The editing was done to "protect" the late Supreme Court justice, Couric wrote in her memoir, The Post received. In "Going There," which is out Oct. 26, she stressed that she felt that Ginsburg, who was 83 at the time of the interview, may not have understood what Couric was asking her, as first reported by the Daily Mail.
She "was elderly and probably didn't understand the question," Couric asserted in the 500-page scorched-earth biography in which no colleague, ex-boyfriend, or acquaintance is safe from the former "Today" host's brutal score-settling.
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While the interview that Yahoo ultimately issued! The news did include Ginsburg saying that she thinks that not standing during the national anthem as an act of protest is "dumb and disrespectful," it did not have her strongest objections to the show, according to Couric.
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Not standing for the anthem shows a "contempt for a government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life … While they probably could not have lived in the places they came from … as they became older, they realized that this was youthful folly. And that's why education is important," Ginsburg told Couric at the time. "I think it's a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn't lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act."
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Couric, being a "big RBG fan" and feeling protective of her and the debate the remarks would likely entangle her in, wrote in the book that she "lost a lot of sleep" and felt intensely "conflicted" over choosing whether she should include Ginsburg's complete thoughts on the matter.
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Couric claims that she "lost a lot of sleep over this one" and still grapples with the choice she made.
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According to Couric, she "wanted to protect" Ginsburg and felt that the issue of racial justice was a "blind spot" for her.
When Couric pushed further, asking if she believes athletes are "within their rights to exercise those actions," Ginsburg replied: "Yes. If they want to be stupid, there's no law that should be preventive.
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"If they want to be arrogant, there's no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that," she added.
As well, the day after the interview, the Supreme Court's head of public affairs emailed Couric to say Ginsburg had "misspoken" and asked that her remarks on the matter be dismissed from the piece. Couric, in the end, did most of what they requested.
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