While some of his liberal media colleagues were giving a megaphone to Democratic Senators demanding an FBI investigation into the attempted sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Wednesday, CNN’s Chris Cuomo was busy making false claims that the bureau had said nothing about not investigating the charges. But, in fact, they had declined to investigate.
After noting that the confirmation process had turned into a circus, Cuomo declared that “the FBI could be a cleansing agent here. Can they? Absolutely.”
“Judicial nominees get a background check from the FBI as part of the practice,” he added. “President Bush with Anita Hill, he asked for the FBI to come in reopen the background check and do it.” He then lashed out at President Trump for supposedly not doing the same thing:
CHRIS CUOMO: President Trump had said he wanted a process, but now he's saying this.
DONALD TRUMP: I don't think the FBI really should be involved because they don't want to be involved. If they wanted to be, I would certainly do that, but as you know, they say this is not really their thing.
CUOMO: None of that is true, okay. We have heard nothing from the FBI saying they don't want to do this.
Cuomo’s assertion that “we have heard nothing from the FBI saying they don't want to do this”, was an outright lie. And a total abdication of CNN’s “#FactsFirst” mantra.
According to reporting by the Washington Post’s Matt Zapotosky, the FBI had declined to do an investigation upon receiving the allegations presented by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). “Importantly, the FBI isn't doing a criminal investigation based on what Feinstein told them,” he said. “The broad outline of the allegation, as I understand it, seems like it'd be in state/local authorities wheelhouse, if there even is a crime, and if the statute of limitations hasn't run.”
But those facts didn’t stop Cuomo from railing against Trump for not making the FBI investigate Kavanaugh. “Why isn't he? Well, that takes us to should, okay. If they do this, and the FBI looks at it, are they going it give us an answer? ‘No, not enough time, too long ago.’ With Anita Hill, they took three days,” he ranted while straw-manning the arguments and admitting they’ll probably find nothing.
Most of Cuomo’s ranting was shot down by Senate Judicial Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in a letter to his Democratic colleagues. This discrepancy just goes to show how much of Cuomo’s arguments were based on DNC talking points).
Referencing the similarities between this latest case and the accusations from Anita Hill (as Cuomo did), Grassley noted:
The purpose of the background investigation process is to compile information in a confidential manner. Confidentiality permits people to speak freely and candidly about the character and qualifications of the nominee. The White House requires the Senate to keep background investigation files private so that people can speak anonymously to investigators if they so desire. Because Dr. Ford’s allegations are in the public arena, there is no longer a need for a confidential FBI investigation.
“[T]he FBI does not make a credibility assessment of any information it receives with respect to a nominee. Nor is it tasked with investigating those matters that this Committee deems important,” Grassley added.
Cuomo was essentially a mouthpiece for Senate Democrats in their crusade to sink the Kavanaugh nomination. This is CNN.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN's Cuomo Prime Time
September 19, 2018
9:34 p.m. Eastern(…)
CHRIS CUOMO: So, the FBI could be a cleansing agent here. Can they? Absolutely. This idea while it's not a criminal case, “you don’t have jurisdiction, you have to go back to the state where it happened,” not true, never true.
Judicial nominees get a background check from the FBI as part of the practice. Jay Sekulow argues that's not in the constitution. True. But as a part of practice -- the political reality -- they get asked every time and there is precedent. President Bush with Anita Hill, he asked for the FBI to come in reopen the background check and do it. President Trump had said he wanted a process, but now he's saying this.
DONALD TRUMP: I don't think the FBI really should be involved because they don't want to be involved. If they wanted to be, I would certainly do that, but as you know, they say this is not really their thing.
CUOMO: None of that is true, okay. We have heard nothing from the FBI saying they don't want to do this. It's not their business to say they don't want to do it. He is the boss. He is the executive. He tells them what to take a look at for better or worse, in context. He can do this, President Bush did it.
Why isn't he? Well, that takes us to should, okay. If they do this, and the FBI looks at it, are they going it give us an answer? “No, not enough time, too long ago.” With Anita Hill they took three days. That was recent. They had people to interview in real time context and they came back saying they couldn't corroborate it. Here likely where they'd come out as well. But at least you know that people had made their best efforts. At least you know they made an attempt to get it right outside just pure politics.
The negative? The Republicans don't like this. Why? Well, “it's a delay tactic.” Who cares about the delay? They do. Why? Because the delay is a loss of control of the process. You get closer to the midterms and it injects doubt. What else will come out? How will Kavanagh deal with it? Will he make a mistake? That's why they don't like this.
But be clear, all right, this is not for Congress to decide at this point. This is for the President. He said there should be a process. He said everybody should be heard. The FBI can and should be part of that. Will the President make that call? We will see.
(…)
