CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript: Interview with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Interview
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COOPER: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks very much. Obviously, a busy day tomorrow.
This day -- this day was already remarkable even before the president started talking. I want to start the conversation tonight with former presidential candidate and Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders. I spoke to him just before air.
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COOPER: Senator Sanders, this press conference, the president in one moment called the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh a big, fat con job. In the next said he was open-minded going to tomorrow's hearing. Which do you think it actually is?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: I do not judge what President Trump says because I think he's a kind of unstable guy who lies a whole lot of the time, and whatever he says today may well change tomorrow. So I don't put a whole lot of faith or credibility in what he says.
COOPER: I suppose that applies to when he also said that he left the door open to the possibility that he could withdraw the nomination after watching tomorrow.
SANDERS: Look, Anderson, this is where I think we're at. Full disclosure, I announced publicly in Vermont that I would be voting against Kavanaugh very shortly after Trump nominated him because I think he would, if seated, become part of a hard-right majority voting against the environment, voting against women's rights in Roe versus Wade, voting against campaign finance reform.
So I've been pretty clear. I am not supportive of Judge Kavanaugh. But, obviously, what's happened recently raises real questions, and I think where we are now is we have three women, at least three, maybe more to come, who have put their lives almost on the line because when you go forward in this political climate, you're going to be smeared, you're going to be attacked, you're going to be hated by a whole lot of people.
But they did it because they thought it was important to tell their story and their allegations about Judge Kavanaugh. And it seems very clear to me that the choice we have right now for Trump and for Kavanaugh is one of two things. Either Trump withdraws the nomination of Kavanaugh, or else there is a thorough FBI investigation to sort out these allegations.
And if I were Kavanaugh, who denies all of this stuff, I would very much like that investigation so that if I were seated on the Supreme Court, the American people would know these allegations were not true.
COOPER: Does --
SANDERS: I think it, to me, would be unconscionable for Chuck Grassley to go forward with a vote on Friday before we had a thorough FBI investigation.
[20:10:07] COOPER: Just lastly, the president was asked multiple times today what message does this send to women around the country? He never really answered.
Let me ask you that question. What message do you think all of this sends to women around the country?
SANDERS: Look, I think this is a profound issue. It is no secret and no debate that millions of women have been sexually harassed, humiliated, in some cases raped, attempted rape. It is also no secret that historically in this country, when that has happened to women, what the culture said is don't go forward, your family doesn't want you to talk about it, it will be embarrassing, nobody believes you.
That is a culture that has to change. And I don't want young boys or girls in this country who are watching this process and say, wow, this guy may have done all of these things, nobody investigated it, he's now on the highest court of the United States of America. That's wrong.
We want, first of all, to change the culture in this country so that this type of sexual attitude of boys on girls does not happen. But we certainly want young women, if they have been assaulted, if they have been harassed, to come forward with confidence that they will be listened to, that they will be taken seriously. And that is not what we're seeing right here in this process.
COOPER: Senator Bernie Sanders, appreciate your time. Thank you.
SANDERS: OK. Thank you.
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