Matt Lauer Fired Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations.
COOPER: More on our breaking news tonight, Matt Lauer out at NBC facing sexual misconduct allegations. He had his media figures, like Lauer, quickly condemned and fired, politicians referring differently when sexual misconduct allegations come out. Men like Congressman John Conyers, Senator Al Franken are staying in office, that's on top of at least two yet unnamed lawmakers who reportedly settled with their accusers using taxpayer money but are still serving. I spoke to Democratic Congressman Kathleen Rice about the issue. Here's what she said.</s>REP. KATHLEEN RICE, (D) NEW YORK: Where are the professional consequences for the abusers? We in Congress, right here right now at this seminal moment in this country's history have the opportunity to say we are going to lean on this issue and we are not going to allow this kind of abusive environment to exist anymore.</s>COOPER: I want to bring back in our panel. Is there a double standard here for how people in the private, you know, private businesses are finally being -- how it's being addressed and how it's being addressed in the public realm, I mean the political realm?</s>POWERS: Yes. I mean there seems to be a higher standard for morning news hosts than there is for members of Congress. I mean that's the way it looks right now. So morning news anchor gets held to a higher standard. This idea of due process, I mean due process is a legal issue. I mean, nobody is actually going to through a trial and have real due process. You're going to have somebody look at it and say is this a credible accusation. Like the "Today Show" presumably what did with Matt Lauer and different people have done, I mean, for some reason, the Democrats seem to think that, you know, a John Conyers or an Al Franken deserves some sort of higher level, you know, or shouldn't be held at the same standard as Matt Lauer. And I just don't think that's right thinking they're held to a higher standard.</s>COOPER: Well, this --</s>CARPENTER: I would say, here's what blows my mind politically about all these for the Democrats. The closest thing that the Democrats and progressives have to the Tea Party was the woman's march that materialized out of nowhere the day after Donald Trump's inauguration. That political power has nowhere to go. If I were a Democratic operative, I would be trying to find a woman in Congress to somehow become the leader of that, early supposed or person for that. And note, where that Nancy Pelosi blew that in the Sunday morning interview by saying that, well at John Conyers is an icon. Elizabeth Warren could conceivably lead that movement but she doesn't seem up for the job. Kathleen Rice, I see potential for her there because that energy needs somewhere to go as a response to Donald Trump. I would think if they want to be successful but until they figure out a way to do that, it's just going to further (ph) away.</s>SCHULTZ: And there's a huge debate going on in the private sectors that relates to these types of cases and the labor and employment roles. The employment role world where the plaintiff's bar who represents the victims and the Defense Department represents the corporations. A lot of times, you are agreeing on the fact that the confidentiality agreements are a good thing. Because what it does is encourage -- it keeps it from heading to litigation, where, you know, all of this gets aired out in the court of law. And there won't be settlements and folks who were confidentiality agreements don't exist. They maybe say, OK, we're going to take this to the Matt and I'm going to defend my reputation to the end, regardless of the allegations, because I feel I -- that the person who has been accused feels that they need to be vindicated in court. So the whole issue that changes when it relates to the public sector, I think. So there's a real question as to when taxpayer dollars are involved, what is the accountability of Congress? What's the accountability, what's the process there to hold folks accountable and look at these issues and determine whether they need to be made public or not.</s>BEGALA: And I'm just -- Dana Bash was reporting today about the process though which a victim reports harassment by congressman.</s>COOPER: Right.</s>BEGALA: But in the Matt Lauer case, apparently the woman and her attorney went to NBC H.R., they investigated immediately, and within 48 hours, the guy was gone. Apparently, there's four, five, six hoops that a victim has to go through.</s>COOPER: Right, it's clearly stuck against the victim.</s>BEGALA: It completely stuck against the victim. And then these agreements are sealed, we never know about them and they're paying them off with our money. Shareholder's money is one thing that's for the corporation and the shareholders aside. But this is taxpayer's money, they got to reform that.</s>CARTER: The news -- a news organization, it has to be transparent with how could they cover this, how do they cover any of the other stories if they cover up their own --</s>COOPER: But that thing, you now look at Matt Lauer grilling Bill O'Reilly about, you know, text messages and --</s>CARTER: And it looks ridiculous and embarrassing that that happened. But for news organization and media organization, they can't play the game that the politicians are playing with this. And say, you know, it's not so serious, and we're going to cover it up or we're going to deny it. And I think that when NBC -- they sort of listen long ago, but at least they acted when this story was come, they acted, they did act.</s>SCHULTZ: And there's certainly needs to be mandatory training. Some states, like California require attorney on behalf of the corporations to require training on these issues, certainly that needs to happen in Congress. And --</s>CARPENTER: Does it matter when you elect somebody like Roy Moore? I mean seriously.</s>BEGALA: Or Donald Trump, who had 12 women by name have accused him of harassment. And the American people more voted for Hillary, but still, enough voted for Donald Trump that he could sneak through the Electoral College.</s>COOPER: Yes, Kirsten, are you going to say something.</s>POWERS: I was just going to say, well, the other thing is but the Congress is non -- this NDAs (ph) where you can't talk about the new thing. But then Conyers can continue talking and his lawyer can continue talking.</s>COOPER: Right.</s>POWERS: But the woman can never come out and say anything. And so I think that she needs to be released from that anyway.</s>SCHULTZ: Well, if you look at it in the context of the private sector world, where both parties come to an agreement on a confidentiality agreement, that's strikingly different from mandating it upon staff in the government.</s>COOPER: We got to take a break. Thanks, everybody, for being on the show. Coming up, something to makes you smile in a long day kind of weird day. The Ridiculist is next.