MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Chris Coons

Interview

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MADDOW: Ahead of tomorrow morning`s reopened confirmation hearings on the  Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, this is a hearing where senators  will hear details of a serious sexual assault allegation. On the eve of  that hearing, all ten Democrats on that committee today wrote to President  Trump asking the president to direct an FBI investigation of the  allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, or withdraw Kavanaugh`s nomination in  the face of these allegations.

Joining us now is Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware. He`s a member  of the Judiciary Committee.
Senator, thank you very much for being here. I know this is an incredibly  busy and intense time.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Thank you, Rachel. Good to  be on with you again. I`m struck as we are preparing for tomorrow`s  hearing, that there are even more accusations against Judge Kavanaugh that  have come out today.

So, we`ve got Dr. Ford, who will be testifying tomorrow. But we`ve got  Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick who have also offered to be interviewed  by the committee or the FBI, or both. And I think it`s more urgent than  ever, given this latest accusation that there be a full FBI investigation  before we come to any sort of a final vote on Judge Kavanaugh.

MADDOW: As new allegations have come forward, and, again, NBC News tonight  is reporting on a letter that was received through Senator Corey Gardner`s  office, which makes another anonymous a allegation against Judge Kavanaugh  that dates to 1998. As these allegations have come forward, they all have  different allegations, they`re all different character, they all have  different levels of corroboration, if any, has there been any sign that the  White House or the Republican leadership on the committee is budging at all  on this issue of whether the FBI should look into these allegations?

COONS: No, Rachel. To the best of my knowledge, Senator Grassley, who is  the chairman of the committee, is driving forward. Majority Leader Mitch  McConnell has said that he intends to have Judge Kavanaugh seated on the  court by next week. And I frankly have not heard any indication that they  are softening on their position that we will have all the evidence we need  to make a final vote here on Judge Kavanaugh.

I strongly disagree. These are compelling and very disturbing allegations  by each of the additional women who have come forward. And I would think  in the interest of the integrity of the Supreme Court, frankly even in  Judge Kavanaugh`s interest, to have a chance for him to present any more  evidence that he might have to clear his name.

They should want the FBI to investigate. I certainly feel strongly that  without the FBI looking at the corroborating evidence that Dr. Ford has  come forward with, folks that she disclosed this history, this alleged  violent, terrifying sexual incident she had with Judge Kavanaugh as a  teenager, without those being examined, corroborated, and put in front of  the committee, we`re not doing our job, and this is not a full and fair  process.

MADDOW: In terms of how the process is going to go tomorrow, you raised  sort of an alert about the fact that this is essentially going to be sort  of a lightning process tomorrow, that senators will be given five minutes 
to ask questions, and that`s it. No follow-up, no second round.

How do you expect this to up fold tomorrow, particularly given this unusual  situation where your Republican colleagues prepare to be outsourcing their  own questions to an external prosecutor, who has been brought in from  Arizona to ask questions instead of the senators themselves.

COONS: Well, Rachel, if the majority -- if the Republicans on the  committee think that by hiring an outside prosecutor, they can hide behind  that and not be held accountable, if her tone is prosecutorial, if she  tries to put Dr. Ford on trial, I think they`re sadly mistaken. I`ll  remind you that it was 27 years ago, just 100 feet from me right now, that  Professor Anita Hill came forward to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

And in the response nationally, many women who ran for office were elected,  including Senator Feinstein, who is now the ranking Democrat on the  Judiciary Committee, and Patty Murray, one of our leaders in our caucus.  1992 was a significant year for women, electorally in this country. I  think this attempt to rush through a single round of questioning just five  minutes each for Judge Kavanaugh and for Dr. Ford is a significant mistake  and will be taken by the people of the United States as an attempt to rush  to judgment on Judge Kavanaugh.

MADDOW: Senator, obviously those -- the political fallout from what  happened 27 years ago at the Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas hearings is  never far from anybody`s mind in terms of covering Washington dynamics, the  political dynamics here are real. Obviously, the seriousness of these  allegations is also very resonant. I think both for male senators and  female senators who are looking at these matters fairly.

As this process gets under way, as we get closer to this hearing tomorrow  with the kind of speed that we`re expecting, all these allegations to be  handled tomorrow, and not hearing from all these other witnesses, I just --  I wonder if within the Senate you are hearing about or having conversations  either among just your Democratic colleagues or across the aisle, where  people have misgivings about this process or are thinking about some off  ramp to not end this confirmation hearing the way this looks like this is  going to end tomorrow, is there anything going on in terms of senators  talking to one another that makes it seem like people might be looking for  a third way?

COONS: Rachel, I`ve had several conversations with colleagues, both  Republican and Democrat today, and in recent days, who are deeply  uncomfortable, unhappy with this process on the committee, and are trying  to find a way to get some brief but appropriate and professional process in  place. Twenty-seven years ago, then President George Bush, Republican  president, directed the FBI to investigate her allegations, and in just  four days, they came back to the committee and the committee had 20  witnesses. That included witnesses who were experts in the dynamics of  sexual assault, as well as folks who were there, both to support Judge  Thomas` story and to corroborate some of professor hill`s allegations.

The idea that in several weeks we haven`t been able to get that done here,  I think is very frustrating to both Democrats and Republicans.

Look, Republicans face a real risk here. If they vote to confirm Judge  Kavanaugh, if they push him through on Friday and then seat him on Monday or Tuesday of next week, and any of these four allegations that are now out there publicly turn out to be true, they will bear the cost of having sent someone to the Supreme Court who is a known sexual violator of young women or who has been sexually aggressive when drunk at different points in his life. Nobody wants to take that risk.

And by the same token, I think -- I`ve heard concern from Republicans that  they think we`re simply trying to drag this out past the midterm elections.  I don`t think that`s true. I do think it`s possible for us to have the FBI  do a prompt and appropriate professional questioning of some of the core  people here.

I`ll just raise one. Mark Judge. Why are we not hearing from Mark Judge  tomorrow? Dr. Ford puts him in the room during her sexual assault when she  was 15.

If she was making this up, why would she say that it was Brett Kavanaugh`s  best friend, who was in the middle of this with her? And why has he not  been questioned by the FBI and why is he not testifying to us tomorrow?  Why is Deborah Ramirez who has offered to testify tomorrow not in front of  us?

This has to be on the minds of those still undecided and weighing this  important moment tomorrow carefully.

MADDOW: Senator Chris Coons, Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary  Committee, who will see at tomorrow`s hearing, thank you for talking to us  tonight, sir. Good luck tomorrow.

COONS: Thank you, Rachel.

MADDOW: Thank you.

COONS: Thanks.

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