>>> RIGHT NOW WE ARE STARTING
>>> RIGHT NOW WE ARE STARTING
THE HOME STRETCH OF THE 2020
CAMPAIGN WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
FORMALLY ACCEPTING HIS PARTY’S
NOMINATION LAST NIGHT.
ELECTION DAY JUST A LITTLE MORE
THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY.
I SAT DOWN WITH DEMOCRATIC VICE
PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE SENATOR
KAMALA HARRIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON
FOR A WIDE RANGING CONVERSATION
ON THE ISSUES FACING AMERICANS
IN THIS UNIQUE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION YEAR, AND WE STARTED
WITH THE JACOB BLAKE CASE, THE
MAN SHOT SEVEN TIMES BY POLICE
IN WISCONSIN.
>> AS I UNDERSTAND, YOU’VE
TALKED TO JACOB BLAKE’S FAMILY.
>> YES.
>> WHAT WAS THAT CONVERSATION
LIKE?
>> FIRST OF ALL, HIS FAMILY,
THEY’RE REALLY WONDERFUL AND
EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE.
THEY HAVE SUFFERED SO MUCH -- HE
HAS SIX CHILDREN.
THREE, HIS SONS, THE ELDEST, IT
WAS HIS EIGHTH BIRTHDAY THAT
DAY, RIGHT?
IT WAS A FAMILY CONVERSATION AND
IT WAS HIS SISTER, HIS FATHER,
HIS MOTHER.
THEY’RE JUST FULL OF GRACE AND
PAIN.
THAT’S CO-EXISTING FOR THEM.
I TALKED AGAIN WITH HIS MOTHER.
BUT JOE WAS SO GOOD WITH THEM.
JOE BIDEN -- HE HAS HAD
CONVERSATIONS WITH JACOB’S
FAMILY, MR. BLAKE’S FAMILY.
HE’S HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH MR.
FLOYD’S FAMILY.
WITH AHMAUD ARBERY’S FAMILY.
HE SEES THEM, AND THEY NEED TO
BE SEEN.
THEY NEED TO BE HEARD.
I THINK THAT’S THE IMPORTANT
THING ABOUT THESE CONVERSATIONS.
>> AS A FORMER PROSECUTOR AND
SOMEONE WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH
POLICE FOR YEARS, BASED ON WHAT
YOU’VE SEEN AND WHAT YOU KNOW
ABOUT THE CASE, IS THERE A
SCENARIO IN WHICH THAT OFFICER
WOULD HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED, WAS
JUSTIFIED IN FIRING HIS WEAPON?
>> CRAIG, I DON’T SEE IT, BUT I
DON’T HAVE ALL THE EVIDENCE.
FROM WHAT I SAW, WHICH IS WHAT
THE PUBLIC IS SEEING -- I’M NOT
THE PROSECUTOR IN THE CASE.
I DON’T HAVE ALL THE EVIDENCE.
THE MAN WAS GOING TO HIS CAR.
HE DIDN’T APPEAR TO BE ARMED,
AND IF HE WAS NOT ARMED, IF HE
WAS NOT ARMED, THE USE OF FORCE
THAT WAS SEVEN BULLETS COMING
OUT OF A GUN AT CLOSE RANGE IN
THE BACK OF THE MAN, I DON’T SEE
HOW ANYBODY COULD REASON THAT
THAT WAS JUSTIFIABLE.
>> YOU THINK THE OFFICER SHOULD
BE CHARGED?
>> I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A
THOROUGH INVESTIGATION.
BASED ON WHAT I’VE SEEN, IT
SEEMS THE OFFICER SHOULD BE
CHARGED.
>> A LOT OF FOLKS WERE SAYING
HERE IS A MAN WHO WOULDN’T
FOLLOW POLICE COMMANDS.
LAW ENFORCEMENT APPEARED TO FIRE
A TASER.
HE WAS REACHING IRCHT A CAR
WHERE A LIFE WAS LATER FOUND.
BECAUSE OF THOSE REASONS, WE
SHOULD RESERVE JUDGMENT.
THE OFFICER SHOULD BE AFFORDED
DUE PROCESS.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THOSE
PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING THAT?
>> EVERYONE SHOULD BE AFFORDED
DUE PROCESS.
I AGREE WITH THAT COMPLETELY.
THAT’S ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE
IMPORTANT TENETS OF OUR SYSTEM
OF JUSTICE.
HERE’S THE THING.
IN AMERICA WE KNOW THESE CASES
KEEP HAPPENING.
WE HAVE HAD TOO MANY BLACK MEN
IN AMERICA WHO HAVE BEEN THE
SUBJECT OF THIS KIND OF CONDUCT
AND MANY OF WHOM HAVE LOST THEIR
LIVES, AND WE SPEAK THEIR NAME
ALL THE TIME.
AGAIN, GEORGE FLOYD, JUST AS THE
MOST RECENT, MOST PUBLIC EXAMPLE
OF THIS.
IT’S GOT TO STOP.
IT’S GOT TO STOP.
LISTEN, THERE ARE STILL TWO
FORMS OF JUSTICE IN AMERICA.
WE HAVE TO BE HONEST ABOUT THAT.
I WORK IN THE UNITED STATES
SENATE RIGHT ACROSS THE SENATE
FROM MY OFFICE IS THE SUPREME
COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.
AS A COLLEGE STUDENT AT HOWARD
UNIVERSITY I WOULD WALK BY THAT
BUILDING.
THE MAJESTIC NATURE OF IT.
THURGOOD MARSHALL WAS IN THERE,
HAD HE NOT DECIDED BROWN V BOARD
OF EDUCATION, I WOULDN’T BE
RIGHT NOW.
ETCHED IN THAT MARBLE, EQUAL
JUSTICE UNDER LAW.
AS A TENET, AS AN IDEAL OF OUR
SYSTEM OF JUSTICE, BUT WE KNOW
THAT’S STILL NOT THE CASE IN
AMERICA
AMERICA.
IT IS STILL THE CASE IN AMERICA
THAT THERE IS A PROFOUND NEED
FOR REFORM OF OUR CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM AND OUR POLICING
SYSTEMS SO THAT IT WILL NOT BE A
DEATH SENTENCE.
IT WILL NOT BE A SENTENCE OF
BEING PARALYZED POTENTIALLY FOR
THE REST OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE
YOU’RE A BLACK MAN IN AMERICA.
>> REPUBLICANS HAVE MADE LAW AND
ORDER A CENTRAL THEME OF THE
CAMPAIGN
CAMPAIGN.
THEY’RE HOLDING UP THE VIOLENT
PART OF THE PROTESTS, HOLDING
THEM UP AS EXAMPLES OF WHAT THIS
COUNTRY WOULD LOOK LIKE IF JOE
BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS WERE TO
BE ELECTED.
LAST NIGHT WE HEARD VICE
PRESIDENT PENCE SAY PEOPLE WOULD
NOT BE SAFE IN JOE BIDEN’S
AMERICA.
A FEW HOURS AGO I HEARD THE VICE
PRESIDENT SAY -- VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN SAY THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS
ROOTING FOR MORE VIOLENCE.
HE THOUGHT PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS
ROOTING FOR MORE VIOLENCE. HOW DOES MORE VIOLENCE HELP THE
HOW DOES MORE VIOLENCE HELP THE
PRESIDENT POLITICALLY?
>> YOU’LL HAVE TO ASK KELLYANNE
CONWAY OR SOMEBODY.
THAT’S NOT MY DEAL TO FIGURE OUT
HIS POLITICAL STRATEGY.
I WILL SAY THIS ABOUT THE
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, SOME OF
WHICH I HAVE WATCHED.
I HAVE YET TO SEE THESE PEOPLE
WHO PROFESS TO BE NATIONAL
LEADERS SPEAK ABOUT THIS ISSUE
OF THE KILLING OF UNARMED BLACK
MEN, BROWN MEN, INDIGENOUS MEN
IN OUR COUNTRY.
I HAVE YET TO HEAR THEM SPEAK
ABOUT IT.
THIS IS A MOMENT, WE ARE TWO
MONTHS PRACTICALLY, A LITTLE
MORE, AWAY FROM THE ELECTION TO
DECIDE WHO WILL BECOME THE NEXT
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
WHILE WE’RE IN THE MIDST OF AT
LEAST FOUR CRISES, AND THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF
RACE OR GENDER OR AGE OR
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION HAVE A RIGHT
TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR LEADERS
WILL SPEAK TRUTH EVEN WHEN THESE
ARE DIFFICULT TRUTHS, TO SPEAK
AND TO HEAR.
WE’RE NOT SEEING THAT IN THE
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION.
WE’RE NOT SEEING THAT FROM THE
