CNN "Wolf" - Transcript: Sen. Jeff Merkley Interviewed

Interview

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BLITZER: They're going through it. Hourly by hourly in the course of today, getting ready for a procedural vote on the Senate floor tomorrow.

Jessica, thank you very much.

Jessica Schneider reporting.

Joining us now from Capitol Hill, Senator Jeff Merkley. He's a Democrat from Oregon.

Senator, thanks so much for joining us.

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D), OREGON: Oh, you're very welcome. Good to be with you.

BLITZER: Have you had a chance to go through this FBI report on Judge Kavanaugh?

MERKLEY: Yes. Yes, I have.

BLITZER: And so what's your reaction?

MERKLEY: It's a complete cover up. I think just as it was just explained that Debbie Ramirez's team, they provided 20 people who should be interviewed because they had probative information. None of them apparently were talked to. We have Dr. Ford, who provided eight names, none of them were talked to.

They -- this was a cherry picking of a few individuals to pretend to do an investigation. This is a complete embarrassment on the reputation of the FBI. And if they did this at the direction of the president, then it's a massive abuse of fairness and justice towards these women who came forward to share their experiences.

BLITZER: As you know, the White House, the Judiciary Committee chairman, Chuck Grassley, the Republican leadership, they all say there's nothing in this new FBI report that they didn't know before, that you didn't know before either. What do you say to that, that there's nothing new to learn there?

MERKLEY: Well, there's nothing much new to learn. There are a few details. But nothing much new to learn because they didn't look for information. If you don't interview (ph) any of these 28 individuals that these two women suggested should be interviewed, then you're going to learn nothing. There was -- they only talked to people in an effort to have a very, very narrow conversation with individuals that they felt would build their case rather than prevent -- present any information.

Let me give you an example. In his freshman dorm, Kavanaugh had a suitemate named Kenneth Apolt (ph). Kenneth Apolt contacted the FBI and said, come talk to me because I heard this story that year. And he proceed to make many efforts to contact the FBI. They did not respond. He is a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. And he was not contacted.

[13:15:26] He, furthermore, brought it up, the story up, it bothered him so much he brought it up with a roommate of his when he was in graduate school. His name is Michael Wetstone (ph). Michael Wetstone was not contacted by the FBI.

So here you have a witness who heard it in real time, that year, details, who shared it long ago before Kavanaugh was ever up to be a nominee and the FBI did not talk to them, even though they asked to be spoken to.

This is an example of what a horrific cover-up this investigation is.

BLITZER: So what's your message to your Republican colleagues, Jeff Flake, Susan Collins, who both emerged from that closed door room where they had a chance to go through the secret document and they offered relatively upbeat assessments?

MERKLEY: We were briefed by Democratic staff when the Democrats went in to see the documents. I assume that they were briefed by Republican staff. So that is not an honest examination of the issues. I would encourage them to look at the fact that these two courageous

women who came forward with stories, knowing that they themselves would probably be attacked, have simply called for a fair investigation. They have given Ford names, 28 individuals. The FBI apparently, at the direction of the White House, refused to talk to those individuals. That -- none of -- none of my colleagues could possibly say that that was comprehensive. None of them could say it was fair if they know this information.

BLITZER: You know that if -- if these two Republicans --

MERKLEY: And, by the way -- by the way --

BLITZER: Hold on a second, senator. If these two Republicans vote in favor of confirmation, it's over. Are you going to directly contact Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, and explain what you saw and try to convince them to vote against confirmation?

MERKLEY: I certainly will share, in a very polite fashion, this suggestion that this cannot possibly be construed as comprehensive. I know that these individuals, among the entire Republican caucus, they are struggling to try to find a point of reason, to find a point of justice, to find a point of fairness. I'm -- I just want to make sure that they have the full story, not a misleading briefing from a partisan perspective.

And let's think about this. Senator Flake really did something very important in calling for a fair examination of these women's experiences. This is not a fair examination. And he said two things along the way. He said, one, he couldn't support the justice if the justice lied to the committee. Second, he said it had to be an authentic -- I'm not sure the exact word he used, but an authentic investigation to find the truth. This certainly -- both those tests failed, absolutely. They don't fail barely, they are completely failed. They get an f. The judge misrepresented many, many facts before the committee, it's been well documented. And he certainly -- this is not a comprehensive or fair investigation.

BLITZER: Senator Merkley, thanks so much for joining us.

MERKLEY: You're welcome. Thank you.

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