Wednesday on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) stated that she is not open to changing her mind on Judge Brett Kavanaugh — no matter what Thursday’s testimony reveals.
Why? Because she thought Kavanaugh’s record was disqualifying before any of the allegations against Kavanaugh came to light.
Calling Thursday’s testimony a “job interview,” she said on Wednesday, “Whatever he says [on Thursday], it will not change my view.”
She went on to add another piece of information.
“And I’ve already read Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony, and I believe her,” she said, as Breitbart reported.
At the end of the day, Judge Kavanaugh is interviewing for a job. And in job interviews, character counts. Past actions matter. We need another nominee.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) September 26, 2018
After Gillibrand stated the FBI should do a complete background check on Kavanaugh, anchor Chris Cuomo asked, “[A]re you open to changing your mind?”
Gillibrand answered, “Based on everything I have heard to date, no. And before these allegations came to light, I thought Judge Kavanaugh’s record was disqualifying. His view on women’s rights, the fact that he doesn’t see women’s reproductive freedom anywhere in the Constitution, the fact that he believes insurers have more free speech rights than you and I, if you have a pre-existing condition, they should be able to charge you whatever they want, the fact that he believes my boss should decide whether I have access to contraception, all of those things, to me, are disqualifying.”
She continued, “Because his views are so far outside the mainstream, so conservative, that I can’t imagine him being a force for good on the court, and I can’t imagine him actually having the kind of judicial character that is necessary to be a justice on the Supreme Court. Then you just add to that all these allegations. So, no, whatever he says tomorrow, it will not change my view. And I’ve already read Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony, and I believe her.”
Gillibrand also declared that President Donald Trump was “attacking survivors” in his Wednesday press conference remarks on Kavanaugh’s accusers — that he was “undermining them,” and “devaluing them.”
Here’s what @realDonaldTrump made clear, yet again, at his press conference: He doesn’t believe women. He disbelieves them automatically, as a matter of course, and the Republican Party is standing behind him.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) September 27, 2018
On the eve of the high-stakes hearing set to start at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump noted in his press conference that Democrats have already made up their minds — that’s one reason he says that calls for the FBI to reopen its background investigation of Kavanaugh in the wake of sexual assault allegations were pointless.
Related: Expert Calls Kavanaugh Accuser’s Polygraph Test ‘Unbelievable’
“It’s not going to change any of the Democrats’ minds. They’re obstructionists,” he said.
“They’re actually con artists, because they know how quality this man is. And they’ve destroyed a man’s reputation, and they want to destroy it even more. And I think people are gonna see that in the midterms.”
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.