that should disqualify him from serving on the supreme court of the united states. he was angry, he was belligerent, he was partisan, he went on the attack against senators questioning him. she is are not qualities we look for in a supreme court justice or a judge, for that matter. but don't take it from me. listen to judge kavanaugh himself. in 2016 in the catholic university law review, he wrote about the importance of judges steering clear of politics. he told his readers that, quote, a good judge, like a good umpire, cannot act as a partisan, end quote. he says that while it is good for some judges to come with a background in politics or policy and again i'm quoting him, federal judges have to check any prior political allegiances at the door. you have to shed them, end quote. based on judge kavanaugh's testimony last week, it certainly doesn't sound like he has shed his partisan convictions and conne

ford's recollections. this is a professional who was recognized as outside arizona outstanding prosecutor of the year. former cabinet secretary of president obama, and part of the anita hill legal team in 1991. here is what she wrote in her memo to members following the hearing. a he said-she said case is incredibly difficult to prove. but this case is even weaker than that. dr. ford identified other witnesses to the event and those witnesses either refuted her allegations or failed to corroborate them. i do not think that a reasonable prosecutor would bring this case based on the evidence brought before the committee nor do i think this evidence is enough to stae the preponderance of evidence standard. that is a lower standard. so while her democrat colleagues listened to this and conflicts with their political mission, don't hold your breath. nor am i optimistic that they will accept the conclusions of the supplemental background information the fbi is now conducting on top of its six prior investigation

ford. somebody is thrusting dr. ford into this position against her desires and express wishes, leaking her letter, which she asked remain confidential. it is unfortunately a pattern that is beginning to develop here. that brings us back to the hearing last week. as i said, we watched the judge defend his integrity in front of the nation. we know that the allegations of dr. ford were held until the time is right when they could be unveiled and weaponized to inflict the maximum amount of damage. by the look on some of my colleagues faces during the hearing last week, judge kavanaugh struck a nerve. i think they started to realize what these last couple of weeks must have been like for him and his family, his wife, his two daughters, his parents. the girls he coached in basketba basketball. i think that's why the judge felt like he had to forcefully defend his good name and reputation against unproven allegations and who among us would do anything less? we don't live in a country where once accused of something you're

ford on july 30. did our colleague alert the chairman so the committee could do due diligence in a confidential way consistent with dr. ford's wishes? no. no, she did not. did she discreetly raise the issue with judge kavanaugh during his private meeting with him on august 20? she didn't do that either. as best we can tell, the democrats chose to keep this allegation secret rather than investigating in a bipartisan and timely way. in fact, mr. president, they held it in reserve. but meanwhile the senior senator from california, or her office, were already in communication with dr. ford. in fact, her office had already recommended -- recommended dr. ford retain a particular washington, d.c., law firm. now, mr. president, the firm in question is not exactly foreign to democratic politics. two -- two of its founding partners, including one of the attorneys who personally appeared at the hearing to represent dr. ford, had until recently been scheduled to hold a fundraiser for one of our senate democratic

ford if they want to. that doesn't sound like the complete, thorough investigation that senators deserve and would be due if you have a thorough background check. >> we're told that this fbi report maybe momentarily, very soon, as early as later today, will be released. how much time do you believe senators will need to go through this fbi report before the procedural voting begins in the senate? >> if it's as thin as we fear, it won't take a long time. the concern i have is that they haven't taken the time to do this thoughtfully and thoroughly. i would like to see the floor plans, for example, of timmy's house and see if it's consistent with what dr. blasey-ford said. i would like to know what those other people say. i would like to know what the other classmates from yale have said. i would like to know the details of the text messages that judge kavanaugh sent to classmates at yale before the new yorker came out about ms. ramirez's allegations. so, there's a lot of questions i personally have. if the a

ford. after reviewing the f.b.i.'s report this morning, within minutes, republican senators claimed there was a lack of corroborating evidence for any of these allegations. and despite, despite the numerous restrictions they placed on this investigation, that claim is simply not true. but a pertinent fact for developing thorough corroborating evidence is a thorough investigation. that's basic, and this investigation falls far short. it's a disservice to dr. ford and miss ramirez or miss swetnick. i go further to say it's a disservice to survivors anywhere in this country. dr. ford's credible and compelling testimony captivated the nation and inspired survivors of sexual violence across the country. in a moment that i will never forget, when i asked her for her strongest memory, something from the incident she couldn't forget, she replied indelible is the laughter, the up roarious laughter between the two, as teenaged brett kavanaugh drunkenly pinned dr. ford down to the bed and attempted to sexually assault her. i bel

ford. after reviewing the fbi's report this morning, within minutes republican senators claimed there was a lack of corroborating evidence for any of these allegations. and despite, despite the numerous restrictions they placed on this investigation, their claim is simply not true. by the fact for developing full corroborating evidence is a thorough investigation. that's basic. and this investigation falls far short. it's a disservice to dr. ford or miss ramirez, or miss swetnick. and further, it's a disservice to the survivors anywhere in this country. dr. ford's testimony captivated the nation and inspired across the country. in a moment i'll never forget, when i asked her hadder strongest memory something from the incident she couldn't re-- forget. in the hippo campus the up ro roarious laughter, and kavanaugh pinned her to the bed -- i believe her and the reason it's critical is not the additional before that judge kavanaugh was not telling the truth about his high school drinking or th

ford and ms. ramirez. mazie hirono said judge kavanaugh doesn't preserve the presuppings of innocence. democrats want to block kavanaugh and hold the seat open until the 2020 election. this is about politics. and this is about power. pure and simple. and they've destroyed judge kavanaugh's reputation, undermined dr. ford's privacy and tried to upend our -- tried to upend our traditions of innocence until proven guilty in the process. it's a complete and total disgrace. we'll receive and update the background on his nominate to the senate. judge kavanaugh deserves a prompt vote and we expect him to get one. with that, i'll take your question. >> the three people most important in this process are senators mruczkowski, collins an flake. two of those senators, flake and collins, were extremelyup set about how the president described christine blasey ford in that rally in mississippi. knowing how sensitive this issue is and how important it would be if the f.b.i. shows no other compelling tode keep judge kavan

i investigate ford engines that failed without warning. i had essentially got a firebomb into a populated area. also tonight, the baby girl on the long road to recovery after she lost all four limbs to meningitis. it feels like nothing can compare to what we've already gone through. and later in the programme, the preacher from a yorkshire village who claimed to perform miracles. imagine you are driving on a busy motorway and your car loses power or worse, you see smoke and flames coming from the engine. hundreds of ford owners from across the uk say they are experiencing catastrophic failures with their ford ecoboost engines, and some are even being left thousands of pounds out of pocket. i've been investigating. they're one of the uk's most trusted brands. but we've learned how hundreds of ford cars fitted with an award winning engine are failing suddenly and without warning. if it loses all its coolant, the engine will overheat and the engine will eventually fail. we meet the drivers left terrified after their cars burst into flames. i'

and i say that because of the way they handled doctor ford's accusation and hid them we know doctor ford requested confidentiality but the democratic colleagues deprived her of that against her will that was leaked to the press along the way which is the way this character assassination begins. anonymous of course to the press. we know she is struggling with these moments in her past but eventually she summoned the courage to share her story but what she did not fully appreciate is that she was simultaneously being used and deployed as a political weapo weapon, a last-minute timebomb to destroy one man's reputation during the confirmation process once and for all.l. i would say to our. colleagues across the aisle who are pretending to be acting in doctor ford's best interest , it doesn't look like it to me. we did everything we could under those circumstances resented to us by the democratic colleagues to show respect to doctor ford to accommodate her wishes for safety and privacy. the judiciary committee wanted ve do what was best for her when it offered a bipartisan team of investigato

ford. is it ford? nope, it's not ford. i think it's ram. is it ram? not ram. that's a chevy! it's chevy! that's right. from the family of the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickups on the road. gorgeous. chevy hit it out of the ballpark with these. so, howell...going? we had a vacation early in our marriage that kinda put us in a hole. go someplace exotic? yeah, bermuda. a hospital in bermuda. a hospital in bermuda. what? what happened? i got a little over-confident on a moped. even with insurance, we had to dip into our 401(k) so it set us back a little bit. sometimes you don't have a choice. but it doesn't mean you can't get back on track. great. yeah, great. i'd like to go back to bermuda. i hear it's nice. yeah, i'd like to see it. no judgment. just guidance. td ameritrade. >> 36 years ago this happened. i had one beer. right? i had one beer. well, i think it was -- no, one beer. how did you get home? i do remember. how did you get there? i don't remember. where is the place?i don't remember. how many years ago?i don't know. i don't know! elizabeth: the presid

ford? for example, the fact that it's being reported now, she told the panel and the whole nation, when she said she didn't coach anybody or teach anybody how to beat a lie detector test. but now there are some things that are coming potentially out of this fbi investigation that -- and via this letter from this ex-boyfriend that that's exactly what she did do. how does that color your vision of her and how we move forward? >> the reporting you just reported on, the statement from the individual who took that polygraph said that dr. ford never at any time kosher help her prepare. i think that's why the fbi investigation matters, those are interviews done where people are required to tell the truth or face criminal prosecution. that's why they should interview all witnesses that are necessary to complete the investigation. but a lot has been made about dr. ford's testimony and lack of corroboration. i remind your viewers that in a criminal case, truthful testimony of a victim if believed by

but, if the person meets the standards of ford and panetti, as stated in ford and panetti, the fact that he got there through vascular dementia, i understand you to say that doesn't make a difference. that still qualifies. van: yes. yes, your honor. that -- that -- that scenario, whether it's vascular dementia or any other type of mental illness, that would just be the starting point. and the state isn't going to say that and has never said that -- justice sotomayor: all right. in panetti, the man understood that the -- that he was in jail, that the state was charging him with a crime, that it was going to put him to death. he believed they wouldn't, because of his delusions, ultimately succeed, but he understood perfectly well that set of facts. and we said that still qualified him. so we have a man here who knows that he's incarcerated or kept in a cage because he's in a bed, he can't move on his own, can't remember where the bathroom is next to him, can't see, slurs his words. he's really not quite there. but he knows that someone says he committed a murder and that they're trying to

ford. we know at that point she had already talked to dr. ford and recommended partisan lawyers. we know that those lawyers arranged for a polygraph examination to be administered. other preparations were being made, plans were being hatched. and our colleague from california said nothing. i really think that dr. ford has been treated terribly by this ambush, by this hiding evidence and allegations that could have been investigated, should have been investigated in a more dignified and appropriate sort of way. once dr. ford was identified in consultation with colleagues, both republicans and democrats, we decided that dr. ford should be given an opportunity to tell her side of the story. unfortunately, we weren't able to mitigate or reverse a lot of awful circumstances under which she found herself because of what had already been unleashed, but we did our best. we tried to do whatever we could to accommodate her. as i said, investigators offered to come to california. we brought in an expe

i've got to ask you, why on earth have you bought a ford again? such as myself, it's probably because they have everything you want. do you feel safe in it, though? i've bought a fire extinguisher so i feel a bit safer! hopefully, i'm hoping this one doesn't catch fire, but you never know. after we contacted ford with our evidence of widespread ecoboost failures, the company has changed its position. from now on, it's offering to cover the entire cost of repairing one litre engines, which have overheated. it says this will also apply to previous cases and is urging all of the people affected to get back in touch. one year ago, kia gott, a baby girl from bradford was admitted to hospital with meningitis c, resulting in all four of her limbs being amputated. the decision was made just a year earlier to stop immunising children at three months. amy garcia has been following kia's recovery as the family await a new arrival. i should warn you that you might find some of the pictures from when kia was ill quite upsetting. today has been so emotional. i

ford. and her conclusion that the fbi's background investigation may flesh out this week even further. first, she said that this was not a case of he said-she said. this was a case of she said-they said. in other words, every witness alleged to have been present at the time that dr. ford alleged judge kavanaugh, while he was 17 years old, physically assaulted her, all of the people she's identified said they have no memory of such an event or no knowledge of such an event and in one case, dr. ford's close friend, leland keyeser says she doesn't remember ever meeting brett kavanaugh. and similarly mark judge and another said the event never happened. so this is not just a case where there's an allegation and though corroboration. this is a case of an allegation and negative corroboration. i mentioned dr. ford's attorneys earlier and i want to return in that in a moment. and some of their actions were they were interested in using dr. ford as partisan, and used the information along with the

ford. they are the ones with the politics. i voted for it so the mayor and megan, but this is the defining moment for the 2018 election, it's unfair. >> laura: let's talk about repercussions, what happened.f either the filing of false affidavits, although that can be proved. but what about to this leaking issue? we talked about that on the show tonight before your parents.s it seems like someone is note telling the truth here about what happened on the senate side. do you believe what dianne feinstein said when she said, i didn't ask anyone and then said, they take it -- they tell me i did ask them. no one on my staff linked tot this. >> i believe dianne feinstein didn't like it but i don't know about her staff. she hates trump as a politically active will lawyer and she was not told about about our legal team.n i know somebody on their side leaked an anonymous letter without a postmark. >> so why not secure their emails and texts, leaking confidential information -- you are going to do that tonight? >> anyone who did this wil

ford. so you did a good thing, and the one thing you wouldn't do is to be intimidated. the one thing you wouldn't do is destroy judge kavanaugh's life for no good reason. the one thing you wouldn't do is play politics with the law. god bless you. i doubt if i'll ever hear anybody more courageous in my political life. so when they write the history of our times, you will be in it. and if john mccain were here, he would be your greatest cheerleader. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: thank you, mr. president. i wish my colleagues were here to share in this dialogue because there is such an absence of all the members sharing with each other their perspectives. and we have a world that is enhanced by a media world that lives in different universes that accentuates the differences between the parties. i think we are on a course that does deepen the differences across america, and i hope some way we can find in this senate be able to communicate

i mentioned doctor ford's lawyers earlier they are more interested in using doctor ford for partisan purposes than to ensure the story was properlyth considered during the standard committee process. when doctor ford's hearing was delayed that her trauma prevented her from flying but during her testimony watched by 20 million people she flies frequently for hobby and work so one has to wonder where was the delay orchestrated? wasn't a stunt concocted by her light lawyers to buy more time? you have to wonder what her lawyers were involved long before that point in the ranking member of the judiciary committee met one-on-one augus august 20th she already knew aboutul the allegations dated july 30th so august 20th she met with judge kavanaugh and had in her files the allegation that on juh she shared with no one and did not discuss with him during their private meeting thinstead the ranking member sent highly partisan operatives so why would you take an allegation of sexual assault, keepil it in your file , andin recommended a complaint and contact politically active democratic lawyers?

ford's credibility. her over-all appraisal, mitchell find the a caught allegations against kavanaugh to be weak and in the legal context here is her bottom line. a he said she said case is incredibly difficult to prove but this case is even weaker than that. dr. ford identified other witnesses and those either refuted her allegations or failed to corroborate them. for the reasons discussed below i do not think a reasonable prosecutor would bring this case. mitchell then offers a nine point critique based on the evidence at hand. dr. ford has not offered a consistent account of when the alleged assault happened. enter july 6th text to the washington post ford said it occurred in the mid-1980s and then changed her story in a letter to diane feinstein where she claims it happened in the early '80s and her polygraph statementd in august ford said the assault happened one high school summer in the '80s. it changes. she crossed out the word early. dr. ford has struggled to identify judge kavanaugh as the assai

ford refuted dr. ford's version of the facts.ominating nation consult ratio mitchell, who has nearly 25 years of experience advocating for sexual assault victims and investigating sex crimes concluded that there was lack of specificity and simply too many inconsistencies in dr. ford's allegations to establish that judge brett kavanaugh committed sexual assault. even under the lowest standard of proof she concluded a he said she said case is incredibly difficult to prove. but this case is worse than that. dr. ford identified other witnesses to the event. those witnesses either refuted her allegations or failed to corroborate them for the reasons discussed below, i do not think that a reasonable prosecutor could bring this case based upon the evidence before the committee, nor do i believe that this evidence is sufficient to satisfy the preponderance of the evidence standard, end of quote. so we have thoroughly investigated judge brett kavanaugh's background. in addition to the prior six fbi field background investigations with the

ford. hirono said that judge kavanaugh doesn't deserve the presumption of innocence because of his judicial views. one thing is clear. democrats want do block kavanaugh and hold the seat open until the 2020 election. this is about politics. and this is about power. pure and simple. and they have destroyed judge kavanaugh's reputation, undermined dr. ford's privacy and tried to up end the traditions of innocent until proven guilty. we'll receive and submit the fbi background. adds leetder mcconnell, the judge deserves a prompt vote and we expect him to get one. with that, i'll take your questions. john? >> three people most important in the process are senators murkowski, collins and flake. this morning two of those senators, flake and collins, were extremely upset that -- how the president described christine blasey ford at that rally in mississippi. knowing how sensitive this issue is and how important it would be if the fbi investigation shows no other compelling evidence to keep judge ka

ford. so brett kavanaugh, in the most generous capacity, simply doesn't have the ability to keep the facts straight on a pretty straightforward thing. big difference between refuting and not remembering. or he deliberately misrepresented the facts, in which case he lied. brett kavanaugh said he first heard of deborah ramirez's allegations in the period since "the new yorker" published its story, but we have had multiple reports that brett kavanaugh and his team were working to discredit ramirez before" the new yorker" story. well, why did he say that he learned about it after when he was working to discredit it before? did he think this was clever, that he could enkind of say well, i heard about the full story in "the new yorker" after" the new yorker" article was published? was that what he was trying to imply like maybe i could slip by on that one? he didn't want people to know that he knew about it early and had worked to discredit her. another whopper from brett kavanaugh. brett kavanau

ford's letter. dr. ford was mistreated there.enator, dianne feinstein saying i don't believe my staff will leak it but they didn't ask her staff directly that question. how could she not ask her staff if they leaked the letter. >> if you haven't had a chance, you should listen to susan col slips speech on the floor. she went through the whole thing you talked about, talking about how sexual assault is a very serious issue of that has to be dealt with seriously and carefully. but you have to go to the facts. in regard to our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, why didn't they protect dr. ford's confidentiality and go through the confidential process of addressing her concern rather than leaking her information. not only did they leak the document. but why sit on it rather than address confidentially and fairly the concerns she raised the way she wanted them to. liz: apparently dr. ford was not aware the judicial committee members wanted to talk to her and she would fly to california. senator feinstein just tweeting out, dr.

ford is a terrible victim or dr. ford in combination with these democrats and may be the democrat who started this whole thing on the lawyers, they were trying to aggressively push her to be public. they were actually leaking on dr. ford to get her out there. they wanted the motions of that hearing. that is what they wanted. they thought that would derail at all. they got the opposite. >> laura: how we, "the washington post" responded to us today by saying "nobody leak anything to us. she decided she was willing to put her name on the record after reporters from other outlets appeared at her home and workplace at which time we decided to publish her story." again, does that ring true? >> it is true that "the washington post" didn't go with it without her interviews, the therapist notes at all that. they try to do a legitimate investigation. i have covered so many of these stories. it becomes an open secret. a source tells one report, may be a source tells two reporters. nobody quite wants to go with i it. eventually

ford was.it at home in our living rooms and watch this and say, she seemed credible to me. well, we are not talking about just judging someone's performance. that's why we have evidence and, while, the evidence is overwhelming against christine e blasey ford, not a licensed psychologist. i do think the tide seems to have turned up because i am a hate watcher, i mostly watch msnbc and cnn. and i've noticed that since the ex-boyfriend of ford has come out and said, i lived with her for six years and she never talked about sexual assault, she flew all the time, she's not afraid of close spaces, and she stole $600 from me. suddenly, they are talking about russia again. >> tucker: i'm so glad that you watch that and keep us current. boy, i never miss your column. thank you for coming, great to see you. new evidence tonight that academia literally is a joke. we couldn't make this up if we tried. we wish we had because it's so good. by the way, "ship of fools" out this week. if you want to know why ac

ford, refuted dr. ford's version of the facts. our investigative nominee counsel, who has experience investigating sex crimes, concluded that there was lack of strepecificity and simply too m inconsistency in dr. ford's allegation to establish that judge kavanaugh committed sexual assault, even under the low standard of proof. she concluded, quote, a he said/she said case is incredibly difficult to prove but this case is even murkier than that. dr. ford identified other witnesses to the events and those witnesses either refuted her allegation or failed to corroborate them. for the reasons discussed below, i do not think a reasonable prosecutor could bring this case based upon the evidence before the committee, nor do i believe that this evidence is sufficient to satisfy the preponderance of evidence standard, end of quote. so we have thoroughly investigated judge kavanaugh's background. in addition to the prior six fbi full field background investigations with the interviews of nearly 150 people who have known judge kavanaugh his

ford. her raw courage coming forward will change the national culture and discussion. she has given voice to millions of women and men who are survivors of sexual assault, who are afraid to tell their stories, who felt powerless. some of these women have contacted my office with their own stories. i have read them, and they are heart wrenching. at its core, sexual assault is a crime of power. dr. ford has confronted some of the most powerful in our nation and told the truth. i thank her for her courage in coming forward and for empowering other survivors to do the same. mr. president, at this point with so much unknown, there are serious consequences to elevating judge kavanaugh to the supreme court. we the senate need to continue our search for the truth about this nominee, his background and his record, and hopefully we can do that in a bipartisan way. yet, everything about the nomination process for this nominee has been deeply flawed, from the president outsourcing the nomination to the

christine blasey ford. her raw

ford have testified contrary to the way ms. ramirez and dr. ford have alleged. and so the witnesses they have identified, saying they were present at the event, have all refuted their allegations. so i think that ought to settle it. reporter: on a slightly different note. one thing that was noticeable at the committee hearing was when christine blasey ford said it was not clear the committee would go to california to interview her. i'm curious, you've already referred to charges to the d.o.j. regarding uncould be rated allegations. i'm wondering, will the committee take any kind of action against the attorneys or dr. ford? will you refer them to the a.d.a.? mr. grassley: right now i'd say i don't know and don't know there's any reason to. i think that -- what i'd like to do when we get all done, because this is almost rock bottom, i would like to have the future mending things so we can do things in a collegial way, that the united states senate ought to do. and particularly when it comes to supreme court nominations. and you folks can have something to do with

ford. mcconnell still promising a vote this week as many in the senate question if kavanaugh lied under oath. >> obviously if they're demonstrable lies, if he misled the committee in that way, then that's something that's not right and shouldn't happen, can't happen. >>> and this, you must see this, an exhaustive report by "the new york times" detailing what they call legally dubious schemes used by the trump family to avoid paying millions in taxes, and how trump's father ended up gifting him over $400 million, a little more than previously acknowledged. >> i borrowed very little money from my father. my father gave me a small loan of a million dollars. my father gave me a very small loan in 1975. i built a company that's worth more than $10 billion. okay? with a million dollar loan. >> so a million dollar loan plus $399 million gift. we begin today with president trump launching a last-minute, serious attack on dr. christine blasey ford, mocking her, and making light of her sexual assault

a dispute this afternoon between christine blasey ford and one of ford's former boyfriends. the former boyfriend claims ford coached her friend how to take a polygraph test. just to jog your memory back to ford's testimony last thursday, senators asked if she had ever had a discussion with anyone besides her attorneys on how to take a polygraph and ford answered never. mclean coming forward, who is now retired from the fbi, tells cnn, quote, i have never had anyone assist me with the preparation of any polygraph ever, not my entry polygraph, not my five-year reinvestigation polygraphs. never. i am extremely angry he would make this up. special agent josh campbell is with me. you are the one with the scoop. explain what ford's friend to you. >> this goes back to last week and dr. ford's issue surrounding a polygraph. an unnamed person made a statement to the senate, reported yesterday by fox news, essentially saying he was dr. ford's boyfriend back in the 90s, and he had actually seen dr. ford coaching the person we just mentioned, retired fbi agent monica mclean, on the poly

ford. why in the world would someone do what she did -- again, at great personal cost and great personal risk -- if we weren't telling the truth precisely? i'm grateful to her, i'm grateful for all the brave women inspired by her to speak out and share their own stories. many of them have written to my office. a number of them i've spoken to on the phone. some of them told us for the first time in their lives after one by one woman was in her 70's, and it was the first time she had spoken of her sexual assault. please understand to all the people -- all the women and men -- and i've got enletters from men too -- gotten letters from men too, but mostly women. understand that we see you, we hear you, your story matters and you make a difference. it's wrong that political influence and artificial deadlines put on them these deadlines imposed by the majority leader down the hall and the president of the united states artificial deadlines and political influence prevented the f.b.i. from perform

ford's account. it's relies on recall, sometimes of long ago, corroborating witnesses, and evidence. but when all three are called into question by a seasoned prosecutor like mitchell, isn't it time for the media to at least entertain the possibility that they may have gone too far in their coverage? and that's the angle. joining me now for reaction, democratic strategist and former advisor to bill and hillary clinton, richard good speed and former secret service agent and nra tv host. why aren't they taking the report from mitchell a little bit more seriously? >> this whole notion that we are looking at this as a criminal proceeding as a misdirection. and i think actually people feel sorry for rachel mitchell, that she thought she was being brought into a series proceeding and is being used as a pond. as evidenced by the fact that when she started questioning kavanaugh about july 1st, man, she got cut off, right? and now the last we have ever heard of her, when she seemed to be getting close to some

ford. her analysis contains crucial point that the fbi investigation , background investigation may flush out this week even further. first, this was not a case of he said she said. this was the case but she said they said. in other words, every witness alleged to have been present at the time dr. ford alleged judge kavanaugh what he was 17 years old, physically assaulted her, all the people she's identified saidn they had no memory of such an event or no knowledge of such an event and in one case dr. ford's close friend, leland kaiser said she doesn't even remember ever meeting brett kavanaugh. similarly, patrick smith and mark judge, two other alleged witnesses said the event never happened. this is not just a case where there is an allegation and no corroboration. this is a case of an allegation and negative cooperation. dimension dr. ford's lawyers earlier that want to return to that in just a moment. some of their actions suggested they were interested in using dr. ford for partisan pu

ford. dr. ford had nothing to gain by coming forward. i believe her just as i believed anita hill. in my view, no one who truly believes dr. ford can credibly justify voting yes. unfortunately, the senate appears to be on the brink of failing dr. ford, just as it will fail ms. ramirez and just as it failed anita hill. the f.b.i. investigation completed over the last few days falls short of any standard. and it fell short by design. we've already heard about the e -- the attempts to share relevant information with the f.b.i., but the f.b.i., we're told by the senate republican leadership and the white house that this should not be a full investigation. the -- the senate republican leadership and the white house did everything in their power to ensure that this was not a search for truth but rather a search for cover. even a basic search for the truth would have allowed the f.b.i. to interview judge kavanaugh and dr. ford as well as her husband and her therapist. a search for truth would have