On Wednesday, Senate Democrats and their liberal media allies immediately seized on former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleading guilty to campaign finance violations as a reason to stop the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell contorted herself to try to explain the tenuous connection between the two issues during a softball interview with California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris.
“Talk about timing. As the news about Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort was all breaking yesterday, within minutes of each other, the president’s team was trying to carry on as though it was business as usual on Capitol Hill, escorting Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh to make the rounds, including at that very moment, a courtesy visit with Judiciary Committee member, California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris,” Mitchell gleefully proclaimed at the top of the segment.
After Harris gave a brief account of the meeting, Mitchell asked: “Now, does this change your view about the timing?...do you think now there is a real argument that the Republican majority should not race ahead with Kavanaugh’s nomination because he’s been nominated by a president of the United States who is essentially an unindicted co-conspirator according to a guilty plea taken under oath in a federal court in New York City?”
Harris predictably condemned the ongoing confirmation process as “horribly flawed” and being “rushed through without giving members of the Judiciary Committee...an opportunity to review the background of someone who will have a lifetime appointment to the United States Supreme Court.”
Rather than challenge the liberal lawmaker’s obvious partisan political motivation, Mitchell instead followed up with: “Now, Chuck Schumer has issued a call to action and a call to the Republicans, saying that the president is under a cloud. Do you think that will make any difference?”
Harris replied: “I would think that folks would understand that this has reached a point that is like that point years ago during the Watergate scandal.”
As the friendly interview continued, Mitchell urged the Democrat to jump into the 2020 presidential race:
When you see the kinds of changes that are happening at the regulatory level, which are going under-reported, some would say, because of all of this, which is major issues, but there’s less focus on the EPA decisions that were finalized yesterday, where states are gonna have so much more decision making over pollution. California, I don’t need to tell you, has been in a crisis of wildfires and of other effects of climate change and other things. Does it make you more seriously consider wanting to run in 2020?
Returning to the Cohen guilty plea at the end of the segment, Mitchell wondered: “And is it so serious that it now makes you think impeachment is a more viable option?”
On Tuesday, Mitchell conducted a similar softball chat with another potential left-wing Democratic presidential candidate, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Here are excerpts from Mitchell’s August 22 exchange with Harris:
12:28 PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: Talk about timing. As the news about Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort was all breaking yesterday, within minutes of each other, the president’s team was trying to carry on as though it was business as usual on Capitol Hill, escorting Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh to make the rounds, including at that very moment, a courtesy visit with Judiciary Committee member, California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris. Joining me now is Senator Kamala Harris. Senator, you didn’t have your TV on.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS [D-CA]: Correct.
MITCHELL: Because the nominee was with you and you were trying to be polite.
HARRIS: Correct.
MITCHELL: So this was all happening and –
HARRIS: This was happening in real time. I was literally receiving the White House Counsel, along with this nominee to the United States Supreme Court, turned off the TV so I could focus on the conversation, and hopefully everybody else would focus on the conversation. And, you know, about 45 minutes later, of course, I turned the TV on, after they left, to learn what had happened.
MITCHELL: Now, does this change your view about the timing? I mean your view was that it was being speeded along too much by the White House, by the Republican majority. But do you think now there is a real argument that the Republican majority should not race ahead with Kavanaugh’s nomination because he’s been nominated by a president of the United States who is essentially an unindicted co-conspirator according to a guilty plea taken under oath in a federal court in New York City?
HARRIS: So on the subject of Kavanaugh, even before this happened, there was no question that the process was horribly flawed, in that there has been a refusal to provide the United States Senate and members of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, as representatives of the American public, with the vast majority of documents that are evidence of Brett Kavanaugh’s background, his perspective, the work he has done. We’ve only been given, Andrea, about 10 to 15% of the documents that exist that are evidence of Brett Kavanaugh’s work.
So the process was extremely flawed, just on that point. And then rushed through without giving members of the Judiciary Committee, and again, as representatives of the United States public, an opportunity to review the background of someone who will have a lifetime appointment to the United States Supreme Court.
And let’s also remember, this is Kennedy’s seat. This is the seat that is the so-called swing seat. This is – the person who fills this seat will be pivotal in making decisions about a variety of issues that impact Americans in our everyday lives. Including a woman’s right to choose, including the Affordable Care Act and whether we’re going to have access to health care, including issues that relate to voting rights or organized labor’s ability to collectively bargain, extremely important issues that affect people every day.
MITCHELL: Now you were making that argument unsuccessfully, you and other Democrats. Now, Chuck Schumer has issued a call to action and a call to the Republicans, saying that the president is under a cloud. Do you think that will make any difference?
HARRIS: I would think that folks would understand that this has reached a point that is like that point years ago during the Watergate scandal. This is a situation where a court of the United States of America has accepted a guilty plea from someone who was the lawyer for the president of the United States. And that person, in pleading guilty, basically made very clear that it was the then-candidate and now the president of the United States who directed him to commit a crime. This is a serious matter.
(...)
MITCHELL: When you see the kinds of changes that are happening at the regulatory level, which are going under-reported, some would say, because of all of this, which is major issues, but there’s less focus on the EPA decisions that were finalized yesterday, where states are gonna have so much more decision making over pollution. California, I don’t need to tell you, has been in a crisis of wildfires and of other effects of climate change and other things. Does it make you more seriously consider wanting to run in 2020?
HARRIS: Listen, right now I’m focused on 2018. But I think that we should all be concerned about the direction of our country. And we should be thinking about it. You know, especially given what’s just happened, Andrea.
MITCHELL: So you’re thinking about it seriously?
HARRIS: Well, no, but I appreciate you asking the question. But just, I really need to and want to speak to what’s happened in the last day. I believe that the future of our republic is very much in the balance. I believe the future of our democracy is very much in balance.
(...)
HARRIS: And I think it’s imperative that everyone pay attention to this moment and understand and see it for what it is. Which is it is going to be a question about the strength of our democracy and our republic. This is a serious matter.
MITCHELL: And is it so serious that it now makes you think impeachment is a more viable option?
HARRIS: What I would say is that we – it is very critically important that we let Mueller, Bob Mueller, complete his investigation without any interference and without any influence by way of threat of firing him, because we need to see that through the end. I feel very strongly about that.
MITCHELL: Kamala Harris. Senator, thank you very much, thanks for being with us on a very important day.
HARRIS: Thank you.
