MSNBC "All in with Chris Hayes" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Mazie Hirono

Interview

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HAYES: The President also referring multiple times to the accusations as a  con job. Michael Avenatti`s client Julie Swetnick claims to have attended  multiple parties in the 1980`s with Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge who  was also said to have witnessed Kavanaugh`s alleged assault of Christine  Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh and Judge both deny Ford`s story. And Swetnick`s  account of their conduct, that is Kavanaugh and Judge, as teenagers is  deeply troubling.

She alleges again in her sworn statement under penalty of perjury that she  observed Kavanaugh engaged in abusive and physically aggressive behavior  towards girls including pressing girls against him what without their  consent, grinding against girls, and attempting to remove or shift girl`s  clothing to expose private body parts. She says she became aware of  efforts by Mark Judge, Brett Kavanaugh and others to spike the punch at  house party she attended with drugs and/or grain alcohol, so as to cause  girls to lose their inhibitions and their ability to say no.

According to Swetnick again, she witnesses efforts by Judge and Kavanaugh  and others to cause girls to become inebriated and disoriented so they  could then be gang-raped in a side room or bedroom by a train of numerous  boys. Swetnick says she has a firm recollection of seeing boys lined up  outside rooms at many of these parties waiting for their turn with a girl  inside the room. These boys included Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh.  Finally, Swetnick says that in approximately 1982 she became the victim of  one of these gang train rapes where Judge and Kavanaugh were present.

Now, we should be clear she does not allege that Kavanaugh participated in  her sexual assault and none of her claims have been independently verified  by NBC News. Kavanaugh and Judge again both denied the allegations.  Kavanaugh staying in a statement, "This is ridiculous and from the Twilight  Zone. I don`t know who this is and this never happened."

Here to talk about tomorrow Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is one of  the senat0rs on that committee Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.  All right, Senator, first of all, is this hearing going to really happen  tomorrow?

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D), HAWAII: Apparently so. So the Republicans drive to  push this through no matter what. We already have three credible reports  of sexual misconduct by Judge Kavanaugh and they don`t want to hear any of  it. And now -- in fact they went so far as to hire a prosecutor for one  day, a female prosecutor so that the Senate -- the Republican Senators on  the committee it can hide behind her skirt literally and they don`t have to  reveal themselves to the American public. That is how far they`re going.  It is totally appalling. I have already called on the President along with  the rest of the Democrats and the Judiciary Committee to have the President  withdraw this nomination.

HAYES: There are -- there`s testimony or transcripts released recently of  Judge Kavanaugh`s interview with counsel from the Judiciary Committee  asking him about a number of allegations. There are two more anonymous  allegations that are included there. There`s reporting tonight about a  fourth allegation contained in an anonymous letter, an anonymous letter we  should be clear, NBC News reporting that.

He is asked in the anonymous letter that in 1998 he pushed a woman up against the wall, was sort of sexually aggressive with her as he pushed her against the wall. There are witnesses. He is asked about that in the 
Judiciary Committee transcript and he denies it. What do you make of that?

HIRONO: He denies everything and this is why yet another reason that at  the minimum an FBI investigation should occur. So everyone should wonder  why is it that the only people who are willing to have the FBI investigate  are the three credible reports about not him and not the Republicans on the  committee when we should ask why is that happening?

And by the way, I want to emphasize that this is a job interview for Judge  Kavanaugh. This is not some right that he has to get on the Supreme Court.  And so in a job interview, one`s character credibility and candor are on  the line, and before all of this came to pass, I already has serious  questions about his credibility and was not going to vote for him. But it  is just totally appalling.

I know that the people in America are watching how we`re going to deal with  these credible reports and we`re not dealing with it very well. And I  think the Republicans are fooling themselves if they can hire a person for  one day to hide behind because they`re too afraid to question Dr. Ford  themselves. I think it`s just appalling.

HAYES: Do you believe that -- there are three women who have made on the  record accusations against Kavanaugh. One in high school -- or two in high  school and one in college. Do you believe Ms. Swetnick and Ms. Ramirez,  the other two aside from Dr. Blasey Ford should be giving some kind of  testimony or sworn interview with some investigators in your committee or  the FBI?

HIRONO: Of course they should speak to the FBI and all three of them said  that they want an FBI investigation. They want to be questioned by the  FBI. The only people who don`t want this are Judge Kavanaugh and the  Republicans on the committee. So it`s very telling to me that they`re  going to push forward with this nomination come hell or high water because  they need him to be on that court so that there will not be -- no four to  four ties. There are a lot of very conservative groups with lots of money  that want Judge Kavanaugh to be their fifth vote on the court.

So there is this huge rush to get him on the court before October. But it  is totally untoward and how many more people have to come forward before  the Republicans will say enough. Apparently three and plus one anonymous,  very specific kinds of reporting. That`s not enough for the Republicans.  I hope that the American people who are watching, all of us have heard from  so many people who have said I never told my story but this kind of event,  this kind of trauma happened to #MeToo. The women particularly all across  the country are watching and the enlightened men as I put it, they`re also  watching.

HAYES: All right, Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, we`ll see you tomorrow  morning in that hearing room where you will be asking your own questions as  I understand it.

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