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Politicsnation With Al Sharpton - Season 15 - Episode 07 Emgsub
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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 in Washington,
00:28where a partial government shutdown is underway. The House is expected to take up the Senate spending bill Monday,
00:36with controversial funding for the Department of Homeland Security stripped out.
00:41We have late breaking news that passing the measure won't be easy.
00:47Many lawmakers aren't satisfied with what the Justice Department says is the final drop of the Epstein file.
00:56Numbering some 3 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 than a month after
01:13the congressional deadline.
01:14Meanwhile, in Minnesota, a federal judge just ruled against a pause of the DHS surge in the states,
01:24where thousands of people are in chilly Minneapolis streets for the second weekend in a row to protest ICE and
01:32the killings of Rene Good and Alex Prentino.
01:36Joining me now is House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
01:43Thank you, leader, for being with us. Let's start with the partial government shutdown,
01:49largely over DHS funding. And the breaking news tonight that you've reportedly told Speaker Mike Johnson
01:56that House Democrats will not provide the votes to pass the government funding bill through the fast track suspension of
02:05the rules process.
02:06This will force House leadership to go through regular order and potentially jeopardize passage of the package.
02:14What 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.
02:32Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not kill them or brutalize law abiding
02:40immigrant families,
02:41which is what we're seeing in Minneapolis and all across the country. We've laid out a clear set of demands.
02:47We're in alignment with the way in which Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats have articulated those demands.
02:54And we're going to need to see dramatic change as it relates to how the Department of Homeland Security operates
03:00moving forward.
03:01In terms of the legislation that's going to be in front of the House on Monday, we need a full
03:06and complete debate.
03:07And what I've made clear to House Republicans is that they cannot simply move forward with legislation taking a my
03:16way or the highway approach in the absence of House Democrats convening,
03:20which we're going to do tomorrow, and having a discussion about the appropriate way forward.
03:24And making sure that in this two week period of time that is contemplated by the continuing resolution that would
03:33freeze ICE funding for 14 days, that there's a robust ironclad path to bringing about the type of change that
03:42the American people are demanding.
03:45So I'm clear on this to really make sure I understand this.
03:50The Democrats in the House that you are the leader of are saying that you want some definitive things done
03:57before you even get to a two week deadline or two week extension running out.
04:04You want to see something definitive, including the fact that many Democrats around the country, many people want to see
04:11something about ICE.
04:12You want to see some melting of the ICE before you vote for the package.
04:18Well, what we're saying is that we need a clear path forward and we haven't had that discussion with the
04:22White House or anyone within the administration and the things that we've talked about needing to occur.
04:28And we understand that we're going to have to build this into law.
04:33And that's what's contemplated, we believe, at least over the next two weeks, are things like no masks, body cameras
04:42being mandatory.
04:43We need judicial warrants before ICE can storm homes or rip people out of their cars in the horrific ways
04:52that we've been seeing.
04:53We need to make sure that ICE agents who violate the law can actually be criminally investigated and prosecuted by
05:01state and local authorities when their laws have been violated.
05:05There is no such thing we believe as absolute immunity.
05:08And it was horrifying to hear the vice president make that observation a few weeks ago.
05:15We need ICE and DHS agencies to conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country.
05:22And what we're saying is that if we're contemplating a two week freeze in order to get us to a
05:29place where we can see dramatic change,
05:31we want to understand that there's an iron clad path forward to get those things done.
05:38Now, earlier today, a federal judge denied an emergency request from Minnesota to end Operation Metro surge in the state.
05:47This has we've learned that Ohio appears to be the next target for an ICE surge.
05:54And the DOJ has launched a civil rights investigation into Alex Prentiss's killing.
06:02But no federal investigation has been announced in the killing of Renee Good.
06:07Now, thousands of people flooded Minneapolis's chilly streets for a second straight Friday calling for ICE to leave Minnesota and
06:16other states.
06:17We have seen additional demonstrations today.
06:20But what's your message to the people who want to see ICE out of their communities and who want to
06:26see these killings fully investigated with agents held accountable both by the state and the federal government?
06:35Well, the American way is a full and complete investigation.
06:39Nobody is above the law.
06:41But what we're seeing from this Trump Department of Justice, from the Trump administration, in fact, from high level members
06:49of the Trump administration, including so-called Secretary Kristi Noem, are excuses and lies trying to cover up an investigation.
06:57Slandering Rene Nicole Good as a domestic terrorist, slandering Alex Preti as a domestic terrorist or as Stephen Miller called
07:05them, a would be assassin.
07:06When 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 and patriotically protest.
07:20And that's consistent with American values.
07:23What the Department of Justice is doing, 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, which is why one of the
07:35demands that we've been making in terms of what needs to happen moving forward with the Department of Homeland Security
07:42and the Department of Justice is to make it clear that state and local officials like the attorney general of
07:48the great state of Minnesota, A.G. Keith Ellison or others, have the ability to investigate federal agents who break
07:56the law.
07:56Now, one of your Democratic caucus members, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, was sprayed with vinegar this week at a town
08:07hall 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 week that the
08:19DOJ and Congress are investigating Omar, who he suggested without evidence to have staged the town hall incident.
08:28A new report from U.S. Capitol Police has found threats against members of Congress have spiked in 2025 for
08:37a third year in a row.
08:38So how do you keep your members safe when the president is sending these kinds of messages, even when his
08:46administration is claiming they want to de-escalate tensions?
08:51Well, Donald Trump needs to tone down his irresponsible rhetoric, which is fanning the flames of hatred against members of
08:59Congress generally, and of course, in this specific instance, against Representative Ilhan Omar, who's a hardworking, conscientious, courageous public servant,
09:11trying to do the best that she can under very difficult circumstances to serve the people that she's privileged to
09:17represent in Minnesota.
09:19We need to continue to lean in and do everything possible to protect the safety and the well-being of
09:25members of Congress and their families so that during this very fraught time, and we've seen political violence increase over
09:32the last 10 years to levels that are unacceptable,
09:36that members of Congress in the House and in the Senate can actually serve the people that they represent in
09:44this very challenging moment of trial, of tribulation, and of turbulence.
09:50Let me ask you something. You said yesterday that there was no basis for independent journalist Don Lemon's arrest by
10:00federal agents in connection with a protest at a Minneapolis church this month.
10:05Then he was charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers, along with seven other people,
10:14almost all of whom were black, including three people arrested yesterday, two local activists and a Minneapolis-based journalist who
10:24live-streamed her arrest by FBI agents.
10:27It seems like the president has been especially keen on going after black protesters and journalists, congressmen.
10:34What are your thoughts on that?
10:37Well, there's no doubt that black and brown communities have been under assault during this presidency.
10:41Working-class communities of every color have been under assault during this presidency.
10:46The economy under assault, health care under assault, nutritional assistance under assault.
10:51We know farmers and veterans have been under assault due process, the American way of life, the rule of law,
10:57and democracy itself.
10:58It's been an all-out assault on the American people.
11:01And black and brown communities have been bearing a significant share of that extremism that has been unleashed here in
11:09the United States of America.
11:10There was no basis in law or in fact to arrest Don Lemon or any of the other journalists.
11:16We know that Don Lemon is an accomplished journalist with decades of service consistent with the First Amendment in this
11:23country.
11:24Donald Trump is trying to intimidate people who stand up to them.
11:29But the American people have demonstrated over the last year.
11:32We will not be intimidated by these extremists.
11:34The American people are pushing back significantly across the board.
11:37They know that the Trump administration and the extremists in the Republican Party have failed the country.
11:43Their policies have been a disaster.
11:46It's one of the reasons why, in the off-year election in November, Republicans are losing up and down the
11:51ballot and all across the country decisively.
11:54And it's my expectation that that's going to continue.
11:57That's why Democrats 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.
12:04More than 3 million new Jeffrey Epstein files were released by the DOJ yesterday.
12:09The largest release so far and what the DOJ says is the last batch of Epstein files coming more than
12:17a month after the mid-December deadline mandated by Congress.
12:22Still, DOJ hasn't released all related documents in its possession.
12:27What's your reaction and what's the next step for the House in terms of investigating this since we don't have
12:35all of the documents?
12:38The Department of Justice has failed to comply with the law, which requires a complete release of documents consistent with
12:45the sentiments of the courageous survivors of the Epstein affairs
12:51and the horrendous situations that they were put into by this monster, as well as the people who were associated
12:59with him.
13:00The American people deserve complete and total transparency so there can be complete and total accountability.
13:07This is a law that was passed and, in fact, signed by President Donald Trump over his initial objections for
13:15months.
13:15So it's clear that if you are withholding approximately 3 million documents, which is the case right now, we have
13:23to ask the question,
13:24what is the Trump administration continuing 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.
13:39Fed Chair Jerome Powell is watching that case closely as his term enters its last few months.
13:46Yesterday, Trump announced his pick for Powell's replacement, former Fed Governor Kevin Walsh,
13:52whose name popped up in the Epstein files yesterday, though there's not any evidence of wrongdoing on his behalf.
14:02Walsh's father-in-law is a longtime Trump ally who's pushed the president on taking over Greenland.
14:10What's your reaction to all of this after all the Fed is supposed to be, it's supposed to be independent.
14:18So how do you react to all of this?
14:21Well, 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.
14:28Costs haven't gone down under the Trump presidency, costs have gone up.
14:32Housing costs out of control, grocery costs out of control, electricity bills out of control,
14:37health care costs out of control, child care costs out of control.
14:40Life has become more difficult economically under Donald Trump's policies and under Republican policies.
14:47And so under normal circumstances, his pick to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve Board
14:53should be closely scrutinized to make sure that it's actually someone who's going to help the American people out,
15:00as opposed to just following direction from Donald Trump and bending the knee to his extreme ideas,
15:06which have already proven to be a disaster.
15:09And good for Senator Tom Tillis, who's indicated because of this assault that has taken place on Lisa Cook,
15:17on Jerome Powell and on others, that he doesn't intend to allow any of Trump's nominations,
15:24including the one related to being the next chair, to move forward.
15:27I completely and totally support that position and hope that every single member of the United States Senate
15:33freezes any nominations related to Donald Trump's efforts to alter the independence of the Federal Reserve Board.
15:43Now, later in this hour, I'll be talking with the chair of the Fulton County, Georgia's Board of Election Commissioners,
15:49following the FBI raid this week on the County Board of Elections Office to Siege 2020 ballots.
15:58Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was on site for the raid,
16:03raising questions about why the U.S. spy chief was present for a domestic law enforcement action
16:10and concerns about how the president may use the federal law enforcement to potentially influence the midterm elections.
16:18The administration has said that the DNI plays a crucial role in election security.
16:24What do you make of that explanation, particularly with the midterms nine months away
16:31and having such significance for the future of this country?
16:36The explanation offered by the Trump administration has zero credibility.
16:40There was absolutely no reason for the director of national intelligence to be present
16:45at what should be a law enforcement activity that is completely domestic in nature.
16:53And I think there's reason for all of us to continue to be concerned
16:56that Donald Trump and Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy.
17:02They know they can't win a free and fair election in November.
17:05They're going to get crushed, wiped out all across America because of their failed policies
17:11and the fact that Democrats are the only ones in this country right now in terms of a political party
17:17talking about driving down the high cost of living, dealing with the affordability crisis
17:21that Donald Trump doesn't think exists and fixing our broken health care system.
17:25And so we're going to have to work with governors and attorney generals and secretaries of state
17:31all across the country, as well as the legal community, civil rights groups, democracy protection groups
17:38like Democracy Forward and others who are doing a tremendous job to make sure that we are ensuring
17:44a free and fair election in November so that it's the American people who get to decide
17:50who is in the majority in the House 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.
18:00Tomorrow is February 1st, the beginning of Black History Month.
18:04And 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
18:17and many aspects of American life, being able to learn about it in schools and other places.
18:23How do you view the importance of Black History Month 2026,
18:28given the assault in many areas on even teaching or talking about black history?
18:35Black history is now more important than ever.
18:39It'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 journey
18:50in this country, which cannot be separated from the American journey.
18:53It's one and the same.
18:56And the movements that Donald Trump is attempting to wipe out, whether that relates to abolition
19:01or the movement that brought about Reconstruction or the movement that connected to the Civil Rights
19:07era, which was all about making sure that there was actually liberty and justice for all
19:13and equal protection under the law.
19:16The progress that has been made, led by African-Americans at these moments, of course,
19:21has benefited African-Americans in terms of being full and complete participants in the American dream
19:28to the best of the country's ability.
19:30We're not a perfect country.
19:31We're marching toward a more perfect union.
19:33But these efforts at progress improve the situation for everyone.
19:38So black history is American history.
19:40And we're not going to let Donald Trump and the extremists ever erase it.
19:45All right.
19:47Democratic House leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn, New York, I might say.
19:53Thank you for being with us.
19:54Coming 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 week
20:05as the FBI sees 2020 ballots.
20:08The chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners will join us later tonight on Politics Nation.
20:19Welcome back to Politics Nation.
20:21We just heard from Democratic leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries.
20:26Now let's bring in my political panel, former Illinois Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, now a Democrat,
20:33and Michael Hardaway, a Democratic strategist and former communications director for Hakeem Jeffries.
20:41Joe, let's start with the spending bill and the partial shutdown that we're in the middle of
20:47after Senate Democrats demanded this week that DHS funding be stripped out of the resolution
20:54and debated separately.
20:56Voter approval for Trump's immigration policies have hit record low, especially since ISIS operations
21:03on Minneapolis.
21:05A 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.
21:30Look, I've only been a Democrat for nine months.
21:33So who am I, right?
21:36But man, I don't think my party leadership gets it.
21:39I don't think the Democratic Party leadership still understands what's going on right now.
21:44ICE, whatever the hell this is, Rev, they need to be off of our streets.
21:49It's not a matter of taking their masks off or putting body cams on.
21:54What they are doing is utterly un-American.
21:57It can't happen here.
21:58What did Hakeem Jeffries said earlier?
22:01He said ICE needs to conduct themselves like any other law enforcement.
22:07That's just the point.
22:09They aren't law enforcement.
22:11They are the antithesis of law enforcement.
22:14They're a dictator's private army abusing the Constitution, brutalizing, assaulting, and killing Americans and migrants alike.
22:23They've declared war on brown and black people in this country.
22:26They need to be abolished.
22:28They need to be off of our streets.
22:29The Democratic Party should not lift a finger to fund the government until this army is off of our streets.
22:40Now, Michael, in response to that, Democratic voters are demanding major reforms.
22:46You've heard the chants.
22:47They want ICE out of their communities.
22:50Many of us have said to abolish ICE.
22:52Some want to see it completely abolished.
22:55Can Democratic lawmakers deliver an outcome that will satisfy them?
23:01I think they can.
23:02What I just saw Hakeem say is essentially not one more dime for ICE without accountability.
23:08And that's basically what has happened over the past year under Donald Trump with Republicans not doing anything in Congress
23:15to provide oversight.
23:16And so I think Democrats have the leverage.
23:17They have public sentiment on their side.
23:20Donald Trump is struggling.
23:21I mean, immigration was his strongest issue, and now 55 percent of Americans disapprove of the way that he's done
23:27that job, which is up 12 points since February.
23:30And so Democrats have the way that they're back.
23:32I think Hakeem is steering this ship in the right direction.
23:35And House Democrats are going to hold strong as they have this conversation about the future of ICE, which I
23:40believe is broken.
23:41And I don't think you can fix it.
23:43I think you have to tear it down and rebuild it.
23:44Switching 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, including Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary
24:04Howard Lutnik, just to name a few.
24:09There's no evidence of evidence of wrongdoing, though, in the case of Lutnik and Musk, the revelations seem to conflict
24:17with past statements they've made about their relationship with Epstein.
24:21Joe, the files also appear to contain at least 4,500 documents, 4,500 documents that mention Trump.
24:32What has been your assessment of this latest batch?
24:37There's potentially, Rev, some really, really bad stuff in there, potentially, about this president.
24:44And we've got to remind ourselves of where we are.
24:47They've broken the law.
24:49The Justice Department has broken the law.
24:52All of this was supposed to be out over a month ago.
24:57They've barely submitted 2% to 3% of the total files.
25:01And so much of it is redacted.
25:04And, oh, by the way, Rev, they've accidentally not redacted names of the victims.
25:11So they're protecting the rich and powerful.
25:14But names of the victims have accidentally gotten out.
25:18I think this is an issue that the American people care about.
25:22And I think this is an issue that Democrats need to continue to raise hell about.
25:27Now, and they used to say that Republicans cared about it.
25:32But, Michael, looking ahead to the midterms, the Trump administration has been ridden with political scandal week after week,
25:40leaving Democrats to be favored to win back the House.
25:43However, political analysts warn that the Democrats still have a popularity problem.
25:49Recent polling conducting this month by the Wall Street Journal shows Democrats at a 58% unfavorability rating.
25:58Michael, how can Democrats overcome that?
26:01Do they need to be running on more specific issues like the economy rather than just opposing Trump?
26:08I think Democrats will be fine.
26:10They'll win the House in the midterm because people vote for their local candidate.
26:15They're not voting for the National Democratic Party.
26:17And so while that number in terms of 58% would be troubling from a national perspective locally, I think
26:24Democrats will be fine.
26:25They focus on the economy and pocketbook issues.
26:28That is the way back.
26:29You've got this disastrous 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.
26:39Inflation is higher today than it was on Election Day.
26:43And so Donald Trump has really bungled the reasons he was elected for, which are immigration and the economy.
26:49He's done a terrible job with both.
26:51And so I think for that reason, voters will give Democrats control of the House, maybe of the Senate,
26:56and we will see some actual accountability and oversight on this White House.
27:01I'm going to have to leave it there.
27:02Thank you, Michael Hardaway and Joe Walsh.
27:05And Joe, next time you're on, speak up a little.
27:08Tell us how you really feel.
27:09Coming up, the big lie is back.
27:12Trump's FBI has seized 2020 ballots in Fulton County.
27:16Still ahead, we'll hear chairman of the County Board of Commissioners to find out what's really going down.
27:24Enjoy.
27:25Stay tuned.
27:56Ballots and records related to the 2020 election.
28:01Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was spotted at the raid,
28:07even though her job is to monitor foreign threats and not to investigate previously debunked claims of domestic voter fraud.
28:16The operation should not be viewed as an isolated incident.
28:21Just last weekend, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent Minnesota Governor Tim Walsh a letter that seemed to use immigration enforcement
28:30as leverage to demand access to the state's sensitive voter data.
28:36These incidents should not be dismissed as merely efforts by Trump to rewrite history and soothe his fragile ego.
28:44The big lie has always been weaponized.
28:48The big lie has always been weaponized to influence free future elections.
29:14Now that President Trump's approval numbers are plunging, we should expect even more extreme efforts to escape accountability.
29:22When we come right back, 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.
29:44Welcome back to Politics Nation.
29:47It's been six years and Donald Trump is still trying to prove his baseless claim that the 2020 election was
29:57stolen from him and that somehow him saying it makes it true.
30:02Earlier this week, the FBI served a warrant at the elections office in Fulton County to seize election records in
30:11an 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 why
30:25the FBI would execute a warrant in Fulton County now.
30:29This was her response.
30:32It's about violence.
30:33It's about terror.
30:35It's about fear.
30:37It's about, again, questioning our institutions, the right to vote.
30:46And it's about the midterms, all of that and more.
30:51And so it's critically important that individuals understand that what they are trying to do is so mistrust in our
30:58institutions, in our political institutions, and we will just not allow it.
31:06Joining me now is Rob Pitts, chairman of Georgia's Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
31:12Rob, talk to me about Wednesday's rate.
31:16How exactly did all of this play out?
31:20Well, I was in my office doing some work, got a phone call from the elections headquarters.
31:25They said the FBI is here.
31:26So I immediately called our county attorney.
31:29We went there for two reasons.
31:31First of all, to make sure that our employees were safe.
31:34But second of all, to comply with whatever the FBI was asking.
31:37So 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.
31:46And so once they got a correct search warrant, they began removing some 700 boxes of votes and other material
31:55related to the 2020 election.
31:57Now, almost monthly, we get some complaint interest in the 2020 election.
32:04I've said time and time again, 2020 elections are over.
32:08We've been audited.
32:09We've been reviewed.
32:10We've been looked at from top to bottom, A to Z, even hand counts.
32:14In every instance, we come up clean.
32:17So, Reverend Allen, I have to be honest with you.
32:20This was so unusual.
32:22Typically, in a case like this, it's my understanding that the subjects receive a letter that will indicate the time
32:28and place for something like this to happen, as well as the reason.
32:33We received nothing, no information, no nothing.
32:36And on top of all of that, with Ms. Gabbard coming there, I mean, everything else that she has on
32:42her plate, why in the world would she be in Fulton County, Georgia, overseeing something like this?
32:47Yeah, I'm going to get to that in a minute, because I want to ask you about that.
32:54But I want to ask you this.
32:55Have you managed to make a full accounting of what was taken and where it is now?
33:01Do you have any idea what investigators were looking for and what they will do with it?
33:06We have no idea whatsoever.
33:08When they left, that last FBI truck left our elections hub that night with box number 700.
33:15I don't know where it went.
33:17I don't know where the boxes are.
33:19Nor do I know who has it.
33:21Nor do I know what they're doing with them.
33:23I can use my imagination.
33:26You mentioned the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was present during the raid.
33:31And I had cut you off.
33:33You know, it is odd, because her office traditionally focuses on foreign intelligence and adversaries.
33:41The White House, it says, Gabbard, quote, will continue to take action on President Trump's directive to secure our elections,
33:49end of quote.
33:50Well, what do you make of all this?
33:52Why do you think she was there?
33:55I think this is a big, big deal for the White House.
33:59And I know that for a fact that Fulton County, Georgia, has been a target since 2020 when he asked
34:05for those 11,000, I believe 780 votes.
34:08We delivered the votes for President Biden.
34:11I was there in State Farm Arena the night that all of this stuff reportedly allegedly happened.
34:18Nothing happened.
34:20Nothing happened.
34:20If anybody knows what happened that night, it's Fulton County Chairman Rob Pitts.
34:24I was there.
34:25Nothing happened.
34:26So, what this is all about is a lot bigger.
34:28And I think it's about the 2026 elections, and more importantly, 2028.
34:35So, we must 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.
34:45Trump's election fraud complaints have previously been investigated and been proven false.
34:51Six years later, and Trump is back in office.
34:55Why do you think this is resurfacing now?
34:58I think this is a distraction.
35:00I think it's intimidation.
35:02I think it's serving to discourage people from voting.
35:06Even our co-workers.
35:07That's why I went there to make sure that our workers were safe, because you recall the two women that
35:12Rudy Giuliani intimidated.
35:16They wanted a judgment against him.
35:17So, that has a chilling effect.
35:19And I think that's what this is all about.
35:21If you really peel it back and get to the bottom of it, what they're after.
35:25It's not about 2020 anymore.
35:27It's about 2026 and 2028.
35:30Now, you've repeatedly said that this is a political act of political retribution because you stood up to Trump's big
35:39lie.
35:39What should people be focusing on as this story continues to play out?
35:47To be vigilant.
35:48And if you are not registered, to register.
35:51And 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 other states around the country and what they
36:08may be able to do preemptively?
36:11I think that they need to be vigilant and aware of what's happened.
36:14So, what's happened?
36:15See, we were the target because of the influence that we had in 2020.
36:19No doubt about it.
36:20I mean, I told it.
36:21In fact, I had gotten a tip early in the week that there's certain arrests are going to be made,
36:27including our secretary of state, his deputy, and me and a couple of others.
36:30And that didn't happen.
36:31But fast forward a day later, here's this raid.
36:34So, I'm prepared.
36:35What's next?
36:36But I'm going to, you know, I can assure the people of Fulton County and of the United States of
36:42America that our elections are open, fair, and transparent, and we will abide by every applicable law.
36:49And 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.
36:58Now, if they tamper with the boxes that they have, they could.
37:01The other thing that really happens, typically you get a copy or you're given an opportunity to copy yourself when
37:09the FBI takes them.
37:10None of that happened.
37:11This is a total surprise.
37:12We have no record of what they're doing.
37:15Zero.
37:16Absolutely nothing.
37:17Rob Pitts, and when you mentioned 26, I might say to people around the country, you have a very important
37:24Senate race right there in Georgia in 26 this year with the present sitting senator is up for reelection among
37:32others.
37:33Rob Pitts, thank you so much for being with us.
37:35Up next, justice for Sonia Massey in my final thoughts.
37:41Stay with me.
37:58This week, an Illinois judge sentenced former Sangamon County Sheriff Deputy Sean Grayson to 20 years in prison.
38:09The maximum penalty for the 2024 murder of Sonia Massey.
38:15Massey was just 36 years old when she called 9-1-1 about a prowler only to end up being
38:22shot to death.
38:24The defense claimed Massey had been acting erratically, but the judge ruled the shooting was the result of Grayson's temper
38:32and mindset.
38:33In my capacity as head of National Action Network, I rallied that summer in support of Massey and her family.
38:41This sentence won't bring Sonia back, but it was good to see at least some justice rendered in this case.
38:48And I'm even more encouraged that the tragedy led to a bill enhancing background checks in Illinois.
38:56This is what true accountability looks like.
38:59It leads to better policing and safer streets for all of us.
39:05I can only pray the Trump administration will start paying attention.
39:10That does it for me. Thanks for watching.
39:13I'll see you back here tomorrow at 5 p.m. Eastern with an amazing lineup of guests at the start
39:19of Black History Month.
39:20Senator Lisa Blunt, Rochester of Delaware.
39:24Congressman Nakeema Williams of Georgia.
39:27And Sherelle Parker, Mayor of Philadelphia.
39:29That's all on Sunday.
39:32Politics Nation this weekend primetime.
39:35Though we'll start right after a short break.
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