NBC "Meet the Press" - Transcript Interview with Cory Booker
Interview
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CHUCK TODD:
Let me bring in Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. He is a member of the Judiciary Committee. Senator Booker, welcome back to Meet the Press.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
Thank you.
CHUCK TODD:
I want to start, obviously, with the nomination of Judge Barrett. And I guess the question is what is, it's the question that I've been getting, is how are Democrats going to confront this nominee? Are you going to confront on the issues that are at stake or are you going to go after the process? There's been some talk, for instance, of boycotting the confirmation hearings. Where are the Democrats going here, sir?
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
Well, I think the Democrats and two Republicans are with the American people. First of all, the process is not legitimate. As Susan Collins herself said, "Fair is fair." They articulated the process for President Obama. Now they're doing the exact opposite under President Trump. It's not fair. It's wrong and it delegitimizes the Court. In addition to that, it's actually during an election. We have people starting to vote already. And the majority of the American people are with the Democrats and two Republicans who all believe this should be waiting until after the election. And then finally, you said it. Not only is the process illegitimate and should be called into question, but unfortunately, what's at stake here is stunning. I'm surprised, frankly, that you could keep a straight face. You know that this is about the Affordable Care Act. You know that this court Amy Coney - and what President Trump's nominee has put up is that she will tear down the Affordable Care Act. That she's written about that. This is part of his litmus test. And unfortunately, Americans are about to see a Supreme Court that's going to turn against a law that has provided really basic protections that the majority of Americans really want. So this is about high stakes, what's at stake, the right to control your own body, organizing -- the right to be organized into a union, and it's also about a process that undermines the legitimacy of the very court that is critical especially right now during a pandemic --
CHUCK TODD:
Right.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
-- and during it seems like a crisis that this president's going to precipitate after this election.
CHUCK TODD:
Let me ask about process here for a minute. In 2016, you had said this. "The Senate has no excuse to ignore, blockade or stonewall consideration of this nominee. The Senate must do its job to provide advice and consent and swiftly schedule hearings, debate and an up or down vote." Here's the question I have. Which precedent should be, which should be the precedent? The ones that Republicans invented in '16 or the ones they're inventing now?
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
Well, I guess you asked the same question I asked to Lindsey Graham and to Republicans is which precedent do you really believe in because you can't say one thing and then do another. Barack Obama was putting up a nominee 269 days before an election. 269 days. And now, we see Donald Trump doing it while people are voting, in the midst of an election. We clearly see -- the Republicans have shown the height of hypocrisy in what they're doing. As I said, even two of their members have said, "This is not fair. This is wrong. And we should not do it."
CHUCK TODD:
What is your --
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
This is really a stunning --
CHUCK TODD:
What do you believe?
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
-- moment in American history.
CHUCK TODD:
Forget the -- what do you believe should be the precedent though?
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
I think that if, whether it was a Republican president or a Democratic president when 269 days before an election, there should most certainly be enough time for a hearing in Congress, enough time to get this done. I think what was done to Merrick Garland --
CHUCK TODD:
Well, is there a line? Is there a line you would draw? Is there a line you would draw to say, "You know, after when"? I mean, you know, this does seem very subjective.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
Yeah clearly, I don't think it's subjective at all. I think if voting has started and if you're just a matter of weeks, I think that that's too soon. Lincoln had a similar circumstance where it was days before an election and he did not put a nominee up. This is too short. You see the majority of the American people, over 70 percent, just think, "Wait a minute. Just wait. Timeout. Wait until we've had a chance to vote on our health care. Wait until the chance we've had a vote on keeping Roe v. Wade. Wait until the chance we've had a vote on union rights."
CHUCK TODD:
Right.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
These are the kind of things that I think common sense, you really see the majority of the American people coming down on common sense. And this is the thing that frustrates me now, in the midst of a pandemic, is a lot of people are afraid now about what Donald Trump is doing. He's injecting fear into this about people losing their health care, which is a clear and present danger during a pandemic.
CHUCK TODD:
Yeah.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
As he moves somebody who's written about this and talked about this. And then there's another clear and present danger I think, a lot of us feel, fear, which is a president that has said that he's not going to honor the peaceful transition of power. That is a stunning statement. It's a betrayal of your oath to defend the Constitution --
CHUCK TODD:
Do you --
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
-- and the United States of American. It's such an anti-democratic thing to say.
CHUCK TODD:
Senator, do you plan to meet with Judge Barrett?
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
It's my intention to do so. I think you know my spirit, which is to sit down and meet with people and talk to them. And I'm going to make it very clear. One of the things I want to ask her is will she recuse herself because if she does not -- in terms of any election issues that come before us, because if she does not recuse herself, I fear that the Court will be further delegitimized. In other words, President Trump has said, "I will not accept the results of the election unless I win. I'm going to push it to the Supreme Court. And oh, by the way --
CHUCK TODD:
Yeah.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
-- during the election I'm going to put somebody on the Court as well." So I hope to have a conversation with her. And I'm blessed to be on the Judiciary Committee, and I'll have that as well. And hopefully --
CHUCK TODD:
Okay.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
--have a good, informed dialogue back and forth. But my larger hope is is that the Republican party realizes they're undermining their legitimacy --
CHUCK TODD:
Okay.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
-- the legitimacy of the Supreme Court and that they stop what they're doing and wait until the American public has spoken in this election.
CHUCK TODD:
Finally, I want to ask you about the debate on Tuesday night but first I want to play a clip of you, and Joe Biden from the debates in the primaries. A quick, quick reminder.
[BEGIN TAPE]
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
I put forth national standard setting accountability. Mr. Vice President, Mr. Vice President I didn't interrupt you. Please show me that respect, sir. We have a system right now that's broken. And if you want to compare records and frankly, I'm shocked that you do, I am happy to do that.
[END TAPE]
CHUCK TODD:
I put it up there for this reason, senator. You, you got the best of him quite a few times. Now obviously, the scoreboard's the scoreboard. We know who won the nomination. But what, what advice would you have for the former vice president going into Tuesday?
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
Well you say I got the best of him. I say I saw the best of him. You know after that exchange in the back room, I saw grace in him and backstage during a commercial where he came up to me and showed me the goodness and the decency that's in his heart and actually extended to me some of the best compliments I've ever gotten from a statesperson in my party. I just love the guy, and you -- moments like that don't build character, they show it. And I just think that Joe Biden has a chance to just lay his truth, his spirit, his character in front of the American people next to a person that even people within his own party -- you saw it this week -- can't defend his character, can't stand up for his lies, see him as a danger, even members of his Cabinet like the great General Mattis have said this guy is a threat to our democracy. Well General Mattis' words really were prescient compared to what's happened this week where he has menaced our democracy. So I just want Joe Biden to go out there and be himself. I have a lot of faith that the American public will see his spirit and know that he'll bring honor back to that office.
CHUCK TODD:
Senator Cory Booker, Democrat from New Jersey, appreciate you coming on and sharing your perspective with us, sir. Thank you.
SEN. CORY BOOKER:
Thank you very much.
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