Chris Cuomo got awkward on Thursday night as he recapped the day’s contentious Supreme Court hearings. The CNN anchor talked to a Yale classmate of Brett Kavanaugh and dug for dirt on any potential sex life. Sadly for the liberal host, his efforts didn’t succeed.
Trying to avoid being creepy, Cuomo asked Lynne Brookes this question: “I don't believe it's disqualifying to have partied in high school or in college. But him telling the truth about himself is a more relevant standard. Was Brett Kavanaugh known at Yale as a virgin?”
Brookes answered in four words: “I have no idea.” Perhaps trying to justify the uncomfortable query, Cuomo rambled:
I just want to know because that's something he points out about himself that I know, having gone to the same school. It's not so big a school, It's got a big name. But it’s not that big a community. It’s pretty small. It's the kind of thing that would have been known.
Later in the show, Cuomo raged against Lindsey Graham for his aggressive defense of Kavanaugh, sneering:
What the hell is he so angry about? What is going on with Lindsey Graham? I keep inviting him on the show to make the case. He should be angry at the people to his left and right from his own party. If you want to get red in the face, it should be with shame that you should own, Senator, and the people in your party who put it to this point.
A partial transcript is below:
Cuomo Primetime
9/27/18
9:09
CHRIS CUOMO: There was a risk for Kavanaugh today. That Fox interview, it's not about Fox. It's about the decision to go on with a friendly face and paint a perfect picture of himself. “Drink to excess? No, no, no” “Any of this conduct partying? No, no, no. Church.” Nothing wrong with going to church. But by painting that perfect picture, he painted himself in a corner, if you watched today, you saw him trying to punch his way out of it.
9:13
CHRIS CUOMO: Now, look, not that this matters, but, again it's about the truth of what he says about himself, this is not a trial about guilt or innocence. It's a job interview. It's a credibility measurement for the highest integrity position we have. I have to tell you, I don't believe it's disqualifying to have partied in high school or in college. But him telling the truth about himself is a more relevant standard. Was Brett Kavanaugh known at Yale as a virgin?
LYNNE BROOKES (Kavanaugh’s Yale classmate): I have no idea.
CUOMO: Hmm. I just want to know because that's something he points out about himself that I know, having gone to the same school. It's not so big a school, It's got a big name. But it’s not that big a community. It’s pretty small. It's the kind of thing that would have been known.
...
9:16
CUOMO: Now, that's relevant, that's what happens when you paint a picture of yourself. These senators weren't going to be able to poke holes in it, why? No time, no depth. For some of them, no inclination. But how many Lynne Brookes are out there. Wait a minute, I thought we were talking about attempted assault, sexual assault. now the we were talking about drinking. I'm talking about the truth. I'm not saying it’s wrong he drunk. I’m saying that if he's going to be
the ultimate judge of truth in our society, a Supreme Court justice, and at 53 years old, he's going to lie about what he did when he was 15, what else will he lie about? That's why it's a relative assessment. That's why watching a man today who is a very skilled litigator. But litigating your way through a question is different than telling the truth about it. Take my word for it, I'm an arguer and litigator by trade.9:52
CUOMO: But the moment of the day goes to a Senator, Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Watch this.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you did to this guy.
CUOMO: What the hell is he so angry about? What is going on with Lindsey Graham? I keep inviting him on the show to make the case. He should be angry at the people to his left and right from his own party. If you want to get red in the face, it should be with shame that you should own, Senator, and the people in your party who put it to this point.
