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Transcript of Pelosi Weekly Press Conference Today

September 28, 2018

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616


Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi held her weekly press conference today in the Capitol Visitor Center. Below are the Leader's remarks:

Leader Pelosi. So you're all over on the Senate side? Is that the deal?

Q: Something like that.

Leader Pelosi. Well, it's a good – I'm glad that you're here. Thank you. And it's important that the focus of our country be on who we are as a nation in terms of fairness.

Yesterday, the American people were moved and nearly, in some cases, heartbroken by the courageous testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Dr. Ford told her story with extraordinary dignity and grace, bravery and unimpeachable credibility. And with their response, the Republican men of the Senate have sent an unmistakable message to women and girls everywhere: if you come forward, you will not be respected, and you will not be listened to.

It's really kind of sad, because there are two equities that need to be weighed here. One is the integrity of the Supreme Court. The other is the respect that we owe women when they come forward. Neither of these equities is well served by the process that the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee engaged in yesterday, and refuse to acknowledge the need for truth. For truth.

It is interesting that the ABA, which had approved the nomination – gave a favorable rating for the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh – has sent out a letter saying, it urges, ‘the American Bar Association urges the United States Senate Judiciary Committee (and, as appropriate, the full Senate) to conduct a confirmation vote on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, after, only after, an appropriate background check into the allegations made by Professor Ford and others is completed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.'

So it is the ABA saying that. And, you know – I mean, I don't know. Have you ever been called by the FBI or had them visit you because your neighbor or friend or associate is up for a federal appointment? They're very thorough in their vetting, and yet, the President has blocked the FBI from being thorough in its vetting. It's really quite a tragic thing.

And, of course, what would we expect from a Republican Judiciary Committee that has not – that won't seek – won't allow the truth to be known. Also, Republican leadership in the Senate will not allow Me Too legislation, which passed the House in a bipartisan way, to come up.

Republicans in the House who won't – not go forward with the full authorization of the Violence Against Women Act. There's a pattern here. It's a very sad pattern.

Some of our colleagues went over there yesterday and delivered a message to Leader McConnell saying, we ask that you postpone any votes on Judge Kavanaugh until a formal investigation is made into these troubling allegations. The letter is there for the record.

This assault that Dr. Ford presented has a lifetime impact on her, and this judge wants a lifetime appointment to the Court. We want the facts. But we know one thing: He does not have the temperament to be a judge. And I will just go this far – a step farther and say the reason I think the Republicans do not want the truth to come forth from the FBI is because the truth will reveal that Judge Kavanaugh has not been truthful in his answers to the Congress of the United States.

And that is a cause for concern in terms of not only the job he wants, but the job that he has now.

So here we are today, the last day, packing our bags, getting out of town. What we have to do as we say good bye? Have another tax scam that adds to the deficit that is unfair to America's workers and families, and cuts hundreds of billions of dollars, in fact, over $1 trillion it will require from Medicaid.

It's not a statement of our values. It's, again, something that is done in a way that is not transparent, that is not accountable to the public, and is not fair to the American people.

Republicans have made no secret about their agenda. Add trillions to the debt, and then use those debts to justify slashing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. And the list goes on.

The AARP wrote a letter to Congress yesterday to warn us against the egregious damage that would be done by a second phase of Republican deficit-exploding tax scam. They said, AARP said, ‘We have grave concerns about H.R. 6760, and we are troubled by the further negative effect this bill will have on the nation's ability to fund critical priorities. Additional increase of this magnitude to the deficit will inevitably lead to calls for greater spending cuts, which are likely to include cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and other important programs serving older Americans.' The letter concludes, ‘AARP cannot support H.R. 6760.'

The contrast between Republicans and Democrats could not be clearer. The GOP has used control of Washington to stack the deck, to give a raw deal against – to America's working families.

It's really stunning, and I just somehow, without being a fearmonger, I want to be sure the American people know that with their tax scam bill, they pave the way to take away the pre-existing condition benefit. So important was it to them that attorneys general – Republican attorneys general around the country have filed a case to make sure that that is removed as the law. I think that's one of the reasons they want Justice Kavanaugh in there as soon as possible. They want him to be there, because he is there to undermine the Affordable Care Act. And the case that will come before them that's in Texas now is the case about pre-existing conditions and that benefit.

That's one of the reasons they want him there. Of course, the President said – he said it's a done deal. Roe v. Wade is over.

So the agenda is one that is harmful to women, in addition to be insulting to women, that the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee – do they not have daughters? Do they not have wives? Do they not have sisters? Do they not have mothers? It's a strange, strange group that, when someone comes forward, they mock the allegation and praise the assaulter.

I'll take any questions you have.

Any questions? No?

We're going to have a vote, so we got to move.

Yes, sir.

* * *

Q: Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

You've been out on the trail as the allegations had broken, and now that the process is moving on, you're going to get back on the road.

What has been the reaction from voters to the Kavanaugh scandal? And do you think that it does benefit the Democrats in the year of the woman and the Me Too movement?

Leader Pelosi. Well, let me say, if it benefits Democrats politically, it's a bonanza that we don't want. That we do not want. What we want is integrity on the Supreme Court, a Justice who will uphold the Constitution of the United States.

So what people really want are the facts. Why can't we have appropriate vetting of a person who's going to get a federal appointment? Why? That's a question for the eleven – I'm going to be as respectful as I can under the circumstances – the eleven Republican Senators who are just – just don't want to know the facts.

So that's the way it is. It is – for us, it is – it's so much bigger than politics or elections. It's about America and who we are, and it's about women coming forward.

There are women out there, including my own daughter, who think that what the President is trying to do is to break the Me Too movement, to just say, ‘We don't care what you have to say. We don't want to know anything further. And so if you think you're going to come forward, understand the odds that you're up against,' because it takes great courage to come forward. It's a – it's, as you know, an invasion of privacy of your family in a way that is very scary, as one who has been the subject of so many assaults from the people who want to go after you.

It's very scary, because there's violence involved, and there is crudeness about it. And I know – that's probably what her family is going through.

But it is – it isn't for us a political issue. It isn't something that we fan the flame of. We just want them to have the investigation. So the integrity of the court is upheld, and the respect for the women making the allegations is there. And that should be in every case.

Q: Do you agree with your daughter that – do you believe that President Trump is trying to break the Me Too movement?

Leader Pelosi. Yes, I do. I do, because this – the lack of respect – of course, he has his own problems that he could be President of the United States with all of the disrespect he has demonstrated against women is – now he's appointing somebody like him. And I think yesterday, with the lack of temperament and lack of dignity in his presentation, that Judge Kavanaugh was doing an imitation of President Trump.

Yes, ma'am?

Q: What are thoughts on Republicans using Rachel Mitchell yesterday to ask the questions instead of them asking questions?

Leader Pelosi. The question is what – my thoughts about them using Rachel – is that her first name – Mitchell, Prosecutor Mitchell, yesterday.

I think the Republicans using the woman prosecutor was an act of complete cowardice on their part. It was an act of patrimony – patriarchal. They can determine who asked the questions. They don't honor their own responsibilities. And they're afraid of the truth, and they're afraid of the dignity of Dr. Ford.

Q: Do you think it was sort of a lose lose situation, though? Because if it was an all Republican panel, there could have been criticism on the optics of –

Leader Pelosi. Well, this is – yeah. I mean, there's criticism in terms of the attitude that they did have. I mean, we did see some outburst on their part and the, shall we say, lack of respect – I'm trying to be as respectful of them as possible. It's hard – their lack of respect that they had was demonstrated. I think if you saw Lindsey Graham's outburst, you'd see what the problem is.

That's why I say, do they not have sisters? Children? Daughters? Mothers? Do they not understand? And this is – it's heartbreaking, because, again, I believe in due process. Somebody makes a charge against you – bless you – you have – there should be due process. And that's all people are asking for. Let's find the truth.

We have to come down on the side of respect for the allegation that is made. And, therefore, we want to investigate it. And I'll tell you this: as one who has friends and neighbors and people who have, from time to time, when they have a federal appointment, I have the FBI knocking on my door, coming to my office and asking questions about people who want much lower jobs in the federal government, being asked, ‘Do you know if they – what they smoke, who they date? I wouldn't possibly know. I don't pry into other people's business. Well, you're their neighbor. You see people come and go.'

They ask those kinds of questions and that, yet, somebody wants a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States where he'll serve for probably one or two generations, they don't want to know the truth. This is outrageous.

But, again, we have to hope that – there's so many people are afraid to come forward, even to speak about their own experience when they see the treatment that was given to Dr. Ford.

Yes.

Q: My apologies if somebody asked this already. Sorry. I got here a little bit late. Your Judiciary chairman in waiting, [Congressman] Jerry Nadler, was among the House members at the Kavanaugh – at the Judiciary meeting this morning.

What would you instruct, recommend Chairman Nadler do in January on this issue?

Leader Pelosi. Well, I'm hoping that Justice – that Judge Kavanaugh will not be a justice of the Supreme Court. Let's just take it one day at a time. I did not know he was over there. Well, I don't even know who was over there. I know a large number planned to go. But we were fighting for sanity in our tax code on the floor of the House over here because once again, the Republicans are doing a real disservice to the future of our country and what they're doing, depriving us of opportunities to invest in the education of our children, the security of our seniors, the needs of our veterans. It's really appalling to give tax breaks to the wealthiest people in our country.

Q: Should Nadler do hearings next year if he has that power?

Leader Pelosi. Look. I'm ever hopeful of an intervention. Prayerful of a divine intervention. But the fact is – let me – let me – since you have interest in this, let me – I read this book recently at the Library of Congress called God and Man at Georgetown Prep, written by Mark Judge. You should read that book, and you could see the kind of activities that were engaged in as the judge was trying to present himself as a beer drinking altar boy.

Q: When did you read it?

Leader Pelosi. I read it recently, yeah, when I've – when his name emerged as a witness.

Now, imagine, there is a witness named by the person who has been assaulted, and they won't hear from the witness.

Yes, sir.

Q: To change topics completely.

Leader Pelosi. Thank you.

Q: Yes, ma'am.

A lot of Democrats this year are running – supporting marijuana reform or marijuana decriminalization. If you guys recapture control of the House, would you promise to bring those bills up for a vote? How would you deal with that? And is it a priority for you if you're Speaker?

Leader Pelosi. Well, the marijuana initiatives have received bipartisan support on the Floor of the House. I don't know where the President is on any of this. So any decision about how we go forward would have to reflect where we can get the result. But any success that we could have would depend on the public weighing in.

Again, you've heard me say it over and over, public sentiment is everything?

Q: You've seen polls, and a lot of your Members – most of your Members –

Leader Pelosi. Let me tell you one poll – one of these polls that was very interesting to me. Leading up to the election in Western Pennsylvania where [Congressman] Conor Lamb won, a great candidate and fabulous in that. When they took polls leading up to it, President Trump was very popular, like, I don't know, 40 – whatever it was, he was very popular. The tax bill was popular. It was right at the beginning. People didn't really know about it yet. It became less popular the more they knew about it, and the Republicans didn't even use it in the campaign because it was a loser issue.

But nonetheless, the first take on – Trump's popular, the tax bill is popular. But guess what was more popular than both of them? Marijuana, in that district. Is that stunning? In a district where President Trump rules, had won by about 18 points just, you know, a short time before. Marijuana was like 60 percent. 60 percent.

So, we'll just see. We have priorities, though. The first thing we have to do – we have an agenda for the people: lower healthcare costs by reducing the cost of prescription drugs, bigger paychecks by building infrastructure of America and cleaner government by reducing the role of dark special interest money in politics. And when we talk about that reform and the integrity of the third feature, it enables people to have – they're more confident that we can do the first two.

And it's amazing, I can show you the polls – the polling on that, which is consistent again and again. If they trust you on stopping big oil, big this, big that from hurting, raising the minimum wage, or protecting the air we breathe or any of those issues, if they know that you want to level the playing field, they have confidence that you can get the job done.

So, that will be our agenda as we go forward. Will it be some other issues like – as we've asked the Republicans to pass the Background Check bill. We'll have to do that. As we've asked the Republicans to bring up the DREAM Act. We'll have to. Do and those both have strong bipartisan support. And so does marijuana. I don't know what form it will take but I have supported these initiatives in my own state of California. So, we'll see how – what is possible.

Yes, sir.

Staff. Last question.

Q: The farm bill expires September 30. There's no bill or extension. What's the plan moving forward?

Leader Pelosi. Excuse me. I'm sorry.

Q: The farm bill expires September 30. There's no bill or extension. What's the plan moving forward?

Leader Pelosi. Well, it is – it is stunning that there's such a big division between the Republicans in the House and the bipartisan bill in the United States Senate. And our hope would be that we could come to conference and agree to the Senate language.

What the Republicans are doing in the House either is based on lack of knowledge, or some kind of a harkening back to another time. But we're not going back, not in this area or any other area. And I take great pride in the farm bill that we passed when we had the majority, and know that there's a path, the Senate has demonstrated that in a bipartisan way. I take my lead on all this from [Congressman] Collin Peterson, our top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee.

And, again, we always understand we have to try to find a compromise. And that's what the Senate did. So, we would hope that, in conference, they would agree to the Senate language.
Thank you all very much.

So, this is it. Well, I'll be here. So, maybe you'll be here in the course of the next a couple of weeks. 39 days. Yesterday was 40. I wish I had – before 40 is fraught with meaning. In a Christian faith, 40 hours, devotion the Catholics, 40 days in the desert for Christ, 40 years in the Jewish community. 40 is fraught with meaning. So, every single day brings us closer to an opportunity to meet the needs of the American people in a way that is a better deal for them, rather than the raw deal.

Q: You're going to be here? You're not going to campaigning?

Leader Pelosi. Well, I have work to do – we have work to do. You know, we have to get ready. But also, I'll be in and out. I'm going to Texas this weekend, and then I'll be back on Monday.

Q: Predictions?

Leader Pelosi. It's all very close. You know, every race is very close. And we take nothing for granted. But we feel very optimistic about the opportunity that is there. And that optimism springs from the quality of the candidates that are out there. They're absolutely spectacular. It also springs from the mobilization that I have never seen before. People wanting to take – seeing the urgency and willing to take responsibility for what happens, understanding that you have to vote. If you don't vote, everything else is a conversation. So, we intend to own the ground.

And our Chairman, Ben Ray Lujan, is a great leader and effectively has a plan to own the ground to get out the vote. So, when I'm traveling and listening to the volunteers and what they're hearing door to door, it's very encouraging.

What isn't encouraging is the malicious ads that the Republicans are putting on TV against our candidates. It's a pattern. It's the way they are.

But what we're talking about is not about President Trump. What we're talking about is what our candidates have to offer: lower healthcare costs, bigger paychecks, cleaner government. And then they have their own local agenda which they're advocating for, and they're spectacular.

Thank you all very much!

Q: Where is your old Speaker's gavel? Is it dusted off?

Leader Pelosi. I have a chocolate one. They keep sending me chocolate gavels.

[Laughter]

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