Transcripts For CSPAN2 US Senate 20160422

Like to ask one question. That has to do with the issues. You wanted to say something, and i want to give you that opportunity. It is clear it refers to both. My experience 16 years you representing a foundation a new a little bit about it. Among the things i know are donations are highly, highly regulated. s very highly regulated. When it comes to adult tissue just for research, there are still regulations but far fewer. I immediately saw, with the exhibit, explaining more things. It was not just about feel. And so you talk. Mother is somebody, they can do a lot of things with that. Thank you, madam chair. You are recognized for five minutes. No we should make a profit off the sale a baby body parts. That is something that is shared by the Majority Party as of 1993, henry waxman, democrat said, it will be it the front to allow for the sale of fetal tissue in the market and get one, two, three, and four are receiving 700 to 850 per brain. Its but i want to focus on the Abortion Clinics part in this. We look at exhibit d 1. Here are the payments we have obtained to various Abortion Clinics for these baby body parts. Fresno with 38 specimens and received 290. Sacramento received 3,740. San jose 3,575. Nationwidenationwide the Panel Investigation found there are many more of these organizations, and there are hundreds of Abortion Clinics. And its a remember some doctors on the video talking about making money from the sale of baby body parts, even joking about it. I want to hear from the former us attorneys given their training and experience, how they would investigate the Accounting Records and anything else to document whether the Abortion Clinic profited for the sale of baby body parts. I have experience on the prosecutor side of this, not being a former prosecutor 13 years. But also a grueling a day trial. And on the defense else are youso you that follow the money is the contract that applies special force in that area. Astounding what i learned about how money motivates that industry and when i look at these figures, let me give you an example, one of the doctors the testified acknowledge that he had performed over 100,000 abortions. And we based upon the amount of time that he the only way we can do it because i continued to try to find out how much of a making. And they fought tooth and nail to prevent that information from coming out. To quickly just answer your question i would say, yes, it is extremely important. What specific documents would you look for . I would ask for bank records, follow the money. Who is getting paid come aware of the checks going. Thank you. I would do the same, start by looking at the videos, which i have seen, reading the Forensic Accounting report by coal fire investigations made up of former fbi agents which found that the videos were credible and the redacted versions say what the longer version say. Out of ten the accounting financial records of the Abortion Clinic, procurement business and, frankly, the records of the enduser as well. Subpoena both records and witnesses from all of those entities to flush out the facts, which i think are there. I want to turn to ms. Foster and ask a question, as you just testified, please explain a littlea little bit more about what you think regarding possible violations that mr. Norton raised where the procurement tech has the ability after receiving the order through email to review the medical records of the patient without their knowledge. Explain what you think. Has hepa been violated, and what should the penalty be . I am concerned. Obviously planned parenthood has gone to court time and time again to keep secret and confidential records of women who have abortions, and yet the same clinics are allowing procurement businesses into their doors, sharing records command allowing them to find out some of the most personal Healthcare Information unimaginable. That is an extreme concern for me, and it is something i want investigated. Thank you for sharing that. We are here because we care about the women and want to make sure they are not being manipulated to hurt anyway. The gentle lady yields back. Your recognized for five minutes. Thank you, madam chair. Just what i think my republican colleagues cannot find a way to make this investigation more of a farce we have a farcical hearing like this one. None of the documents shown today contain any evidence of wrongdoing. Many of these documents the republicans have produced themselves and do not provide an a foundation for an investigation. Stating charts and graphs were no analytical basis and printing of random invoices with no explanation for content does not meet the standard of evidence for any court of law, let alone a congressional investigation. I would think the republicans should have learned this lesson after the mess of a hearing in 2,000 when a procurement organizations that accuseds of profiting from the sale of fetal shoe research. The source, heavily edited videos. Some of the same documents today or tossed around by the republicans in 2,000. As we all know, that hearing fell apart and the key witness who accused the gpo profiting admitted under oath that he had lied in the video. Suddenly those invoices and fee schedules did not seem like such a smokinga smoking gun. They were not then and are not now. Yet here we are again, another example to a majority going to extreme lengths to smear organizations against him all federal and state investigations have found no evidence of violation of law knowing that the smears will endanger the lives of people who work for these organizations and that is why i said this committee is worse than mccarthy investigations because mccarthy endanger peoples lives. Peoples lives. Sorry jobs, this committee knowingly is endangering peoples lives. And the other goal of eliminating witness choices and degrading doctors. Now, i would like to ask you a couple questions. We just received yesterday a letter to the council who informed us, it appears that the majority staff may have repurposed unauthenticated stolen documents illegally obtained and that some of the majority of the exhibits have never appeared publicly , suggesting that perhaps the select panel may be receiving evidence directlys. Does that not call into question the validity of the entire investigation or at least with the majority appears to be relying on . It sounds like bad form. More than bad form, i would think. What do you think about the refusal by republicans to even question or test the validity of these allegations. I am not going to comment on my good friends across the aisle and their motivation. I am concerned about whether the point of this sharing is to politicize an investigation and press the department of justice to do his job in a way different than they think ought to. There is a set history of that, and it is always dangerous. Using congressional pressure the press prosecutorial decisions. It is one thing to do for information and to have comity between the branches. It is another to abuse politics to pressure a particular agent or investigator into doing his or her job. This entire hearing an investigation having no purpose essentially other than to suggest that sense since it is obvious that these organizations are guilty of what they are accused of that the doj and the same investigating agencies have not done their job properly . Let me ask you this, we have heard before that there were is an indictment for false identification. Half the college kids. False identification. Big deal. Criminalizing any person who knowingly submits false material to congress in connection with an investigation. From what we have seen and heard, that does seem to be a serious problem, submitting knowingly false information to congress is a very serious problem. Would you comment . I agree completely. Unlike dynamic submitted, i wondered why they did not be prosecuted. It was an admitted fact by the guy that they hired. That is to the doj should be going after. We had the refusal by the committee, making all sorts of accusations. The refusal to talk to them, to ask them for explanations. Then the committee apparently taking direct or indirect material stolen from the website without asking, that material seems to be doctored to say that they are doing illegal activity, but you dont want to talk and see if they have an explanation. Its you take apparently false material stolen for the purpose. Yes. Is that a legitimate function of congress . I will repeat what i said. The concern i have after 20 some years is when a congressional gavel is used to intimidate or pressure and Investigative Agency to take action that they think ought to be taken. Particularly in the face of not 20 states, 20 state officials, nonpartisan have said on record, they have looked into this all related facts in decline to go forward prosecutions. Thank you very much. Your recognized for five minutes. Thank you, chairman. Thank you to the panel for being here. I want to contract and focus on two different things. Organ donation and fetal tissue donation. First, many say Organ Donation is a gift that one can give. It isgive. It is a beautiful thing when you think about someone donating organs, and Organ Donations are done with dignity, disclosure of where and how they will be used, and every hospital in the nation, there are on influence counselors to help with the process. No money is made from the Organ Donation. The process is transparent, and seen as ethical. On the other hand, when it comes to fetal tissue donation, its different. A scared, vulnerable woman including a minor who is under age can come into a clinic on the morning of her surgery. She needs to give consent without parental guidance or anyone there. And before the event, before this invasive procedure, a tissue technician comes to her and gets her to donate her baby body parts. Instead of an unbiased counselor, the tissue technician may be focused on making a Commission Rather than protecting a womans best interest. It is not transparent how the fetal organs will be used for by what organization. To me, the contract is astounding. It is unethical for this procedure to happen this way. So my question is, who protectsis, who protects the womans interest in each case, who protect the minors interest . There are no laws there are no existing laws related to consent for fetal tissue donation. How many organs are needed, how much will be paid out for each body part, and as a mother of two teenage girls, i am absolutely astounded and outraged. We dont have laws in place to protect our minors. Why is therethe uniform law for Organ Donation for every hospital in this nation and in entirely different practice for donation of fetal organ tissue. Ii dont know and would have to speculate. That is a good question. Attire. My father was persian. He was actually from india. His people from persia. Zacchaeus. Saqqara. Is there any evidence that if there is any evidence allies being broken with the suggestions of profiteering from baby organs, should the the investigations to ensure this, this is not the case . I thought that that was the focus of this hearing which is to ask a federal prosecutor, if you have this information would justify it an investigation to ascertain . At the end of your comments you mention that is exactly the duty to investigate,investigate, to make sure laws are not being broken. Yes. Thank you. Must foster, i want to point out five immediate differences when it comes to Organ Donation and fetal tissue donation. Ask why there would be such a difference. I want to ask your thoughts after you here these five. Organ donation is done with protections and advocates for the donor and or person giving consent for the donation of the organs. Of a loved one, sometimes it is already deceased. There is no profit being made or money exchanged is Organ Donation. Furthermore, if there was any evidence of such there would be great cause to investigate. Three, there is never a minor under duress having to make these decisions along without the consent or advocation of an adult or for any operation procedure, let alone an invasive procedure, furthermore, a minor would never be in a position to make the decision to donate the organs of another person. There is no contact when it comes to Organ Donation between the recipient of the organ, the physician, or the transfer team with the consent giver. The transfer giver. The transfer team of the consent cover before the consent is being given, and the violations would never be allowed when it comes to Organ Donation. I want to ask you this, if you are ever in a clinic sitting in that room, understand those protections are different, who was there advocating for you . And an Abortion Clinic . No one. No one. Now, who is there advocating for a minor to this country would not let get behind the wheel of a vehicle, would not allow to to vote, not allowed to join the military, would not be allowed to smoke, would not even be allowed to join a gym because there is a financially binding contract no one. No one. The gentle lady yields back. I recognize myself for five minutes for question. As a reminder to my colleagues, i colleagues, i leave myself to last in the questions. I want to adjust go back to a couple of comments that were made, and i do have a couple of questions for you all. The pricing document, the exhibit d comeau we looked at some of those on the pricings of items, things of this nature. If you are looking at a customer paying 2,000 for brain and over the course of the year that customer is paying 42,000 for the body parts, it is hard to imagine how the procurement business is operating at a loss. And what we are seeking to do is to figure out if there is a violation of law and if someone is selling these fetal tissue parts for profit. And that is what we are digging down on, we are looking at the pricing of fetal tissue represented in those the series documents, and then we have constructed the chart, that she chart that shows where there seems to be movement of money. So you all have heard this debate. You have heard it from both sides. You have heard the questions coming from both sides. And i am going to start with you and work my way down to mr. Saqqara. Very quickly, what i would like to hear from you, what document would you request or subpoena from these procurement organizations in order to find out . We have asked for banking records from the procurement business that has been the point of discussion today, and they have refused to give us those. We thought that would help clear the way, if you will want to figure out. Very quickly. Two minutes 45 seconds left. I would start with accepting the invitation from the procurement business. I would have them come in, put them under oath as i understand theyi understand they have offered to do and asked them how they came up with this charge. That would be an incorrect assumption, assumption, but yes. The 2nd thing i would do is ask them in each particular case what aspect of the actual cost is a particular clinic and kerr. For example, does the clinic provide space, does the clinic, as we clinic, as we have seen in your chart provide the blood draws which require a technician, perhaps a nurse, materials. Does the clinic to do paperwork, and if so how much and how much of the actual reasonable cost as incurred by the clinic itself as opposed to buy the procurement business. Similar, sterilization of similar, sterilization of equipment, the cost capitol, processing, preservation, other transportation costs. I would want this is an hr function. Well past function. Well past time for the consent forms that are put together. All right. As i said in my opening, if i was a prosecutor, you have to have a forensic evaluation accounting of the forensic business because that is not clear. Following the money, you must have the entire picture the 1st thing i would not do is ask if they are innocent or guilty. Guilty. Every defendant i have ever prosecuted for represented has claimed innocence. That is just not the case. I would do the same thing coming to Forensic Accounting, the financial records, profit and loss statements and get people under oath before a grand jury. Letters are not particularly valuable. There are two things that i wouldi would spit specifically seek. First of all, financial records. Second, women of every generation are unique human beings who can speak for themselves. The baby body part profiteers have created a market in which profits rise i would want to find out exactly what the procedures are comeau what documents and training they have a how to speak to women and how they get consent form signed. Ii would echo the comments of the other members of the panel and note that in the case i handled, many of the minors, there were reports from people who owned and ran clinics that many minors will be under the age of 14 who often would cry out for their mothers and so forth. They are in no position to give meaningful consent, such as those suggested by the exhibits that were presented here. Here. Thank you. My time is expired, and i yield it back. I ask unanimous consent that the members written and open statements be introduced in the record. Mdm. Chair, wemadam chair, we provided you a packet of materials to be entered into the record and ask unanimous consent that those be made part of the record. So ordered. And we also will submit the document binder and asked that that be submitted for the record and that staff make the appropriate reductions. So ordered. We will also submit an article from the Sacramento Business Journal from the founder and ceo of stem express that will go into the record. The ranking on stem express by this journal. We also would put into the record a screenshot we pulled from the website just this morning which still has the fetal tissue cell components. And we reviewed that document . This morning, no, you have not. I would like to look at it. So ordered. Im going to reserve the right to object. We also have the source of exhibits will put in the record so that you all know where they can. There was a question on exhibit b 5 that show the growth. That came from business magazine articles in the Congressional Research service. That way you are aware of that. And then there was also the question on exhibit b for the charged with the growth in the number of Abortion Clinics. That information for that chart came from the procurement Business Owner and the contract with the abortion organization. So ordered. I withdraw my reservation. It is submitted. I will also say, the last statement you made about that last document, it was never ratified. The contract was never ratified. It was a draft. It said that on your specific this is what we are putting into the record. We have already litigated that and my objection. With that, the hearing is adjourned, and i thank our witnesses. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]. [inaudible conversations]hostl april 23rd is a 400 the anniversary of shakespeares death in an amended the Folger Library in washington d. C. Which has the largest collection of shakespeare documents and memorabilia memorabilia, will be hosting an event commemorating his life and impact on our literature and language of politics and history. Booktv will cover that the dead to life but afterwards we will have a live nationwide call in with the chicks for scholars say you can join in the conversation as well. Henry folger was the president of Standard Oil Company so he and his wife collecting shakespeare artifacts and memorabilia the largest collection of shakespeare related documents. On saturday april 23rd from the Folger Library for 400 years of shakespeare on booktv cspan where did you first notice politicians using and quotes from shakespeare . But i was in washington 1989. It was hard to escape shakespeare because politicians know it or not dropped as saying his words it is important to american politics that allows politicians to connect with audiences and that gives the politician and a weight. Cspan but senator byrd was the greatest user of shakespeare in the history of the senate. Guest i do think ed is correct also the greatest classical lawyer and is called the cicero of the senate and was very fond and that is one of the distinctive things about them the major amazon the floor of the senate using shakespeare. Hold my tongue. With a thunderous mouth. One drop of blood drawn from that countrys bosom should be more than streams and of these covering heaven fall off our heads like to do for them to be worthy to put our narrow band my crown. What i heard was a very theatrical senator who picks passages that are so poetic and he also moves around he has is he a handsome living he is almost ready to walk around. So what is it like someone that the somebody that is not a shakespeare expert . Sometimes have to go with the poetic images and sound and the rhymes and the way that senator byrd did to pause or living there over a long phrases. He is using the rhythms of the language that shakespeare did so brilliantly so he taking wish to put it into high gear then slow down. That is what shakespeare lets you do if youre a politician. Cspan and have an article july 2010 from the New York Times that most politicians them badly if at all with special emphasis on at all. [laughter] is that fair . But politicians say his words whether they know it or not. So what we use our what we dont really know. So the first use of that needs to be with shakespeare lot of words. But i feel the largest to his point is to the quotation in him accurately . Often we get him wrong but we are close enough that people can hear the connection. We dont know a good indian is but doing exactly we were talking about to put a bunch of quotes together. If you cannot understand my argument and you are quoting shakespeare. If you are more sinned against than sinning you are quoting shakespeare. Guest that is a great example because shakespeare was on stage but in films ted books in the internet they just take a different parts of their laptops to upload them. Shakespeare is public property. Derecognized . Sure. And of the politicians could use i am wrong the war more wrong than i am more sinned against than sinning. Cspan this shows to see how close that Folger Shakespeare library is to the United States capitol. We have a couple of pitchers on the screen scene can tell us. How far is that from the capital. From that point hour french doors to blocks to the u. S. Capitol and youre right next to the library of congress. Cspan how did the Folger Shakespeare library get there in the first place . It was built 1932 by industrialist named henry foster and his wife emily. They owned standard oil and fortunately he loved the book did he loved shakespeare be created the largest collection of shakespeare materials and when he died that i want to put it in washington d. C. And that is important because he understood that americans and politicians have a connection for this writer in a loved having him apart in that neighborhood because if you look at the u. S. Capitol the congress or the Supreme Court those represent the Language Arts the law that was about language. To be a part of that. I made out an application with the letter then to connect to the hundreds of people and then reduce three plays for your in the we have of beautiful exhibition right now how far east tour west they were when navigating. With the thousands of students are performing on the stage so that would have been hard to be qualified but i knew i was qualified to do a lot. I was an english professor. I taught there for three years. Cspan you got your education where . Went to Baxter College and my ph. D. At the university of california berkeley. Cspan then we will continue our questions about the Folger Library here is harry reid. Parting is such sweet sorrow and really is. I am quoting shakespeare parting is such sweet sweet sorrow. And there really is. Guest he is seeing romeo and juliet is clearly an emotional moment as a politician to make an emotional connection and their many things you could say in a situation that around the would not work so one of the things people turn to shakespeare is tried and true that quotation actually comes from the courtship scene about romantic love but like many politicians can just take the phrase to adapt it to his own situation to say goodbye. Cspan how often do politicians come over to the library . All the time were lucky we are close. It is very important that shakespeare never took sides. As a writer he saw the whole world in all the complexities. So we have a member of congress of the judiciary and we were fortunate to have the senators who got together to solve up parts of the collection and got to talk about the renaissance including many scrips from Queen Elizabeth the there is a very successful female leader who had great challenges so i felt honored this email senator chose to come of and that they could see the connections between the challenges of the truly Great Monarch not a politician but her predicament as a woman in politics was difficult. So i can share that with the leaders of the country. Does anybody know what shakespeares politics would have been in todays world . I will tell you what i think. I think shakespeare understood that family politics are the countrys politics that history plays you can see the problems of dynasties in to turn on family relationships. I am not sure that is left or right but definitely something about politics he was aware of. And there is a place for he seems very skeptical of crowds. And there was the play with the masses rise up in demand for the general of that excitable ignorant so it is interesting. So he knew there was a danger and i think he would have been friendly to our constitutional democracy. I dont know but he wrote plays and with the monarchy for some level. If you think about the issue for shakespeare the culture war was between protestants and catholics the left in the right of his world those who want to remake the world into a New Jerusalem to have a direct connection with god than the Catholic Church with the rituals and this was the tension and catholicism. He may have come from a catholic family so when you think about what was going on behind the scenes i think the most relevant battle he was probably aware of was between protestants and catholics. Cspan on the floor during a filibuster senator ted cruz. For he today the chance of blood shall be my blood brother this day shall gentle his condition and gentleman sitting clint shawl think themselves cursed that they were not here. To hold the manhood while anyone speaks upon sage kristins day. The senator from kentucky those sentiments expressed centuries ago is precisely applicable to stand here tonight. Against the administration refuses to read knowledge limits. Guest that is a fascinating clip. The speech before a major battle. People talk about leadership talk about that speech to motivate people to go into a battle it is so tough to do a play because he talks about the monarchal coal tendencies of his own authority that the person to deliver those lines so we can use shakespeare against the purposes that were originally intended he is trying to say one thing and shakespeare is on another side at that moment. Cspan after that peace is not dead from the New York Times he said no american politician today wants to seem too educated. Quoting shakespeare is risky that may be bright. 19th century people who were educated who learned to write were exposed to rhetoric be art of public speaking and those trainings right before you go to university know that happened by learning to shoot quote shakespeare with his speeches and traditionally that is gone now. Speakers the to be more flexible and broadcast to people that i may know more than you but i am also like you. So the political discourse we still quote shakespeare but we still need to have more downtoearth it doesnt sound like it is coming from on high. That is where you come from the press release it in that talking points now is more about focus imprecision and that is where it is tough for shakespeare to work his way back in. Cspan here is sarah palin. [cheers and applause] i am so glad to be here truly makes me think of that famous speech from henry the fifth where young henry talks the troops before he moves them into battle. Because that is what i do i quote shakespeare. [laughter] i am more likely to say step up or stay in the truck but it works. But we are a happy band of brothers and sisters fighting a fight for that constitution. This is a fight for the future of freedom. Cspan that is from the nra yvette. But she delivers those speeches and then she to mix it was something just the opposite to stand up for state of the truck and she is doing what politicians know how to do to go from the height of language and culture to something more close to the ground but i would say that shakespeare himself was really, really good at hitting both sides of our language. To put that into context some of those more powerful moments had heroes using those grounding words from what comes from though life world and step up or stay in the truck is exactly that kind of language but bin to the other place which is the language with french and latin came to britain and they were connected to the bureaucracy. But i think Abraham Lincoln when he read shakespeares so carefully. He wasnt always necessarily quoting shakespeare but realized it is important for a politician to play all of the octaves sometimes do very loud and ornate but also direct. I think sarah palin hit both of those. Cspan number two on the floor of the senate talking about him what. I spoke to our chaplin before we started the session about aligned in a shakespeare i have always struggled to understand. From hamlet in his famous soliloquy that said conscience makes cowards of us all. Guest that is a good one. You decide you want to do something then you think about it rather it is right or right for you and you pies. So your conscience is sitting in your shoulder saying dont do it. Dont do it so then you feel like a coward. Cspan when did shakespeare live. Guest 16th she died 1616 there are some parts of his life we have to only guess about but becomes the most successful playwright in history. Cspan how much was he split from his life his wife . The image that is a good question he spent time away from her in one of the things we think about is what was his relationship to her . In his will he left her the second best bed that sounds insulting but there may be other reasons why that was a gift also we start to think that she may have been managing a business in stratford to bankroll him all he was in london soared above to know more about that because then we find more documents. , rich you trust that what you know, about shakespeare . And what did he die of . Where does it come from . And the Folger Shakespeare Library Talks about shakspere life of an icon with every doctor in that historically connected this as collections from our collection in the British Library and the trust all in one place probably the First Time Since he died there is ever been in one place but among those are the documents about his birth and his staff and death but we need to put things together which has a certain amount of trustworthiness in the other part shakespeare was a famous man and people wrote about him during theyre lifetime hitter people completing to say who is this upstart . He is not from london he did not go to university. And also to help connect with the court records. Cspan heres another one. Improve secretary party who admitted that this sequestration that it was president of of this idea. No republicans have voted against the sequestration because so reminds me of the shakespeare line doffed protest too much did you know, this is going to happen . We do. That she doffs protests too much is macbeth. It is very common for people to reach out to the memory to grab of a piece of shakespeare and other common one is i knew him well. But actually it says i knew him ratio. So we like to have those sources so shakespeare is a living encyclopedia and then to put up a short piece so it helps to make the point in that point there is it is tricky but those two are against this with the protesting too much speesixtespeesixte en we saudia get 700,000 from the federal government and the federal expenditures were higher what is the money from the government . It is from two sources that is part of the federal government to make the librarys great but to the National Endowment for the communities and to show the history of how he came to the King James Bible and then to come around the country. Also a to make possible for us is a tour of the big book of all 50 states and the two territories in 2015. So they take the book all over the country it opened it the to be or not to be speech with Public Libraries and museums and hopefully people will see the book may be just the source or the factory still have the books and to recognize is still speaks to us. And with those research projects. We are Neither Church nor state we can help members of congress or clergy but it is the misprint to the 10 commandments reading and so we wont name names but it is interesting to me is tough the ways you can talk about him better very academic but shakespeare is part of a world that is big hit produce the King James Bible shakespeare in the scheme would ashley King James Bible or the most influential documents for americans. Looking at more quote from our friends. It shows you again