Christiane Amanpour interviewed California Rep. Katie Porter on Amanpour & Co., a CNN show that also airs on taxpayer-supported PBS. Porter is running for retiring Dianne Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat in California and currently plugging a memoir with a hokey title, I Swear Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan.(Silly titles are a thing among ambitious liberal female House members, evidently.)
Amanpour made no mention of Porter’s “toxic workplace,” including what our Curtis Houck described as allegations of “angry tirades, racism, and…berating a staffer and blaming them for giving her COVID-19 before firing them.” Instead, the host let Porter pose as a hard-working heroine fighting for liberty and women's rights, including from the show’s introductory clips quoting Porter from the interview:
What are we fighting for? We're fighting for liberty. We're fighting for freedom. We're fighting for justice.
Amanpour hailed Porter:
Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter has become a star in Washington by holding what she calls this abuse of power accountable. She's known far and wide for her tough questions and trademark white board. She's now running for Senate in California, and she's out with a new book for the campaign called, I Swear: Politics is Messier Than My Minivan. I've been speaking to her about the challenges that rock America right now, and also about how to maintain America's role as a global beacon of democracy…
They discussed a Texas judge withdrawing the FDA’s approval of Mifepristone, a drug used to induce abortion, and made abortion a woman’s rights issue (the rights of the unborn child went unmentioned).
Amanpour: Can I then ask you about this as a political issue and as an electoral issue, we saw that women were motivated by this, you know, restriction of their rights, do you think that this will remotivate them, keep them motivated for the 2024 election? You're running for Senate, but obviously, there's a presidential election as well.
Porter: This is a huge issue for -- not just women, but for all Americans. Because fundamentally, the decision about having an abortion is a freedom issue. It's about each person being able to make their own decision rather than the U.S. government and a few extremist politicians making it for them. And that is really then core to democracy. What are we fighting for? We're fighting for liberty. We're fighting for freedom. We're fighting for justice….
Amanpour glibly recounted “the threats to American democracy” shown by the pro-life movement…and Justice Clarence Thomas?
Let me ask you about the threats to American democracy, you've just -- you know, obviously, you know, gun violence and the threat to women's rights, all of these, you know, form also a threat to individual life, liberty and democracy. But here are just some headlines, right, that I want to, you know, throw by you to see your reaction. This week, the expulsion of the two African-American legislators from the Tennessee House by the Republican supermajority. Now, one of them, one of the Justins, is being reinstated. But again, that, combined with reports that a Supreme Court judge, Clarence Thomas, has accepted undisclosed luxury trips from a conservative billionaire for more than 20 years. Obviously, we got Donald Trump's indictment for falsifying business records. I know that's throwing a lot together, but do you see any link?
She let Porter claim she’s “one of 11 who doesn't take contributions from federal lobbyists.” Really?
And Amanpour didn’t forget to plug Porter’s “incredible memoir.” All in all, it was a good night for taxpayer-subsidized Democrat publicity.
A transcript is below, click “Expand” to read:
PBS Amanpour & Co.
4/11/23
11:03 pm (ET)
Amanpour: Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter has become a star in Washington by holding what she calls this abusive power accountable. She's known far and wide for her tough questions and trademark white board. She's now running for Senate in California, and she's out with a new book for the campaign called, "I Swear: Politics is Messier Than My Minivan." And I've been speaking to her about the challenges that rock America right now, and also about how to maintain America's role as a global beacon of democracy. Congresswoman Katie Porter, welcome to the program.
Porter: Thank you for having me.
Amanpour: I want to start by asking you about an issue that has -- you know, has Transatlantic wings and has landed here as well, obviously, very important to American women, and that is this Texas judge who has decided that the drug, Mifepristone, is not going to be allowed to anybody in the United States, the abortion pill. The Justice Department is appealing that. How does that happen? From this perspective, how does one judge in Texas, how is he able to make a ruling for the entire United States?
Porter: Well, what the judge ruled is that the FDA, our Food and Drug Administration, acted unlawfully, in this judge's opinion, with regard to the authorization and approval of Mifepristone. And because it is a federal case, it has federal authority. We do expect it's unlawful in the lay (ph) and it's a federal court. So, it makes it unlawful everywhere. There will be -- obviously, be an appeal of this decision, and I fully expect it to be reversed. It's -- the basic argument here is that the FDA did something wrong in its scientific work. And of course, it's very unusual to have a judge be put in the position of sort of critiquing and criticizing the scientific and regulatory process.
AMANPOUR: So, you say it is going to be appealed and as we've seen. But just before we get to the legalities, what about the impact on women? What will this mean for the women who are already finding their access to surgical abortions restricted, some at great risk to their own lives,
including recently in Florida? What will it mean if even this pill is banned all over the U.S.?
PORTER: Well, we're definitely hearing our state and local officials in locations like California, where abortion remain safe and legal, talk about that. Make people aware that there are still options. Governor Newsome in California recently announced that we have about 2 million pills on hand. And so, I think the hope is that this won't have any practical effects that the decision will appeal and be reversed before that. But it certainly discourages people. It makes them fearful. There's a lot of misinformation out there. We saw the exact same, by the way, set of effects after our United States Supreme Court decided the Dobbs decision limiting the -- taking away the constitutional right to an abortion, reversing Roe. A lot of fear, lots of misinformation. And that is part of the intentional political strategy of those who are trying to substitute their judgment for the judgment of doctors and patients and their families about when and if to have a child.
AMANPOUR: Can I then ask you about this as a political issue and as an electoral issue, we saw that women were motivated by this, you know, restriction of their rights, do you think that this will remotivate them, keep them motivated for the 2024 election? You're running for Senate, but obviously, there's a presidential election as well.
PORTER: This is a huge issue for -- not just women, but for all Americans. Because fundamentally, the decision about having an abortion is a freedom issue. It's about each person being able to make their own decision rather than the U.S. government and a few extremist politicians making it for them. And that is really then core to democracy. What are we fighting for? We're fighting for liberty. We're fighting for freedom. We're fighting for justice. And this is an issue that touches on those very values. So, I absolutely think it will drive people to be politically active, to remain politically active and to come out into the polls. And I think that the Democrats who have taken a unified and strong stance on protecting the right for each person to make their own decision about abortion are going to be the winning party in 2024 on this issue, as well as on the issue of gun violence, where we're also seeing Americans, again, pushing and pushing Congress to pass laws, their government leaders to act in accordance with their wishes. And that's what they understand democracy to be about.
AMANPOUR: Let me ask you about the threats to American democracy, you've just -- you know, obviously, you know, gun violence and the threat to women's rights, all of these, you know, form also a threat to individual life, liberty and democracy. But here, just some headlines, right, that I want to, you know, throw by you to see your reaction. This week, the expulsion of the two African American legislators from the Tennessee House by the Republican super majority. Now, one of them, one of the Justins is being reinstated. But again, that combined with reports that a Supreme Court judge, Clarence Thomas, has accepted undisclosed luxury trips from a conservative billionaire for more than 20 years. Obviously, we got Donald Trump's indictment for falsifying business records. I know that's throwing a lot together, but do you see any link?
PORTER: I mean it, we've seen consistent efforts to undermine the core institutions of American government. So, yes, I think these are all part of an overarching strategy by those who want to weaken government for their own benefit, and those are largely corporate special interests, extremist politicians, the billionaires who have too much influence in our politics. And so, I think they are all connected and that they are all kind of attacking people's fundamental confidence in government institutions. We assume that our court is free of corruption. That's something we take a lot of pride in the United States, historically. Something we compare ourselves favorably to with regard to other countries. We assume in the United States that if you're duly elected, you'll be able to serve. That's an attack on the legislature, which is what you've seen in a legislative branch of government, which is what we've seen in Tennessee. So, yes, I think they're all designed to weaken people's trust in government. And I think that has the effect of allowing those with power to exert more control over government, weakening the ability of people to have their voices heard.
AMANPOUR: So, you most certainly have become very, very well known since your election to the house. And it was your first run for politics as somebody who holds the powerful accountable, the famous white board. You're the co-founder of the End Corruption Caucus, talking about the billionaires, as we just were. I want to just play a little clip from a while ago when you confronted or had an exchange with of pharma executive. This is Robert Bradway of the Amgen Corporation. He's the CEO.
PORTER: Do you not know why you're getting hundreds of millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars a year? What is the justification? I'd like to show the American people.
ROBERT BRADWAY, CEO, AMGEN: You know, our compensation is consistent with competitive positions at other companies –
PORTER: Mr. Bradway, reclaiming my time. The other guy gets paid too much too isn't a justification.
AMANPOUR: I don't know how that all turned out, but I'm sure that my team must tremble now when you throw out that white board and hold them publicly accountable. You are running for Senate. And you have said in your book, I don't do Congress the way others do. So, explain that and why you are running for this position that's being vacated by the longstanding senator Democrat, Dianne Feinstein.
PORTER: Well, in my time in Congress, what I've shown is that the American people are interested in what their leaders are doing, but they want those leaders to show them that. They -- part of the reason I use the white board is to make it easier for people to understand that I am in fact asking the questions on their mind, why are CEO's being paid hundreds of millions of dollars when they're failing to invest in the company and the workers and the small businesses and the supply chain? And so, I think what I showed a willingness to do is to stand up to power. And I think that's remarkably rare in Washington. That's something I talk about in the book, the power of corporate donors, the power of lobbyists. I'm one of 11 members of the House of Representatives, which has 435 members, one of 11 who doesn't take contributions from federal lobbyists. And I think it shows what I am willing to go toe to toe with powerful people and ask them the questions that while they may be unusual in Washington, I think are the exact questions that are on the minds of most Americans most of the time.
AMANPOUR: So -- or maybe as a way to get yourself wider -- I don't know whether you can get wider attention, but you've written this incredible memoir in which you call, "I swear" Politics is Messier Than My Minivan." Let's talk about that. I mean, the funny title. But how messy is your minivan but also politics as you found it?
PORTER: Well, my minivan is pretty messy, but I would say politics is even worse. I'm a Californian. So, there's always a lot of beach sand in my minivan, discarded cups, paperwork from the kids, homework that's been abandoned. But I think politics is even messier. And I think some of that is inherent in our democracy and I think it is sort of baked in to the very idea of representative government, of having a bicameral legislature with the house and the Senate and the checks and balances that we have, for example, between our legislative branch and our executive branch. But I think the reason I wrote the book is to reveal to people some of that math. I think it's OK to show the American people what democracy is really like, that's it's not that easy, that it is hard, that there are corrupting influences. What you often hear from people in politics is this condescending attitude that you just -- you, the regular voter, just couldn't understand how Washington works. That's nonsense. And the American people can and must understand how Washington works and why a lot of times it doesn't work. And that's really the goal in the book, is to be honest about that, to show them why it's so hard to get anything done, how Washington really works, what is the role of special interest in corporate donors in Washington, and what can we do about it.
AMANPOUR: You know, to that point, you are famously a single mom. You had young children when you decided to run for Congress. I mean, they're still young, obviously, but they've grown up, they call you Congress Mom, and you write very frankly in your book about being a single mother, about, you know, experience, you know, sort of a threatening environment from your then-husband, when it became time, you know, that you wanted to get out of the marriage.
And I just wanted -- that obviously is very similar to what so many women experience in the United States, working single mothers, you know, in some cases, domestic abuse, having to be, you know, all things to people all the time. So, I guess do you find that really cements you as an elected representative and what did your kids think about what you wrote about their father?
PORTER: The kids definitely were, I think, tough critics of the book. I think part of them feels like they just want their mom to be a mom. They don't want their mom to also be, in this case, a Congress person. But I think a lot of kids feel that way about their mothers, you know, about their parents, the competition between taking care of your family and taking care of your job. I think most of us feel that, who are working parents. And I think in the book, I'm really honest about that struggle. That difficulty doesn't go away when one's elected to Congress. In fact, it's just harder. You know, as a job, it's not a 30-minute commute, it's a 3,000-mile commute. It's -- you know, my colleagues are challenging, to put it generously, I think in some cases. And so, it is a tough job. And I think that -- like all kids, my kids sometimes, you know, wish they could just have their mom be their mom. At the same time, I think they feel proud of what I've been able to accomplish. And I think I certainly, as a mother, look at my children and I see what they have learned, that they are very thoughtful and savvy citizens, that they're going to be amazing Americans, they're going to be terrific voters when the time comes. And so, there is sacrifice for them, but I also see the strength that they've gotten out of having their mom involved in politics.
AMANPOUR: Let me ask you about the next presidential election. President Biden is old but saying he pretty much confirmed to Al Roker, NBC weather, that he would be running but hasn't made the announcement yet. You see the hullabaloo around Donald Trump with the indictment and the divisions within the Republican Party what to do about this character. What do you -- how do you foresee this next year of campaigning turning out and what do you think will be the challenges both for Biden, if he runs, and for Trump, if he is the nominee?
PORTER: President Biden has -- is on a strong footing in this election because he's delivered for the American people. He's going to be able to talk about the infrastructure bill and point to projects in almost every county, community, part of this country that the bipartisan infrastructure project has funded. He's going to be able to talk about investing in American jobs with science and bringing back manufacturing here of semiconductors to the Chips Act. He's going to be able to talk about addressing the climate crisis with his initiative and bringing down home energy costs for people with the Inflation Reduction Act. So, he's someone who has accomplished a tremendous amount as president and he's going to be able to run I think a very strong campaign on policy because he's actually delivered things that improve Americans lives. President Trump, on the other hand, I think is simply going to cast accusations. He's going to be divisive. He's going to continue to incite a kind of brand of, I think, very damaging and extremist politics. And I frankly think Americans, even those who are more Republican or more conservative, are tired of that. I represent Orange County, California right now in the U.S. Congress, and it's a very split area, about even numbers of Democrats and Republicans. And even folks who have voted for Donald Trump in the past I think are tired of him. I think they'd like to see a Republican Party return to doing the serious work of American democracy, and that will never happen with Donald Trump as the nominee and certainly not as the president.
AMANPOUR: Interestingly, in your bio, I see that you interned for a Republican senator, Iowa, Charles Grassley. So, you obviously know what it's like, presumably, to work across the line and across the aisle when it's possible. But what I want to ask you is about your competition during your Senate campaign now. There are other high-profile, like you, Democratic Congress people, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, who also would like to have this seat. What do you think sets you apart to win the seat of Dianne Feinstein?
PORTER: What I've shown is a willingness to rethink how we do politics. I've been willing to hold people to account. I've shown that congressional hearings are not just opportunities for politicians to give speeches, but they are moments in which we can push for and get real answers and meaningful solutions in people's lives. For example, during COVID, in the early days of COVID, I questioned the CDC director and got him to commit, to make testing free for every American. That only was a big public health victory, but it was also a tremendous victory for people's confidence in government. So, as California's next senator, my goal would be able to continue to show people that our elected officials can and should work for us and that they're willing to stand up to the CEO's, the special interests who have too much power in Washington to put our interest first.
AMANPOUR: Congresswoman Katie Porter, thank you so much indeed.
PORTER: Thank you.
