Fox News "The Story" - Transcript: Sen. Kennedy on Kavanaugh: I am Embarrassed for the Senate

Interview

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MACCALLUM: Ed, thank you very much. Joining me now, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, who you saw throughout the course of all of this last week. Sitting up there on the dais with the Judiciary Committee. And he says that he believes Judge Kavanaugh denial. And he plans to vote for him. Senator, thank you very much. Good to have you here this evening.

So, tell me a little bit about your reaction to the latest because as we all knew if there was a week-long delay there was likely to be new information.

And tonight, we have this interview that was done with Julie Swetnick and where she was asked about the charge of gang rape that she says was happened to her at a party that she was at. And she claims that she saw those -- she saw Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh standing on line at similar parties.

And you asked directly about this during that -- during the hearing. So, let's play with Julie Swetnick had to say. And I would like your reaction. Senator.

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MACCALLUM: Your reaction, Senator.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY, R-LA., SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: This entire thing makes me want to heave. If you think this is about searching for the truth, you ought to put down the bomb. This is not about the truth. This is about gamesmanship and power, political, politics. It's just that simple.

Miss Swetnick, ha's no corroboration. She says that she attended 10 gang rapes at which Judge Kavanaugh was supposedly involved. She didn't report any of them. She is represented by Mr. Avenatti who has done his did level best to make all of this about Mr. Avenatti.

I don't think anybody in the Milky Way could be surprised that the Democrats are yet again moving the goalposts. There is nothing we can do to get our Democratic friends to consider voting for Judge Kavanaugh.

The only way to make them happy is to pull him down and I guess dig up Bill Douglas and nominate him. And anybody else who thinks otherwise is just -- is just kidding themselves. Look, this is what the Democratic -- Democrats say, they say that Brett Kavanaugh is a rich, drunk, lying, sexual predator. He's been through six FBI background checks, each of which is a cross between an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. And none of this turn -- was turned up.

Now, he's going through the seventh one which the Democrats demanded. And we're not even halfway through probably. And now they're unhappy with that. Give me a break. I mean, I think the American -- the people up here in Washington, the cosmopolitan culture crowd, they think the American people are stupid.

The American people have figured this out regardless of what they think about Judge Kavanaugh. They figure this out.

MACCALLUM: Yes. Well, let me -- I'm curious what you think because -- you know, I know that you think that the votes can happen this week.

KENNEDY: I do.

MACCALLUM: And we have heard that they are going through these investigations fairly quickly from the pace that appears to be happening. What do you think, Senator Manchin will do? What do you think your fellow Senators will do? What do you think Senator Donnelly will do when it comes down to an actual vote?

KENNEDY: I don't know. But it's time for Senators to be Senators and to grow some guts. And the woman up, are man up and cast the vote. And the longer we wait, the more allegations are going to come out. Now, there's a professor down in North Carolina -- at North Carolina State. He says that Judge Kavanaugh drank to access. Some of his other classmates, said he didn't. Keep in mind, this was 40 years ago.

MACCALLUM: Yes. Let me just play that. We have that, and it's a quick thought. Let's take a listen to it so that everybody knows what you're referring to.

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MACCALLUM: Well, there you have it.

KENNEDY: I'm going to stand by. I'm going to stand by what I said two weeks ago. This was a freak show, an intergalactic freak show. It's a grotesque carnival, and it's only going to get worse. And I am embarrassed for the United States Senate. We have hit bottom and started to dig. This is --

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MACCALLUM: Let me ask you -- let me ask you about your colleague, Senator Flake. He made a number of appearances. After Friday, he was on "60 Minutes". He did an event in Central Park in New York where he talked to the crowd about -- you know, maybe I've seen you in the elevator or something referring to the women who were confronting him in the elevator.

He did another appearance today in Boston. What do -- what do you make of all that? Well, Jeff's going to have to vote his conscience. And he and Senator Coons got together and decided we needed a delay. I've yet to hear Senator Coons who's a good friend of mine. And I have the world of a respect for him, but I haven't yet -- I'll bet you right now about how Chris votes on this nomination, finally.

I just don't think there's anything that we can do to get Democratic votes. I don't. Maybe, Joe Manchin, maybe Heidi Heitkamp. But I think, everybody is drawing a conclusion. I mean, Kavanaugh has been through six, now seven FBI background checks.

MACCALLUM: Well, that's how that you feel like it -- like you don't have the numbers to vote -- to bring him in.

KENNEDY: I really don't know. I really don't know. But I do think this, it's not going -- isn't like wine, and it's not going to get better with time. And it's time for everybody to woman up and man up and be a Senator and cast your vote in front of God and country.

And I fully trust the FBI. I want to wait and see what they turn up. But I have a feeling they're going to do just what we've already done. Just what they did six previous times.

And by the way, it keeps getting lost in this, the Senate Judiciary investigators did a full investigation. All the FBI is going to -- is going to redo what they've already done. And it's still won't be enough.

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MACCALLUM: Yes, and the Senate has subpoena power, right? And the Senate has subpoena power, and this FBI investigation does not. Correct?

KENNEDY: Right. And it's never going to be enough. And when we finish with the FBI investigation, the Democrats will argue.

MACCALLUM: It wasn't enough.

KENNEDY: Well, that they're going to argue, he doesn't have the demeanor. Well, they called him a rich, drunk, lying, sexual predator, and the man took offense to that. And they say, as a result, he doesn't have the demeanor to get on the -- to be on the Supreme Court. They must really think the American people are stupid.

MACCALLUM: Senator Kennedy, thank you. Always good to have you with us. Thank you, sir.

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