Subject: Re: Statement on FBI Role in Nominations
From: "Bill Russo" <[email-masked]>
To: "Valerie Owens" <[email-masked]>, "Jill Biden" <[email-masked]>, "JRB ware" <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, "Naomi Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Finnegan James" <[email-masked]>, "Maisy Biden" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Kathy Chung" <[email-masked]>, "Richard Ruffner" <[email-masked]>, "steve ricchetti" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2018 18:59:54 -0400

Following up on yesterday's statement, please see the below from the Vice
President just a few moments ago on the Kavanaugh nomination.

Regards,
Bill

*Statement from Vice President Joe Biden*

What we witnessed yesterday from the Republican Judiciary Committee members
was a degree of invective, blind rage, and brute partisanship that
threatens not only the Senate and the Supreme Court — it threatens the
basic faith in fairness and justice that binds this country together.

Doctor Blasey Ford gave courageous, credible, and powerful testimony. I
believed her. The country believed her.

I am glad that members of the Senate have exercised their power to advise
and consent to delay further action on this nomination for a short while
longer so that the FBI can do its due diligence in this nomination. I know
how important the FBI's role in nomination proceedings is. Despite every
effort to distort my words and record, I insisted on and got an FBI
investigation twenty-seven years ago. It was the right thing to do then and
it is the right thing to do now.

Doctor Blasey Ford deserves an FBI investigation today. The millions of
women who have suffered sexual assault and abuse deserve an FBI
investigation. The country deserves one. And for its reputation and
legitimacy, the Supreme Court needs one too.

On Thu, Sep 27, 2018 at 4:53 PM Bill Russo <[email-masked]> wrote:

> All -
>
> At the Vice President's request, passing along today's statement in
> response to Republican attempts to mischaracterize his statements on the
> role of FBI investigations in the nomination process:
>
> *There is clearly an effort on the part of the White House and Senate
> Republicans to take out of context then-Senator Biden’s statements about
> the role of the FBI in the judicial nomination process to create a
> smoke-screen for their unprecedented refusal to have the FBI conduct an
> investigation into credible charges. Senator Biden made those comments in
> response to Senator Hatch's attempts to frame the FBI's 1991 report on
> Clarence Thomas as exculpatory.  His point was that the FBI plays an
> investigative role in the nomination process; they do not make
> recommendations.  That is the sole responsibility of the Senate -- to
> advise and consent.  Vice President Biden believes that the FBI should have
> investigated in this case in advance of Dr. Blasey Ford's courageous
> testimony today, just as they did in 1991.*
>
> Regards,
> Bill
>
> ---
> Bill Russo
> Spokesperson
> Office of Vice President Joe Biden