[VIDEO] Sen. Coons ‘increasingly convinced’ Judge Barrett is ‘more conservative than Justice Scalia’

WILMINGTON, Del. – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Joe Scarborough on MSNBC to discuss a COVID relief package and Supreme Court hearings.

On COVID relief, Senator Coons said, “We have a next version of that, a bipartisan next version of that ready to go. But frankly, when the House tried to pass it, it was blocked and the White House, until President Trump’s late-night tweet last night, had refused to move forward with piecemeal solutions.”

On SCOTUS confirmation hearings, Senator Coons said, “Instead of doing what we should be doing, which is negotiating a final COVID relief package for the American people, the Senate Majority and the Judiciary Committee are racing ahead with a Supreme Court Confirmation. If the Senate is too unsafe for us to be there in person this week to vote on judges, it’s unsafe for us to be holding this confirmation hearing for Judge Barrett.”

On Amy Coney Barrett, Senator Coons said, “I’ve been consulting with my legal team. I’ve been reading her opinions and law review articles, and I’m increasingly convinced that she’s even more conservative than Justice Scalia for whom she clerked on the Supreme Court and she has demonstrated a willingness to reverse long-settled precedent.”

Full video is available here. A transcript is provided below.

Q: Joining us now, Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. He’s a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees. He’s got a new piece in Foreign Affairs Magazine titled “A Bipartisan Foreign Policy is Still Possible.” We’ll talk about that in just a moment. Senator Coons, good morning. I want to begin by asking you about what’s going on in the Congress right now in terms of COVID stimulus, COVID relief. We had the Fed Chairman, Jerome Powell, saying it is critical to get something into the system for this economy. As you know, it is critical to small business owners and families in the state of Delaware, the president coming out publicly and killing the negotiations effectively yesterday in a tweet. So where does Congress stand right now, most importantly, in getting money into the hands of people who need it? 

Sen. Coons: Well, we’ve been working for months in the Congress to put together a package that we can get passed. As you know, six months ago we unanimously passed in the Senate the CARES Act, which delivered about $2.3 trillion worth of relief and is what’s keeping our economy from collapsing. Four months ago, the House passed a bold, substantial relief package, which Majority Leader McConnell never took up seriously in the Senate. We have waited for week after week after week without Republicans in the Senate coming to the table to negotiate. Speaker Pelosi ultimately in the last few weeks has been negotiating directly with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, with Senator Schumer, the Minority Leader in the Senate, and it’s been very difficult to get to any agreement, even as Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer have agreed to come down by a trillion dollars from that initial House package. This is just another example of how difficult it is to negotiate with President Trump. It’s like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. He’s canceling all negotiations and then within a few short hours saying, no, no, we urgently need more money to be enacted tomorrow. We are not in session this week because of the COVID outbreak that has infected three of my colleagues. Instead of doing what we should be doing, which is negotiating a final COVID relief package for the American people, the Senate Majority and the Judiciary Committee are racing ahead with a Supreme Court confirmation. 

Q: As you know, talking to your constituents, people in Delaware, people out the country, they’re not much interested in the politics of how this is happening. They just know they need some help and they need it fast. So what do you say to that small business owner in Wilmington or somewhere else in your state who’s saying, I’m about to go under unless you guys do something and do it fast?

Sen. Coons: Well, that’s literally a conversation I’m having every day as folks I know here are texting me, emailing me, calling my office saying, when are you going to get this next relief package done? I’m on the Small Business Committee. I helped write some of the PPP provisions that helped millions of businesses and nonprofits stay open in the CARES Act. We have a next version of that, a bipartisan next version of that ready to go. But frankly, when the House tried to pass it, it was blocked and the White House, until President Trump’s late-night tweet last night, had refused to move forward with piecemeal solutions. We still have the unresolved and critical issue of funding state and local governments, which have already laid off more than a million and a half public employees. The middle of a pandemic is no time to have teachers and paramedics, nurses and police officers facing layoffs because of the ongoing recession caused by President Trump’s bungled mishandling of this pandemic. 

Q: Do you think those $1,200 checks, the way that President Trump described them last night, those standalone checks, the bill…  Is that a possibility? Is that something real that could get into the pockets of your constituents? 

Sen. Coons: It would distribute, I think, roughly $400 billion dollars to the American people. I’ll remind you, President Trump insisted on putting his name on it the last time–something unprecedented in the distribution of federal support and relief in comparable recessions. That may be something that’s considered today. Bluntly, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer have tried their best to make progress in these negotiations, and the unpredictability of President Trump’s response and the unwillingness of the Republican majority in the Senate to focus on this pandemic relief package rather than the confirmation of Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court has made progress very difficult. 

Q: Let’s talk about that confirmation process, Senator. Mitch McConnell says he wants to go ahead starting the hearings in some form on Zoom. As you mentioned, three of your colleagues have come down with COVID-19. Some of them say they expect to be well enough to be back in person for a hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. How do you see this playing out? As you know Republicans have the votes to confirm her. What does this process look like to you over the next few weeks? 

Sen. Coons: Well, we should not be racing ahead with this partisan process. There is no precedent in our nation’s history for the Senate holding a confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court nominee this close, just 27 days before a presidential election where people are already voting in more than half the states. Nonetheless, the majority committee chairman, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is insisting on holding a confirmation hearing and an initial vote next week. If the Senate is too unsafe for us to be there in person this week to vote on judges, it’s unsafe for us to be holding this confirmation hearing for Judge Barrett. I am still preparing for these upcoming hearings. I’ve been consulting with my legal team. I’ve been reading her opinions and law review articles, and I’m increasingly convinced that she’s even more conservative than Justice Scalia for whom she clerked on the Supreme Court and she has demonstrated a willingness to reverse long-settled precedent. I look forward to questioning her more about that, and I think the American people need to realize President Trump himself said the only reason he was choosing this judge to be a justice and pressing for her to be seated before the election was so that she could participate in decisions about the election if it is closely contested, and so she could be seated to help overturn the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court hearing scheduled for November 10th. It is a bitter irony that Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life to gender equality, and the provision of the Affordable Care Act that protects women from discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, including pregnancy or literally just being a woman, this is a key feature of the Affordable Care Act that protects all American women from discrimination by insurance companies. That’s on the docket. A vote for Judge Barrett is a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That’s what I’ll be trying to lay bare in the upcoming hearings, which we frankly should be delaying until after the election. 

Q: So you disagree with Judge Barrett on major policy issues, obviously, but do you think she’s qualified as a judge? 

Sen. Coons: I think she is qualified as a judge; I think she’s going to be an engaging candidate. But, frankly, what matters here is not whether she’s taught at a well-regarded law school or whether she answers questions well. What matters is her judicial philosophy, how she will change the balance on the Court and what the consequences will be for tens or hundreds of millions of Americans. We’re in the middle of a pandemic. It is stunning that the Trump administration is in the Supreme Court trying to take away health care protections from millions and millions of Americans. Pre-existing condition protection covers more than 100 million Americans. And there’re more than 7 million Americans newly infected in this Covid pandemic who have a new pre-existing condition. So, frankly, I think the focus here ought to be on the consequences of Judge Barrett joining the Supreme Court. 

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VIDEO: Sen. Coons message to Delawareans ahead of SCOTUS confirmation hearings

WILMINGTON, Del. – Yesterday, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a video message to Delawareans about his concerns with holding confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, nominated for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, despite a recent outbreak of COVID-19 among SJC members.

“I am working very hard today with my legal team to prepare for what Chairman Lindsey Graham says will be confirmation hearings next week for Judge Barrett who’s been nominated to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by the untimely passing of Justice Ginsburg.

“As I’ve been reading through Judge Barrett’s law review opinions, her legal opinions, her speeches, and her written record, I have one overwhelming question, which is, why are we proceeding at all? We have three U.S. senators who are infected with the COVID-19 disease. We have a spreading pandemic that continues to infect thousands and thousands of Americans every week – more than 7 million who have been infected to date and a COVID-19 outbreak in the White House.

“I have joined all the Democrats on Judiciary, writing Majority Leader McConnell and Chairman Graham, urging them not to proceed. We have suspended Senate votes this week. If it is not safe enough for us to go to the Senate to cast votes, it’s not safe enough for us to proceed with a confirmation hearing for Judge Barrett.

“We are now just 29 days from the election. Millions of Americans have already voted in 27 states. We have never had the Supreme Court nomination of a justice considered by the Senate this close to an election – in our history.

“I don’t think we should be proceeding and neither do you; I’ve heard from thousands of Delawareans, who’ve called or emailed or messaged my office, expressing their opposition to moving forward. Despite that, I am convinced that the Republican majority will demand that we move ahead, and we cannot block them by the rules of the committee. Just one member is required to be present for there to be a quorum.

“So, I likely will be questioning Judge Barrett next week, but during the proceeding, my first question will be, why are we doing this at all?”

To watch Sen. Coons’ full video message, visit youtu.be/PyHVfKbxano. Upcoming SJC proceedings, meetings, and live-stream events are accessible via judiciary.senate.gov.

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ICYMI: Sen. Coons in Foreign Affairs: ‘A Bipartisan Foreign Policy Is Still Possible’

WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today published an essay in Foreign Affairs. Despite four years of President Trump’s isolationism and unilateralism, Senator Coons writes that U.S. policy-makers can restore bipartisan consensus on foreign policy and chart a strategy that is rooted in American values and more connected to the needs of the American people.

Foreign Affairs: A Bipartisan Foreign Policy Is Still Possible

By Chris Coons

U.S. foreign policy is stronger when it enjoys bipartisan support. For the United States to play a steady, stabilizing role in world affairs, its allies and adversaries must know that its government speaks with one voice and that its policies won’t shift dramatically with changing domestic political winds. The best way to ensure that clarity and consistency is to pursue policies that are guided by American values of freedom, openness, opportunity, and inclusivity—and that have the support of policymakers and ordinary Americans across the political spectrum.

After four years under U.S. President Donald Trump, returning to clarity, consistency, and bipartisanship will not be easy. Trump’s “America first” political narrative has proved to be compelling and politically powerful. It taps into a long-standing strain of isolationism in U.S. politics, and it resonates with many Americans who question the benefits of globalization and of endless military engagement overseas. Trump’s supporters are not going away, and they cannot be easily dismissed as extremists. If U.S. policymakers seek to restore a bipartisan consensus favoring American global leadership, they must persuade ordinary Americans that international engagement and alliances are worth the cost.

Advocates of U.S. international leadership must recognize that domestic and foreign policy are inextricably linked and that a successful and durably bipartisan foreign policy depends on the American people’s appreciation of that link. The United States does not have to choose between being the world’s policeman and total retrenchment: it can engage the world more selectively, in principled and pragmatic ways that better serve the interests of working Americans.

To read the full essay, click here. 

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: ‘We elected a reality TV star who doesn’t take seriously … the risks that he is putting others through’

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Erin Burnett on CNN to discuss the president’s return to the White House and the health risk he and his administration are posing for the American people.

When asked about President Trump’s photoshoot upon return to the White House, Senator Coons said, “I can’t believe that I’m still capable of being surprised at anything Donald Trump does. This is just another reminder that we elected a reality TV star who doesn’t take seriously the health and the risks that he is putting others through. The CDC just renewed their guidance that COVID-19 can be spread, can be airborne, particularly in indoor spaces. And after tweeting out that he’s learned a lot about COVID-19 in his brief stay at Walter Reed, he demonstrated first that he cares more about appearances than substance, second that he doesn’t take seriously the health and safety of the folks at the White House.”

“If even the President of the United States, surrounded by people with world class health care, being tested every day, can get COVID-19, that means we need to be more vigilant,” Senator Coons said. 

Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below.

Q: So I want to go now to Senator Chris Coons. So I want to ask you now, now that the story’s changed a little bit, right? He goes up, takes his mask off, he goes in with people, he’s unmasked, he then wants to reshoot it. So they all stay around him while he keeps his mask off to reshoot it so he likes how it looks. Your reaction?

Sen. Coons: Erin, I can’t believe that I’m still capable of being surprised at anything Donald Trump does. This is just another reminder that we elected a reality TV star who doesn’t take seriously the health and the risks that he is putting others through. The CDC just renewed their guidance that COVID-19 can be spread, can be airborne, particularly in indoor spaces. And after tweeting out that he’s learned a lot about COVID-19 in his brief stay at Walter Reed, he demonstrated first that he cares more about appearances than substance, second that he doesn’t take seriously the health and safety of the folks at the White House. I’ll remind you nearly 20 people were infected in recent days over events at the White House. And last, he shows he isn’t the leader we need to bring us through this pandemic safely. Just since he went to Walter Reed, 10,000 more Americans have been infected, and this coming week, 5,000 Americans will die. President Trump is not setting a good example of how to respond in this pandemic.

Q: So the fact is though that he also, he did just stage this, right – he staged the whole thing.  He produced it with the helicopter arrival. He then literally wanted to stage and do re-dos, as if this is a reality TV show, I mean as if it’s fiction, right, as if it’s entertainment. I guess let’s just call it that – it’s entertainment. Meanwhile, those who are there, that’s their job. They just were put in a position of risk, right, personal health risk.

Sen. Coons: Erin, it reminds me of how he chose to go out for a ride around town to wave at his supporters, putting at risk the Secret Service agents who were compelled to travel with him. The ways in which his example is misleading Americans into doing risky things. You just had Kristen on, who lost her father, who believed it was ok to go unmasked because he saw President Trump doing that. I’ll remind you in recent months, President Trump has led thousands of his supporters in large rallies unmasked, not socially distant, not following public health guidelines. 

Q: In retrospect, everybody has learned a lesson in the very basic thing in that you can’t have us test 72 hours before. I’m putting aside the fact as to whether the president even had one that was negative because they’ve refused to disclose that information. But 72 hours is too many hours, ok, and an honor system isn’t acceptable. We’ve learned a whole lot of things. So now, you know, I was talking to a doctor this weekend. He said the obvious thing is to put plexiglass up whether you’re separating them or not. And so what’s your response to that from the vice president’s own team still mocking basic safety?

Sen. Coons: We need to be more vigilant… we need to be more determined to keep people safe. If even the President of the United States, surrounded by people with world class health care, being tested every day, can get COVID-19, that means we need to be more vigilant. And for the vice president to mock my colleague, Senator Harris for this, for Lindsey Graham to be barreling ahead with confirmation hearings in the Senate without a clear path towards doing so safely, is just a reminder of the ways in which in this pandemic, our Republican leadership – the president and vice president – haven’t been committed to our safety.

Q: Senator, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

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Sens. Coons, Kennedy celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced a resolution to designate the week of October 11-17 as ‘National Wildlife Refuge Week.’ The resolution celebrates the unique ecosystems and wildlife found in our National Wildlife Refuges and recognizes the numerous activities they support including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, and environmental education. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the nation’s largest network of public lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and plays a significant role in wildlife conservation.

“I’m proud to call attention to the importance of our National Wildlife Refuge System by introducing this resolution with my friend and colleague, Senator Kennedy,” said Senator Coons. “Delaware’s Bombay Hook and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuges provide critical habitats for several species of migratory birds and other wildlife, while also offering great recreational opportunities for people throughout the state. I’m proud that Congress recently passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which will provide much-needed maintenance funding for refuges across the country. I look forward to continuing to work on a bipartisan basis to support the National Wildlife Refuge System.”

“Louisiana is home to diverse and breathtaking wildlife, and I hope Louisianians take the opportunity to enjoy our wildlife refuges in person. I’m thankful to partner with Sen. Coons to help everyone appreciate the role these ecosystems play in our communities,” said Senator Kennedy.

The National Wildlife Refuge System includes 568 refuges and 38 wetland management districts located in every State and territory of the United States. Each year, refuges contribute more than $3 billion to local economies and support more than 41,000 jobs. 

Read the “National Wildlife Refuge Week” resolution here.

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Sen. Coons’ statement on President Trump’s positive COVID test, his own COVID status

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after President Trump and the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19. 

“I’m hoping for a swift recovery for President Trump and the First Lady. This is a reminder that all of us are vulnerable to this dangerous virus and should follow public health guidelines about mask wearing, social distancing, and more. 

“I was tested for COVID-19 again this morning and received a negative result. I continue to pray for the President and the First Lady, for all who have been infected during this pandemic, and for all of our frontline, essential workers.” 

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: ‘[S]tripping health care protections in the middle of a pandemic seems to be the highest priority’

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) spoke at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s business meeting about the committee’s upcoming consideration of the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and what this nomination could mean for the Affordable Care Act.

“The Trump administration is waging an attack against health care protections using every tool at its disposal… Just a week after the upcoming election, there will be an argument in front of the Supreme Court where the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act is at stake,” said Senator Coons. “The administration and this committee is rushing through a nominee in time to have that nominee seated for that argument. A nominee, President Trump has promised, will tear down a law that protects more than a hundred million Americans.”

On other priorities in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Coons said, “There’s so many other priorities we could be lending our time to today: fixing our broken immigration system, protecting our elections from ongoing foreign interference, or stopping our president from intentionally sowing doubt on the validity of our upcoming election.”

“We should be working together to improve our constituents’ lives and solve their problems. This nomination will do neither and we should not proceed,” Senator Coons concluded.

Full audio and video available here. His remarks, as delivered, are provided below. 

“Over a hundred million. Over a hundred million Americans have pre-existing conditions. Over a third of my own constituents in Delaware have pre-existing conditions, including many loved ones and family, folks in my immediate community, folks I’ve met up and down my home state. And as we know today, 7 million more Americans – because they’ve been sickened in this pandemic – have a new additional pre-existing condition. We are in the midst of a global public health crisis that has seen its – in many ways – worst response here in the United States. We’re in the midst of a pandemic crisis that the Trump administration has utterly mishandled and failed to decisively respond to. And today, instead of providing relief to millions desperately in need, we are rushing through a partisan confirmation process that will inflict division and possibly lasting harm on this institution, this Senate, on the Supreme Court of the United States and its legitimacy, and in our nation’s ability to keep being a beacon of democracy to the world. 

“More importantly though than the harm to these institutions, is the harm confirming this nominee will do to our constituents. President Trump’s made big promises. He’s made lots of promises. But one he clearly intends to keep and fulfill is that he would only nominate to the Supreme Court a potential justice committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act. We should believe him. And in going through the record of the nominee, there’s plenty of reason to believe that he has chosen successfully. 

“The Trump administration is waging an attack against health care protections using every tool at its disposal. First, they tried legislatively. Then, they tried administratively. Now, they’re trying in the Court. Just a week after the upcoming election, there will be an argument in front of the Supreme Court where the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act is at stake. And the administration and this committee is rushing through a nominee in time to have that nominee seated for that argument. A nominee, President Trump has promised, will tear down a law that protects more than a hundred million Americans. 

“This coordinated attack on my constituents’ health care is deeply disturbing. It’s disturbing that stripping health care protections in the middle of a pandemic seems to be the highest priority here. It is deeply disturbing that this administration is working to tear down a law that protects against gender discrimination, that prevents insurance companies from charging women more for insurance just for being women, insurance companies which had previously treated pregnancy as a pre-existing condition. If we think about it, there is no more direct way to dishonor the legacy of Justice Ginsburg, who dedicated her life to fighting for gender equity and against discrimination on the basis of sex, than to intentionally tear down these last remaining protections that are critical to the architecture of the ACA. 

“There’s so many other priorities we could be lending our time to today: fixing our broken immigration system, protecting our elections from ongoing foreign interference, or stopping our president from intentionally sowing doubt on the validity of our upcoming election.

“We have a president who has made every other priority secondary to packing the court with judicial nominees, many of whom including one before us today, who’s been labeled as not qualified by the American Bar Association. This has become the new normal here. 

“Let me close by urging my colleagues not to move further down the slippery slope, but to refocus instead on the people we are called here to represent, to be working together on that next round of needed relief, to be working together to address issues long unaddressed here but which we could quickly move. We should be working together to improve our constituents’ lives and solve their problems. This nomination will do neither and we should not proceed.”

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[VIDEO] James Comey to Sen. Coons: US adversaries have ‘primary goal’ of ‘dividing us’

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) discussed election security and questioned former FBI Director James Comey in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Day 3.”

On mail-in ballots, Senator Coons said, “Current FBI Director Wray has said the FBI has not seen evidence of any coordinated voter fraud effort. Over thirty million people voted by mail or absentee 4 years ago in 2016. In your time as FBI director, did you see any evidence of widespread or coordinated voter fraud?” The former FBI director replied, “No.”

On the business ahead of the Senate and the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Coons concluded,“We’re in the middle of a pandemic, an economic crisis, a time of heightened racial tension and concern about criminal justice. And instead of dedicating the next week or two to finalizing a next round of COVID relief, we’re going to be spending our time at least here – not looking at election security for 2020, not dedicating our time to a next round of pandemic relief, but participating in a rushed and partisan process to confirm a next Supreme Court Justice. It is important to remind folks that our elections are being attacked at this very moment, that we know from recent testimony by the current FBI director that there continues to be a foreign interference in our elections.”

On the 2016-7 Crossfire Hurricane investigation, Senator Coons asked Director Comey, “did you believe politics would play a role in the [Michael] Flynn case?” Comey replied, “no, I knew it would play no role.”Senator Coons continued, “So during your time at the FBI, under the previous administration, were you ever pressured to take an investigative step or support a conclusion that was not based on the facts and the law?” Comey replied, “No.”

Full video is available here.  A transcript is provided below.

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Comey, for your testimony today and for engaging with us in this vigorous and thorough review of matters that occurred now 4 and 5 years ago, but that remain relevant and important. But I want to remind all of us the context in which this hearing is taking place. We have thirty-four days until our presidential election – more than half the states have already started voting. We’re in the middle of a pandemic, an economic crisis, a time of heightened racial tension and concern about criminal justice. And instead of dedicating the next week or two to finalizing a next round of COVID relief, we’re going to be spending our time at least here – not looking at election security for 2020, not dedicating our time to a next round of pandemic relief, but participating in a rushed and partisan process to confirm a next Supreme Court Justice. It is important to remind folks that our elections are being attacked at this very moment, that we know from recent testimony by the current FBI director that there continues to be a foreign interference in our elections. And so I think at some level, there is irony in light of the fact that last night our currently serving president said and did things to undermine some of the legitimacy of our upcoming election. Let me start with just a few questions about that if I might, Mr. Comey. Current FBI Director Wray has said the FBI has not seen evidence of any coordinated voter fraud effort. Over thirty million people voted by mail or absentee 4 years ago in 2016. In your time as FBI director, did you see any evidence of widespread or coordinated voter fraud?

Mr. Comey: No.

Sen. Coons: And last night, repeated allegations were made by President Trump of mail-in voting being subject to widespread fraud. Do comments like this work to undermine democratic legitimacy and in any way serve the interests of our opponents who are seeking to spread disinformation and attack mail-in voting?   

Mr. Comey: Well, I don’t think I’m qualified to respond on the particular comment. Obviously our adversaries, especially Russia, have as their primary goal dividing us and dirtying up the democratic enterprise.

Sen. Coons: Let me just say to the core issues that have been discussed and debated here. I’ve joined Senators Leahy and Lee in an amendment to try and promote FISA reform. I agree that we need our FISA process to be sound, to be transparent, to be something the American people can believe in. And I think the Inspector General’s recommendations address some of these key issues and give us a road map for a number of the things that have to be addressed. But I also frankly am concerned about the way in which the current FBI director has been under relentless criticism and assault, and there seems to me to be, from our president, a politicization, a backwards looking series of attacks. Let me just ask you a few questions about that if I might. President Trump has repeatedly referred to something he calls Obamagate. He has said it is worse than Watergate. Are you aware of any evidence that President Obama or former Vice President Biden has committed any federal crime?

Mr. Comey: No.

Sen. Coons: Did you ever see any evidence that President Obama or Vice President Biden targeted any individual for investigation based on politics or their political views?

Mr. Comey: Never.

Sen. Coons: There was a January 5th, 2017 meeting at the White House. Was Peter Strzok at that meeting in the Oval Office?

Mr. Comey: No.

Sen. Coons: And at the meeting, did either President Obama or Vice President Biden suggest prosecuting Lieutenant General Flynn under the Logan Act? Would you remember that if that suggestion had been made to you?

Mr. Comey: I would remember it because it would be highly inappropriate for a president or vice president to suggest prosecution or investigation of anyone, and it did not happen.

Sen. Coons: At that meeting on January 5th at the White House in 2017, did President Obama give any indication that he wanted to direct the course of a criminal investigation into General Flynn’s comment?

Mr. Comey: No.

Sen. Coons: And when you left the meeting, did you believe politics would play a role in the Flynn case? 

Mr. Comey: No, I knew it would play no role.

Sen. Coons: So during your time at the FBI under the previous administration, were you ever pressured to take an investigative step or support a conclusion that was not based on the facts and the law?

Mr. Comey: No.

Sen. Coons: But only weeks after his inauguration, my recollection is President Trump asked you to drop the investigation into Lieutenant General Flynn and to let this go. Is that accurate?

Mr. Comey: Yes, February 14th.

Sen. Coons: So my concern, broadly speaking, is that we have seen politics injected into our justice system countless times over the last four years. Is there any doubt in your mind that Lieutenant General Flynn lied to the FBI about his conversations with the Russians?

Mr. Comey: None. I saw publicly he pled guilty to it twice.

Sen. Coons: Can you explain why lying to the FBI strikes at the heart of our criminal justice system? 

Mr. Comey: Because the FBI’s ability to figure out what’s going on in a criminal investigation or counterintelligence investigation is at the core of our ability to protect the American people. If we don’t hear the truth, see the truth, gather the truth – we can’t achieve the mission.

Sen. Coons: There’s been a lot of discussion today about the so-called Steele dossier. Did the Crossfire Hurricane team rely on information from that dossier in its decision to open the investigation? 

Mr. Comey: No, not at all.

Sen. Coons: Was the team even aware of the information when they opened the investigation?

Mr. Comey: No, I think it was two months later that the Steele information came to the crossfire hurricane team.

Sen. Coons: So when you said earlier that this was an appropriately predicated and opened investigation, it’s because of that difference in time and sources, and the basis on which those decisions were made?

Mr. Comey: Correct. As the Inspector General found, in opening it, we complied with the policies and regulations that govern the opening of a counterintelligence investigation. We should have been fired – there ought to have been a hearing if we didn’t investigate given the evidence that we were given by a foreign – friendly foreign government. 

Sen. Coons: And last when he testified to this committee in June, Rod Rosenstein suggested he did not  believe that any of the 199 criminal counts that resulted from the Mueller investigation relied on information provided by Steele. Do you have any reason to doubt that assessment?

Mr. Comey: I have no reason to doubt that.

Sen. Coons: I just want to thank you for your appearance before us today. There are many urgent things we could and should be working on together. It is my hope we will get back to them. I do agree the FISA process requires transparency and improvement, but frankly I think there’s a connect the dots game going on here that doesn’t connect, and I am gravely concerned about ongoing efforts to denigrate and politicize the FBI today. Thank you, Mr. Comey, for your testimony.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons to Erin Burnett: The ACA ‘hangs by a thread’

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Erin Burnett on CNN to discuss the potential impacts of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act, including protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions and protections against gender discrimination. 

“The Affordable Care Act, as you know, hangs by a thread. It was Chief Justice Roberts who decided a 5-4 decision upholding its constitutionality now eight years ago, and Judge Barrett criticized that decision,” Senator Coons said. “That’s on the docket of the Supreme Court just a week after the election and Erin, as you well know, Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life to gender equality, and the Affordable Care Act prevents insurance companies from discriminating against women.”

Full video is available here. A transcript is provided below.

Q: You’re also going to meet with Judge Barrett. Several Democrats though, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, say they won’t. Are they making a mistake? 

Sen. Coons: Well, frankly, what they are trying to do is to highlight just how unconventional, how unacceptable this rushed and partisan process is. And I understand that. Frankly, it’s a tough choice between giving some legitimacy to something we shouldn’t be doing, which is proceeding with this highly partisan nomination with just 36 days to go before an election where more than half the states are already voting. But I think to miss the opportunity to highlight for the American people the consequences of Judge Barrett’s confirmation hearing would be a missed opportunity. 

Q: So let me just ask you one thing to this point. I understand your point about the timing, but yet, Noah Feldman, Harvard Law professor, obviously, he testified in favor of Trump’s impeachment last year. He wrote in an op-ed that he’s known Barrett for more than 20 years, she’s more than qualified. He says, “It is better for the republic to have a principled, brilliant lawyer on the bench –referring to her, calls her brilliant and principled – than a weaker candidate. That’s Barrett.” What do you say to that? Is it possible that forgetting that the timing is unfortunate, she’s qualified, capable, and deserves her spot. 

Sen. Coons: What I would say frankly is that this isn’t about her qualifications. It’s about the motivation of Donald Trump in picking her. There are two things that President Trump said he needed her on this Court to do. One is to decide any election related dispute in his favor, and the other is to overturn the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act, as you know, hangs by a thread. It was Chief Justice Roberts who decided a 5-4 decision upholding its constitutionality now eight years ago, and Judge Barrett criticized that decision. That’s on the docket of the Supreme Court just a week after the election and Erin, as you well know, Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life to gender equality, and the Affordable Care Act prevents insurance companies from discriminating against women.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Judge Barrett: ‘We should not be having this rushed process’

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Monday, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined The Story with Martha MacCallum to discuss President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and the risks that her nomination may pose to the Affordable Care Act.

“We are just 36 days out from a presidential election, and we should not be having this rushed process. We should have the time to consider Judge Barrett’s writings, her opinions, things that she said as a law professor so that we really can weigh her nomination,” Senator Coons said. “More than a million votes have already been cast in the presidential election. That’s why I think it would be more appropriate for the voters to choose the next president, the next president to choose Justice Ginsburg’s successor.”

On Judge Barrett’s upcoming confirmation hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Coons said, “What’s at issue is her judicial philosophy, her policies, and so I look forward to questioning her about that. President Trump, before he chose her, said that he would only pick someone for the Supreme Court who would overturn the Affordable Care Act.”

Senator Coons continued, “It’d be a great surprise if she actually upheld the Affordable Care Act. Great because that would leave in place protections for the hundred million Americans who have pre-existing conditions, the 7 million more who’ve been infected in this out of control pandemic, and thus have a new pre-existing condition.”

Full text and audio available here. A transcript is provided below.

Q: Democrat Senator Chris Coons also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and joins me now. Senator, thank you for being here, good to have you here tonight.

Sen. Coons: It’s always good to be on with you, Martha, we’ve got a lot to talk about tonight.

Q: We sure do, so what do you think about them saying they won’t meet with her, and I understand that you do plan to meet with her?

Sen. Coons: Yeah, Martha, look, we are in the middle of a pandemic, so whether I will meet with her in person or talk with her by phone, I think that’s part of the normal process of considering a nominee, but this is not normal timing. We are just 36 days out from a presidential election, and we should not be having this rushed process. We should have the time to consider Judge Barrett’s writings, her opinions, things that she said as a law professor so that we really can weigh her nomination.

Q: She was just confirmed a couple of years ago by a decent margin, so it’s not as if you’re starting from scratch. We have seen these sorts of processes take place in the time frame that we do have, correct?

Sen. Coons: That’s right, but there is no precedent in our history for the Senate confirming a presidential nominee to a Supreme Court vacancy this close to an election where I will remind you more than half of the American states have already started voting. Twenty-seven states have folks, more than a million votes have already been cast in the presidential election. That’s why I think it would be more appropriate for the voters to choose the next president, the next president to choose Justice Ginsburg’s successor.

Q: Well, some of the polls definitely agree with you and some of the folks that we spoke here with in Ohio agree with you as well. I’m curious, you know, I would imagine that then Senator Hirono and Senator Blumenthal would probably not – they would also not ask questions at the hearing I would imagine, given that they don’t seem to have any questions for her if they don’t want to even do the initial meeting.

Sen. Coons:  I’m sure they have questions. Martha, speaking for myself, I certainly intend to question her. I questioned her in her previous hearing, and I think Judge Barrett, who’s got a strong record of teaching at an admirable university, a beautiful family, that’s not what’s at issue here. What’s at issue is her judicial philosophy, her policies, and so I look forward to questioning her about that. President Trump, before he chose her, said that he would only pick someone for the Supreme Court who would overturn the Affordable Care Act. And, as you know, that’s on the docket of the Court just a week after the election. So if she is newly confirmed, she will be joining the Supreme Court to hear that important landmark case and she has previously criticized the decision by which Chief Justice Roberts upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

Q: But as you know, the president said they didn’t discuss how she would decide on any cases. And given her history and her writings, I would find it very unusual if they had discussed any specific cases or how she would decide on them since they are not before her yet. The other thing that I would just mention is that the case that you just referred to with regard to Justice Roberts was looking at the health care bill in a very different light. It was all in one piece at that point. Now the individual mandate has been dropped out and the case they are about to hear has to do with severability, whether or not the rest of the law still stands having had that part removed. And typically, a conservative jurist is likely to lean on the side of allowing the rest of the law to stand. Just given the history of how conservatives have tended to judge that sort of case. Of course, I can’t say how she would at this point.

Sen. Coons: Well, it’d be a great surprise if she actually upheld the Affordable Care Act. Great because that would leave in place protections for the hundred million Americans who have pre-existing conditions, the 7 million more who’ve been infected in this out of control pandemic, and thus have a new pre-existing condition. And Martha, as you well know, Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life to fighting for gender equality and one of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against women for being women. It’s hard to believe, but insurance companies have in the past charged women more just for being women and have treated pregnancy as a preexisting condition. That is something the ACA bans and that is why I think it’s so important that and it’s on the docket of the Supreme Court.

Q: I think most Americans would probably agree that that would be unjust. Thank you very much, Senator Coons. It was good to see you tonight. Thanks for your time as always.

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Martha. 

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