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00:02Good evening and welcome to Politics Nation. Tonight's lead, follow the lead.
00:20Tonight, the House Democratic leader joins us after an intense week of news, starting
00:27in Washington, where a partial government shutdown is underway. The House is expected to take
00:34up the Senate spending bill Monday, with controversial funding for the Department of Homeland Security
00:40stripped out. We have late breaking news that passing the measure won't be eased. Many lawmakers
00:48aren't satisfied with what the Justice Department says is the final drop of the Epstein file.
00:56Numbering some three million pages of documents, there are some surprising names and revelations,
01:04but still much less than promised by the Justice Department and filled with heavy redactions more
01:12than a month after the congressional deadline. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, a federal judge just
01:18ruled against a pause of the DHS surge in the state, where thousands of people are in chilly Minneapolis
01:27streets for the second weekend in a row to protest ICE and the killings of Rene Good and Alex Prenti.
01:36Joining me now is House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you, leader, for being with us.
01:46Let's start with the partial government shutdown, largely over DHS funding, and the breaking news
01:53tonight that you've reportedly told Speaker Mike Johnson that House Democrats will not provide the
01:59votes to pass the government funding bill through the fast-track suspension of the rules process.
02:06This will force House leadership to go through regular order and potentially jeopardize passage of
02:13the package. What can you tell us, Leader Jeffries, that this will do and why you've made that decision?
02:22Well, good evening, Rev. It's great to be with you. We clearly have a DHS and ICE agency that is
02:30completely and totally out of control. Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable
02:35for everyday Americans, not kill them or brutalize law-abiding immigrant families, which is what we're
02:42seeing in Minneapolis and all across the country. We've laid out a clear set of demands. We're in
02:48alignment with the way in which Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats have articulated those demands,
02:53and we're going to need to see dramatic change as it relates to how the Department of Homeland Security
02:59operates moving forward. In terms of the legislation that's going to be in front of the House on Monday,
03:05we need a full and complete debate. And what I've made clear to House Republicans is that they cannot
03:11simply move forward with legislation taking a my way or the highway approach in the absence of House
03:19Democrats convening, which we're going to do tomorrow, and having a discussion about the appropriate way
03:24forward and making sure that in this two-week period of time that is contemplated by the continuing
03:32resolution that would freeze ICE funding for 14 days, that there's a robust, ironclad path to bringing
03:41about the type of change that the American people are demanding.
03:44So I'm clear on this to really make sure I understand this. The Democrats in the House that you are
03:52the
03:53leader of are saying that you want some definitive things done before you even get to a two-week
04:01deadline or two-week extension running out. You want to see something definitive, including the fact that
04:08many Democrats around the country, many people want to see something about ICE. You want to see some
04:13melting of the ICE before you vote for the package. Well, what we're saying is that we need a clear
04:19path forward, and we haven't had that discussion with the White House or anyone within the administration.
04:25And the things that we've talked about needing to occur, and we understand that we're going to have
04:31to build this into law, and that's what's contemplated, we believe at least over the next two weeks,
04:38are things like no masks, body cameras being mandatory. We need judicial warrants before ICE
04:47can storm homes or rip people out of their cars in the horrific ways that we've been seeing.
04:53We need to make sure that ICE agents who violate the law can actually be criminally
04:58investigated and prosecuted by state and local authorities when their laws have been violated.
05:05There is no such thing we believe as absolute immunity, and it was horrifying to hear the vice president
05:12make that observation a few weeks ago. We need ICE and DHS agencies to conduct themselves like every
05:20other law enforcement agency in the country. And what we're saying is that if we're contemplating
05:25a two-week freeze in order to get us to a place where we can see dramatic change, we want
05:32to understand
05:32that there's an ironclad path forward to get those things done.
05:37Now, earlier today, a federal judge denied an emergency request from Minnesota to end
05:44Operation Metro surge in the state. This has, we've learned, that Ohio appears to be the next target
05:52for an ICE surge. And the DOJ has launched a civil rights investigation into Alex Preetis's killing,
06:01uh, but no federal investigation has been announced in the killing of Renee Good. Now,
06:08thousands of people flooded Minneapolis's, uh, chilly streets for a second straight Friday,
06:13calling for ICE to leave Minnesota and other states. We have seen additional demonstrations today.
06:20Well, what's your message to the people who want to see ICE out of their communities,
06:25and who want to see these killings fully investigated, uh, with agents held accountable,
06:32both by the state and the federal government?
06:35Well, the American way is a full and complete investigation. Nobody is above the law.
06:41But what we're seeing, uh, from this Trump Department of Justice, from the Trump administration,
06:47in fact, from high level members of the Trump administration, including so-called Secretary
06:52Kristi Noem, are excuses and lies, trying to cover up an investigation, slandering Renee Nicole
06:59Good as a domestic terrorist, slandering Alex Preeti as a domestic terrorist, or as Stephen Miller
07:04called them, a would-be assassin. When the American people know that the exact opposite was the case.
07:11And we are seeing thousands of people in Minnesota and beyond peacefully and powerfully
07:18and patriotically protest. And that's consistent with American values. What the Department of Justice
07:23is doing, uh, they can only be trusted to investigate Donald Trump's political enemies.
07:29They can't be trusted to conduct a fair and impartial and an independent investigation,
07:34which is why one of the demands that we've been making in terms of what needs to happen moving forward
07:39with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, uh, is to make it clear that state and
07:46local officials,
07:46like the Attorney General of the great state of Minnesota, A.G. Keith Ellison, or others,
07:51have the ability to investigate federal agents who break the law.
07:57Now, one of your Democratic caucus members, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilan Omar,
08:03was sprayed with vinegar this week at a town hall by an assailant now facing federal assault charges.
08:11The assailant appears to be a supporter of President Trump. And the attack follows Trump's claims this
08:17week, uh, that the DOJ and Congress are investigating Omar, who he suggested, without evidence,
08:25to have staged the town hall incident. A new report from U.S. Capitol Police has found threats against
08:32members of Congress have spiked in 2025 for a third year in a row. So how do you keep your
08:40members
08:40safe when the president is sending these kinds of messages, even when his administration is claiming
08:47they want to deescalate tensions? Well, Donald Trump needs to tone down his irresponsible rhetoric,
08:55which is fanning the flames of hatred against members of Congress generally. And of course,
09:02in this specific instance, against Representative Ilhan Omar, who's a hardworking, conscientious,
09:08courageous public servant, trying to do the best that she can under very difficult circumstances
09:15to serve the people that she's privileged to represent in Minnesota. We need to continue to lean
09:21in and do everything possible to protect the safety and the well-being of members of Congress and their
09:27families so that during this very fraught time, and we've seen political violence increase over the
09:33last 10 years to levels that are unacceptable, that members of Congress in the House and in the Senate
09:39can actually serve the people that they represent in this very challenging moment of trial, of tribulation,
09:49and of turbulence. Let me ask you something. You said yesterday, uh, that there was no basis for
09:56independent journalist Don Lemon's arrest by federal agents in connection with a protest at a
10:03Minneapolis church this month. Then he was charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First
10:09Amendment rights of worshipers, along with seven other people, almost all of whom were black,
10:16including three people arrested yesterday, two local activists and a Minneapolis-based journalist,
10:23who live-streamed her arrest by FBI agents. It seems like the president has been especially keen
10:30on going after black protesters and journalists. Congressman, what are your thoughts on that?
10:37Well, there's no doubt that black and brown communities have been under assault during this
10:40presidency. Working-class communities of every color have been under assault during this presidency. The
10:46economy under assault, health care under assault, uh, nutritional assistance under assault. We know farmers and
10:52veterans have been under assault due process, the American way of life, the rule of law, and democracy
10:57itself. It's been an all-out assault on the American people. And black and brown communities have been
11:03bearing a significant share of that extremism that has been unleashed here in the United States of America.
11:10There was no basis in law or in fact to arrest Don Lemon or any of the other journalists. We
11:16know that Don Lemon
11:17is an accomplished journalist with decades of service consistent with the First Amendment in this
11:23country. Donald Trump is trying to intimidate people who stand up to them. But the American
11:29people have demonstrated over the last year, we will not be intimidated by these extremists. The American
11:35people are pushing back significantly across the board. They know that the Trump administration and the
11:40extremists in the Republican Party have failed the country. Their policies have been a disaster. It's one of the
11:46reasons why in the off-year election in November, Republicans are losing up and down the ballot and
11:52all across the country decisively. And it's my expectation that that's going to continue. That's why
11:57Democrats are going to take back control of the House of Representatives in November.
12:01Let's come back to Capitol Hill for a moment, Congressman. More than 3 million new Jeffrey Epstein files
12:07were released by the DOJ yesterday, the largest release so far. And what the DOJ says
12:14is the last batch of Epstein files coming more than a month after the mid-December deadline mandated by
12:21Congress. Still, DOJ hasn't released all related documents in its possession. What's your reaction and
12:29what's the next step for the House in terms of investigating this since we don't have all of the documents?
12:38The Department of Justice has failed to comply with the law, which requires a complete release of
12:44documents consistent with the sentiments of the courageous survivors of the Epstein affairs and
12:52the horrendous situations that they were put into by this monster, as well as the people who were
12:58associated with him. The American people deserve complete and total transparency, so there can be complete and
13:06total accountability. This is a law that was passed and, in fact, signed by President Donald Trump over
13:13his initial objections for months. So it's clear that if you are withholding approximately 3 million
13:19documents, which is the case right now, we have to ask the question, what is the Trump administration
13:26continuing to hide from the American people?
13:30Now, staying on the hill for a moment, the Supreme Court is set to decide on whether Trump can fire
13:37Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is watching that case closely as his term enters its
13:44last few months. Yesterday, Trump announced his pick for Powell's replacement, former Fed Governor
13:51Governor Kevin Walsh, whose name popped up in the Epstein files yesterday, though there's no, not any evidence of
14:00wrongdoing on his behalf. Walsh's father-in-law is a longtime Trump ally who's pushed the president on taking over
14:09Greenland. What's your reaction to all of this after all the Fed is supposed to be, it's supposed to be
14:16independent. So how do you
14:18react to all of this? Well, Donald Trump's policies have failed the American people in terms of the economy.
14:25They promised to lower the high cost of living on day one. Costs haven't gone down
14:29under the Trump presidency. Costs have gone up. Housing costs out of control. Grocery costs out of
14:34control. Electricity bills out of control. Health care costs out of control. Child care costs out of
14:39control. Life has become more difficult economically under Donald Trump's policies and under Republican
14:46policies. And so under normal circumstances, his pick to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve
14:52Board should be closely scrutinized to make sure that it's actually someone who's going to help the
14:59American people out, as opposed to just following direction from Donald Trump and bending the knee
15:04to his extreme ideas, which have already proven to be a disaster. And good for Senator Tom Tillis,
15:12who's indicated because of this assault that has taken place on Lisa Cook, on Jerome Powell and on
15:18others that he doesn't intend to allow any of Trump's nominations, including the one related to being the
15:26next chair to move forward. I completely and totally support that position and hope that every single
15:31member of the United States Senate freezes any nominations related to Donald Trump's efforts to
15:38alter the independence of the Federal Reserve Board. Now, later in this hour, I'll be talking with
15:46the chair of the Fulton County, Georgia's Board of Elections Commissioners following the FBI raid this
15:52week on the County Board of Elections Office to siege 2020 ballots. Director of National Intelligence,
16:00Tulsi Gabbard, was on site for the raid, raising questions about why the U.S. spy chief
16:07was present for a domestic law enforcement action and concerns about how the president may use the federal law
16:14enforcement to potentially influence the midterm elections. The administration has said that the DNI plays a crucial
16:22role in election security. What do you make of that explanation, particularly with the midterms nine months away and
16:31having such significance for the future of this country? The explanation offered by the Trump
16:38administration has zero credibility. There was absolutely no reason for the director of national
16:43intelligence to be present at what should be a law enforcement activity that is completely domestic in
16:52nature. And I think there's reason for all of us to continue to be concerned that Donald Trump and
16:58Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy. They know they can't win a
17:03free and fair election in November. They're going to get crushed, wiped out all across America because
17:10of their failed policies and the fact that Democrats are the only ones in this country right now in terms
17:16of a political party talking about driving down the high cost of living, dealing with the affordability
17:21crisis that Donald Trump doesn't think exists, and fixing our broken health care system. And so we're
17:26going to have to work with governors and attorney generals and secretaries of state all across the
17:32country, as well as the legal community, civil rights groups, democracy protection groups like
17:39Democracy Forward and others who are doing a tremendous job to make sure that we are ensuring a free and
17:45fair election in November so that it's the American people who get to decide who is in the majority in
17:52the
17:52House and in the Senate, not Donald Trump and his corrupt sycophants.
17:57Now, I know we're out of time, but I must ask you this. Tomorrow is February 1st, the beginning of
18:02Black History Month. And under this administration, we've seen in many states and a tone set, in my opinion,
18:10by the administration to try and really minimize, if not wipe out, black history in many aspects of
18:18American life, being able to learn about it in schools and other places. How do you view the
18:24importance of Black History Month 2026, given the assault in many areas on even teaching or talking
18:33about black history?
18:35Black history is now more important than ever. It's the 100th anniversary of Black History Month.
18:43And we're thankful for what it represents, which is a celebration of the African-American
18:49journey in this country, which cannot be separated from the American journey. It's one and the same.
18:56And the movements that Donald Trump is attempting to wipe out, whether that relates to abolition or the
19:02movement that brought about reconstruction or the movement that connected to the civil rights era,
19:08which was all about making sure that there was actually liberty and justice for all and equal
19:14protection under the law. The progress that has been made, led by African-Americans at these moments,
19:20of course, has benefited African-Americans in terms of being full and complete participants
19:26in the American dream to the best of the country's ability. We're not a perfect country. We're marching
19:32toward a more perfect union. But these efforts at progress improved the situation for everyone.
19:38So black history is American history. And we're not going to let Donald Trump and the extremists
19:43ever erase it.
19:45All right. Democratic House Leader Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, New York, I might say.
19:53Thank you for being with us. Coming up, we'll have reactions from my political panel,
19:58and we'll dive deeper into what Trump's top intelligence official was doing in Georgia this
20:04week as the FBI sees 2020 ballots. The chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners
20:10will join us later tonight on Politics Nation.
20:19Welcome back to Politics Nation. We just heard from Democratic
20:23Democratic Leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries. Now let's bring in my political panel, former
20:29Illinois Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, now a Democrat, and Michael Hardaway, a Democratic
20:36Strategist and former Communications Director for Hakeem Jeffries. Joe, let's start with the spending
20:43bill and the partial shutdown that we're in the middle of after Senate Democrats demanded this week
20:50that DHS funding be stripped out of the resolution and debated separately.
20:56Voter approval for Trump's immigration policies have hit record low, especially since ISIS operations
21:03on Minneapolis. A new Reuters and Ipsos poll this past week shows him 14 points underwater on immigration.
21:15Have Democrats scored a political victory here as the House prepares to vote on a bill without DHS funding
21:23to get the government back up and running on Monday?
21:28Hey, Rev, good to be with you. Look, I've only been a Democrat for nine months, so who am I,
21:35right?
21:36But man, I don't think my party leadership gets it. I don't think the Democratic Party leadership
21:41still understands what's going on right now. ICE, whatever the hell this is, Rev, they need to be
21:48off of our streets. It's not a matter of taking their masks off or putting body cams on. What they
21:55are doing is utterly un-American. It can't happen here. What did Hakeem Jeffries said earlier? He said,
22:02ICE needs to conduct themselves like any other law enforcement. That's just the point. They aren't law
22:10enforcement. They are the antithesis of law enforcement. They're a dictator's private army
22:16abusing the Constitution, brutalizing, assaulting, and killing Americans and migrants alike. They've
22:23declared war on brown and black people in this country. They need to be abolished. They need to be
22:29off of our streets. The Democratic Party should not lift a finger to fund the government until this
22:37army is off of our streets. Now, Michael, in response to that, Democratic voters
22:44are demanding major reforms. You've heard the chants. They want ICE out of their communities.
22:50Many of us have said to abolish ICE. Some want to see it completely abolished. Can Democratic lawmakers
22:56deliver an outcome that will satisfy them? I think they can. What I just saw Hakeem say is essentially,
23:04not one more dime for ICE without accountability. And that's basically what has happened over the
23:10past year under Donald Trump with Republicans not doing anything in Congress to provide oversight.
23:16And so I think Democrats have the leverage. They have public sentiment on their side. Donald Trump
23:20is struggling. I mean, immigration was his strongest issue. And now 55% of Americans disapprove of the way
23:26that he's done that job, which is up 12 points since February. And so Democrats have the win at their
23:31back.
23:32I think Hakeem is steering this ship in the right direction. And House Democrats are going to hold strong
23:37as they have this conversation about the future of ICE, which I believe is broken. And I don't think you
23:42can fix it.
23:43I think you have to tear it down and rebuild it.
23:45Switching gears, the Department of Justice on Friday released the largest batch of Jeffrey Epstein files to date.
23:52It includes disturbing material and correspondence between Epstein and powerful men in Trump's orbit,
24:01including Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, just to name a few. There's no evidence of
24:10wrongdoing, though in the case of Lutnik and Musk, the revelations seem to conflict with past statements
24:18they've made about their relationship with Epstein. Joe, the files also appear to contain at least 4,500
24:26documents, 4,500 documents that mention Trump. What has been your assessment of this latest batch?
24:37There's potentially some really, really bad stuff in there potentially about this president. And we've
24:45got to remind ourselves of where we are. They've broken the law. The Justice Department has broken the law.
24:52All of this was supposed to be out over a month ago. They've barely submitted two to 3% of
25:00the total
25:00files. And so much of it is redacted. And oh, by the way, Rev, they've accidentally not redacted
25:09names of the victims. So they're protecting the rich and powerful. But names of the victims have
25:17accidentally gotten out. I think this is an issue that the American people care about. And I think
25:22this is an issue that Democrats need to continue to raise hell about.
25:27Now, and they used to say that Republicans cared about it. But Michael, looking ahead to the midterms,
25:35the Trump administration has been ridden with political scandal week after week, leaving Democrats
25:41to be favored to win back the House. However, political analysts warn that the Democrats still
25:47have a popularity problem. Recent polling conducting this month by the Wall Street Journal shows Democrats
25:54at a 58% unfavorability rating. Michael, how can Democrats overcome that? Do they need to be
26:02running on more specific issues like the economy rather than just opposing Trump?
26:08I think Democrats will be fine. They'll win the House in the midterm because people vote for
26:14their local candidate. They're not voting for the National Democratic Party. And so while that number
26:19in terms of 58% would be troubling from a national perspective locally, I think Democrats will be
26:24fine. They focus on the economy and pocketbook issues. That is the way back. You've got this
26:30disastrous economy Donald Trump has overseen with more than 7 million people who are unemployed.
26:35This global trade war that has driven up prices on everything. Inflation is higher today than it was
26:41on election day. And so Donald Trump has really bungled the reasons he was elected for, which are
26:46immigration and the economy. He's done a terrible job with both. And so I think for that reason,
26:52voters will give Democrats control of the House, maybe of the Senate, and we will see some actual
26:58accountability and oversight on this White House. I'm going to have to leave it there. Thank you,
27:03Michael Hardaway and Joe Walsh. And Joe, next time you're on, speak up a little. Tell us how you really
27:08feel. Coming up, the big lie is back. Trump's FBI has seized 2020 ballots in Fulton County. Still ahead,
27:17we'll hear chairman of the County Board of Commissioners to find out what's really going
27:22down. Enjoy. Stay tuned.
27:31This week, as many Americans were demanding a full and transparent investigation of two deadly
27:38shootings of American citizens carried out just this month by federal immigration agents,
27:44the Trump administration decided instead to reopen the coldest of cold cases with an FBI raid in Fulton
27:54County, Georgia, to seize ballots and records related to the 2020 election. Trump's director of national
28:03intelligence, Tulsi Gabbitt, was spotted at the raid, even though her job is to monitor foreign threats and
28:11not to investigate previously debunked claims of domestic voter fraud. The operation should not
28:18be viewed as an isolated incident. Just last weekend, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent Minnesota Governor Tim
28:26Walsh a letter that seemed to use immigration enforcement as leverage to demand access to the
28:33state's sensitive voter data. These incidents should not be dismissed as merely efforts by Trump
28:40to rewrite history or and soothe his fragile ego. The big lie has always been weaponized to
28:48influence free future elections. Trump's refusal to concede to Joe Biden led to a wave of Republican
28:56sponsored voter suppression legislation, including in Georgia. His return to the White House inspired
29:03Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps outside the normal census cycle, setting off a
29:10nationwide redistricting war between the parties. Now that President Trump's approval numbers
29:17are plunging, we should expect even more extreme efforts to escape accountability. When we come right
29:24back, I'll be joined by the chair of the Fulton County, Georgia's Board of Election Commissioners,
29:30about what exactly went down this week in the Peach State and why the whole country should be paying very
29:38close attention. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Politics Nation. It's been six years and Donald Trump
29:49is still trying to prove his baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen from home from him and that
29:59somehow him saying it makes it true. Earlier this week, the FBI served a warrant at the elections office
30:07in Fulton County to seize election records in an effort by the Justice Department to search for voter fraud.
30:15Earlier today, New York Attorney General Letitia James was on MS Now's The Weekend AM and was asked about
30:24why the FBI would execute a warrant in Fulton County now. This was her response.
30:32It's about violence. It's about terror. It's about fear. It's about, again, questioning our institutions,
30:45the right to vote. And it's about the midterms, all of that and more. And so it's critically important that
30:53individuals understand that what they are trying to do is so mistrust in our in our institutions and
31:00our political institutions. And we will just not allow it. Joining me now is Rob Pitts, chairman of
31:10Georgia's Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Rob, talk to me about Wednesday's rate. How exactly did all
31:17of this play out? Well, I was in my office doing some work, got a phone call from the elections
31:24headquarters. They said the FBI is here. So I immediately called our county attorney. We went there for two reasons.
31:31First of all, to make sure that our employees were safe. But second of all, to comply with whatever the
31:36FBI
31:37was asking. So when we got there, we found out they had a search warrant that wasn't valid, wasn't accurate.
31:43They had to go back and redo it to come back. And so once they got a correct search warrant,
31:48they began removing some 700 boxes of votes and other material related to the 2020 election.
31:57Now, almost monthly, we get some complaint interest in the 2020 election. I've said time and time again,
32:062020 elections are over. We've been audited. We've been reviewed. We've been looked at from top to bottom,
32:12A to Z, even hand counts. In every instance, we come up clean. So, Reverend Allen, I have to be
32:19honest
32:19with you. This was so unusual. Typically, in a case like this, it's my understanding that the subjects
32:25receive a letter that will indicate the time and place for something like this to happen, as well as
32:32the reason. We received nothing, no information, no nothing. And on top of all of that, with Ms.
32:39Gabbard coming there, I mean, when everything else that she has on her plate, why in the world would
32:44she be in Fulton County, Georgia, overseeing something like this?
32:48Yeah, I'm going to get to that in a minute, because I want to ask you about that. But I
32:54want
32:54to ask you this. Have you managed to make a full accounting of what was taken and where it is
33:00now?
33:00Do you have any idea what investigators were looking for and what they will do with it?
33:06We have no idea whatsoever. When they left, that last FBI truck left our elections hub that night
33:13with box number 700. I don't know where it went. I don't know where the boxes are,
33:19nor do I know who has it, nor do I know what they're doing with them.
33:23I can use my imagination. You mentioned the director of national intelligence, Tulsa Gabbard,
33:29was present during the raid. And I had cut you off. You know, it is odd because her office
33:36traditionally focuses on foreign intelligence and adversaries. The White House says Gabbard,
33:43quote, will continue to take action on President Trump's directive to secure our elections,
33:49end of quote. Well, what do you make of all this? Why do you think she was there?
33:55I think this is a big, big deal for the White House. And I know that for a fact that
34:00Fulton
34:00County, Georgia has been a target since 2020, when he asked for those 11,000, I believe 780 votes.
34:08We delivered the votes for President Biden. I was there in State Farm Arena the night that all of
34:16this stuff reportedly or allegedly happened. Nothing happened. If anybody knows what happened
34:21that night, it's Fulton County Chairman Rob Pitts. I was there. Nothing happened. So what this is all
34:27about is a lot bigger. And I think it's about the 2026 elections, and more importantly, 2028. So we
34:35must remain vigilant here in Fulton County, and we're going to do so.
34:40Now, you've been very clear that your election office has absolutely nothing to hide. Trump's
34:46election fraud complaints have previously been investigated and been proven false.
34:51Six years later, and Trump is back in office. Why do you think this is resurfacing now?
34:58I think this is a distraction. I think it's intimidation. I think it's serving to discourage
35:05people from voting. Even our co-workers. That's why I went there to make sure that our workers were
35:09safe, because you recall the two women that Rudy Giuliani intimidated. They wanted a judgment
35:16against him. So that has a chilling effect. And I think that's what this is all about. If you really
35:22peel it back and get to the bottom of it, what they're after, it's not about 2020 anymore. It's
35:27about 2026 and 2028. Now, you've repeatedly said that this is a political act of political retribution
35:36because you stood up to Trump's big lie. What should people be focusing on as this story continues to play
35:44out? To be vigilant. And if you are not registered, to register. And if you are registered, talk is cheap.
35:54We need you to go to the polls, not only in 2026, but Lord knows in 2028.
36:01Do you have a message for other commissioners of election boards in
36:05other states around the country and what they may be able to do preemptively?
36:11I think that they need to be vigilant and aware of what's happened. So what's happened that,
36:15see, we were the target because of the influence that we had in 2020. No doubt about it. I mean,
36:21I told that, in fact, when I had gotten a tip early in the week that there's certain arrests are
36:26going to be made, including our Secretary of State, his deputy and me and a couple of others.
36:30Well, that didn't happen. But fast forward a day later, here's this raid. So I'm prepared. What's
36:35what's next? But I'm going to, you know, I can assure the people of Fulton County
36:41and of the United States of America that our elections are open, fair, and transparent,
36:46and we will abide by every applicable law. And the truth is what's going to come out in the end.
36:52No matter what they do, the results of that election is not going to change. Now, if they
36:58tamper with the boxes that they have, they could. The other thing that really happens, typically,
37:03you get a copy or you're given an opportunity to copy yourself when the FBI takes them. None of
37:10that happened. This is a total surprise. We have no record of what they're doing. Zero. Absolutely
37:16nothing. Rob Pitts. And when you mentioned 26, I might say to people around the country, you have a
37:23very important Senate race right there in Georgia in 26 this year with the present sitting senator
37:30uh, uh, is up for reelection among others. Rob Pitts. Thank you so much for being with us.
37:35Uh, up next justice for Sonia Massey in my final thoughts. Stay with us.
37:58This week, an Illinois judge sentenced former Sangamon County Sheriff Deputy Sean Grayson to 20 years in
38:09prison. The maximum penalty for the 2024 murder of Sonia Massey. Massey was just 36 years old when
38:17she called 911 about a prowler only to end up being shot to death. The defense claimed Massey had been
38:26acting erratically, but the judge ruled the shooting was the result of Grayson's temper and mindset.
38:33In my capacity as head of National Action Network, I rallied that summer in support of Massey and her
38:40family. This sentence won't bring Sonia back, but it was good to see at least some justice rendered
38:47in this case. And I'm even more encouraged that the tragedy led to a bill enhancing
38:54background checks in Illinois. This is what true accountability looks like. It leads to better
39:01policing and safer streets for all of us. I can only pray the Trump administration
39:08will start paying attention. That does it for me. Thanks for watching. I'll see you back here
39:14tomorrow at 5 p.m. Eastern with an amazing lineup of guests at the start of Black History Month.
39:20Senator Lisa Blunt, Rochester of Delaware, Congressman Nakeema Williams of Georgia,
39:26and Sherelle Parker, Mayor of Philadelphia. That's all on Sunday. Politics Nation this weekend,
39:34primetime, though we'll start right after a short break.
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