NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, THANKS
VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> DISTRICT ATTORNEY THIS WEEK
CHARGED 92-YEAR OLD DEFROCKED
FORMER CARDINAL THEODORE
McCARRICK WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT.
THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT SAYS
McCARRICK REPEATEDLY SEXUALLY
ABUSED THE VICTIM IN THE 1970s
AT A GENEVA LAKE RESIDENCE.
HE HAS CHARGES SPENDING AS WELL
IN ANOTHER STATE AND IN 2019,
POPE FRANCIS DEFROCKED HIM FOR
SEXUALLY ABUSING MINORS AND
ADULTS.
McCARRICK IS THE ONLY U.S.
CATHOLIC CARDINAL EVER TO BE
CRIMINALLY CHARGED WITH CHILD
SEX CRIMES.
THE WISCONSIN CHARGES ARE THE
RESULT OF A REPORT MADE TO THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CLERGY AND
FAITH LEASHED ABUSE INITIATIVE.
THAT TIP LINE AND ON-LINE
REPORTING SYSTEM STARTED NEARLY
TWO YEARS AGO, AND TO DATE HAS
COMPLETED 248 REPORTS OF ABUSE.
ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSH KAUL JOINS
US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO HOW MEANINGFUL ARE
WISCONSIN CHARGES AGAINST ONE OF
THE MOST PROMINENT RELIGIOUS
LEADERS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
>> I THINK IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK THAT
WE'RE DOING.
WE HAVE ASKED SURVIVORS ACROSS
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN TO MAKE
REPORTS IF THERE'S INFORMATION
THAT THEY HAVE CERTAINLY
INVOLVING ABUSE OF WHICH THEY
WERE VICTIMS, BUT ALSO IF
ANYBODY HAS INFORMATION ABOUT
INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE TO ABUSE
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S
BEEN SO ENCOURAGING IS THAT OVER
200 PEOPLE HAVE REACHED OUT AND
MADE REPORTS.
THAT SHOWS ME THAT WHAT WE'VE
SET UP THROUGH THE TIP LINE IS A
TRUSTED SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO
REPORT, AND THAT'S GOING TO LEAD
TO ACCOUNTABILITY IN A VARIETY
OF WAYS.
THERE ARE NOW THREE CASES THAT
HAVE BEEN CRIMINALLY CHARGED,
ONE OF WHICH HAS RESULTED IN A
CONVICTION, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTING
VICTIMS WITH SERVICES AND THAT
WE'RE PROVIDING AS FULL AN
ACCOUNTING AS POSSIBLE THROUGH
OUR REVIEW HERE.
>> THE McCARRICK CHARGES WERE
MADE AFTER A REPORT TO THIS
CLERGY ABUSE HOTLINE, SHOWING
HOW PEOPLE ARE REPORTING AFTER
DECADES OF NOT TELLING ANYONE.
WHAT HAVE SURVIVORS TOLD YOUR
VICTIM SERVICES SPECIALISTS
ABOUT WHAT PROMPTED THEM TO
REPORT?
>> I THINK FOR A LOT OF
SURVIVORS, HAVING A SAFE AND
TRUSTED PLACE IS PART OF WHAT'S
CAUSED THEM TO REPORT.
AS YOU SAID, THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO, FOR DECADES, HAVE NOT
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED ABUSE AND
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO DID
REPORT THAT ABUSE TO TRUSTED
PEOPLE AND SOMETIMES CHURCH
OFFICIALS, SOMETIMES TO LAW
ENFORCEMENT, AND DIDN'T GET THE
KIND OF RESPONSE THAT THEY
SHOULD HAVE.
I THINK -- I HOPE THE PEOPLE
HAVE SEEN HOW COMMITTED WE ARE
TO CONDUCTING A FULL AND
THOROUGH REVIEW AND THE NUMBER
OF REPORTS WE'VE RECEIVED AND
SOME OF THE RESULTS THAT WE'VE
GOTTEN FROM THOSE REPORTS I
THINK SHOWS HOW COMMITTED WE ARE
TO THIS.
>> FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T REPORT
EVER UNTIL NOW, WHAT HAVE THEY
SAID ABOUT LIVING IN SILENCE ALL
THOSE YEARS?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED
TO MAKE SURE WE WERE DOING
THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS TO HAVE
A VICTIM CENTRIC APPROACH.
WE KNOW GOING IN THAT SOME OF
THESE CASES WOULD INVOLVE
INCIDENTS THAT HAPPENED DECADES
AGO AND WOULD BE OUTSIDE THE
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS OR EVEN
CASES WHERE THE PERPETRATOR HAS
PASSED AWAY, BUT THAT DOESN'T
MEAN THAT WE CAN'T DO IMPORTANT
WORK BEHALF SURVIVORS, AND ONE
OF THE THINGS IS THAT THE
PROCESS OF TALKING WITH A VICTIM
SERVICES SPECIALIST WHO IS
TRAINED IN WORKING WITH
SURVIVORS, THAT THAT HAS BEEN A
HUGE BENEFIT TO THE SURVIVORS
WHO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
REPORT AND WE'VE HEARD SOME
REALLY COMPELLING STORIES ABOUT
HOW MUCH THAT'S MEANT TO PEOPLE
IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS.
>> SOWFD ONE CONVICTION OPINION
SO YOU HAVE HAD ONE CONVICTION
IN WAUSHARA COUNTY AND THE
INFORMATION IS STILL AVAILABLE?
>> WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO MAKE
REPORTS IF THEY HAVE INFORMATION
BUT WE ARE CONTINUING TO REVIEW
CASES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO
US.
WE HAVE MULTI-DISCIPLDISCIPLINAS
AND THEY'RE REVIEWING EACH AND
EVERY REPORT THAT WE RECEIVE AND
FIGURING OUT WHAT FOLLOW-UP CAN
HAPPEN AND IS APPROPRIATE AND
THEN PURSUING THAT FOLLOW-UP.
THAT PROCESS IS GOING TO
CONTINUE AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE
TO RECEIVE INFORMATION.
>> CAN IT BE HARD TO MAKE
CHARGES IN THESE CASES,
PARTICULARLY THE ONES THAT ARE
DECADES OLD?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
IN ANY ACE T CASE THAT GOES BACT
FAR, YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ISSUES
AND ALSO YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE
THE FACT THAT WITNESSES WHO MAY
HAVE BEEN AROUND MAY HAVE MOVED
TO A DIFFERENT STATE OR EVEN OUT
OF THE COUNTRY.
THAT CAN MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT.
IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO
INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE CASES
SOON AFTER THE INCIDENTS HAVE
HAPPENED, BUT THAT DOESN'T MOONN
THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF VALUE
IN CONDUCTING THIS REVIEW AND
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE PURSUING
CASES AS LONG AS WE GET
INFORMATION.
>> GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE
BEGINNING, WHY DID YOU START THE
CLERGY AND FAITH LEADERS ABUSE
INITIATIVE?
>> ONE OF MY PRIORITIES AS
ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS BEEN TO
STRENGTHEN WISCONSIN'S RESPONSE
TO SEXUAL ASSAULT.
IT'S A CRIME THAT HISTORICALLY
HAS HAD VERY LOW PERCENTAGE OF
REPORTS MADE AND I DON'T THINK
OUR SYSTEMIC RESPONSE IS AS
STRONG AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
OVER THE DECADES.
WE WANT TO FIX THAT.
WE'VE PRIORITIZED CASES WHERE
THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN
INVESTIGATED OR PROSECUTED
PREVIOUSLY BUT WEREN'T AND SO
WE'VE WORKED TO ENSURE THERE'S
NEVER ANOTHER BACKLOG OF
UNTESTED SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS
THAT WE'VE PROSECUTED SOME CASES
THAT D.N.A. RESULTS WERE FOUND
THROUGH THE BACKLOG AND LIKEWISE
WITH CLERGY AND FAITH LEADERS
ABUSE, WE KNOW THERE ARE CASES
THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PURSUED
AND WEREN'T.
>> THE U.S. SUPREME COURT HAD
UNDER CONSIDERATION THE CASE OF
WHETHER TO BLOCK OR ALLOW THE
ABORTION PILL.
WHY DID YOU SIGN ON TO PROTECT
ITS USE WHEN, AS IT STANDS NOW,
ABORTION IS ILLEGAL IN
WISCONSIN?
>> THERE ARE A COUPLE REASONS.
FIRST, WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE
FREEDOM IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN AND WE'RE PURSUING
EFFORTS ON MULTIPLE FRONTS TO
RESTORE ACCESS TO SAFE AND LEGAL
ABORTION.
BUT MIFEPRISTONE IS NOT ONLY
USED IN ABORTIONS, BUT
MISCARRIAGE MANAGEMENT.
WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANY
OPTIONS AWAY FROM WOMEN THAT ARE
LEGALLY VALID IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN IF WE CAN PROTECT
THEM, SO PROTECTING ACCESS TO
MIFEPRISTONE HELPS THERE, BUT
ALSO WE ARE ALSO ADVOCATING IN
COURT THAT THE ABORTION BAN IS
NOT ENFORCEABLE AND IF WE WIN
THAT CASE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT ACCESS TO CARE IS AS WIDELY
AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE AND
WINNING THIS CASE WOULD HELP
WITH THAT.
>> DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU
HAVE A GOOD CASE IN THE
OVERTURNING THE CURRENT ABORTION
LAW?
>> I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT OUR
CASE.
THERE WERE A SERIES OF LAWS THAT
WERE PASSED FOLLOWING ROE VERSUS
WADE THAT REGULATE LAWFUL
ABORTION.
THEY ARE FUNDAMENTALLY
INCONSISTENT WITH THE IDEA OF
THE BROAD 1849 BAN AND I'M VERY
HOSPITAL MISS THAT THE COURTS --
OPTIMISTIC THAT THE COURTS WILL
FIND THAT THE LAW WAS REPEALED
WHICH WOULD MEAN IT'S NOT
ENFORCEABLE AND THAT WE GO BACK
TO BASICALLY WHERE WE WERE PRIOR
ROE VERSUS WADE BEING