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Don Lemon Tonight

Ex-Officer Derek Chauvin Knelt On George Floyd's Neck For Nine Minutes And 29 Seconds; 911 Dispatcher Called Sergeant While Watching Video Of Floyd's Arrest; Defense Claiming Chauvin Did Exactly What He Had Been Trained To Do; CDC Director Warns Of Impending Doom As COVID Cases Spike In Most States; Trump Falsely Claims Capitol Rioters Posed Zero Threat And Claims Some Are Being Persecuted; GA's Governor Signs Restrictive New Voting Law Under A Painting Of A Former Slave Plantation. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired March 29, 2021 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[23:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN HOST (on camera): Testimony resumes tomorrow morning in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd. Prosecutors telling jurors that Chauvin used excessive force when he knelt on Floyd's neck for 9:29. The defense claiming Chauvin did exactly what he was trained to do.

And while President Biden announce that's 90 percent of adults will be eligible for the COVID vaccine within the next three weeks, the head of the CDC warning of impending doom with a steady spike in cases from a variant strain that is highly contagious and deadly.

I want to go straight now to the opening statements and the witness testimony in the trial of Derek Chauvin. CNN's Sara Sidner reports now from Minneapolis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JERRY BLACKWELL, SPECIAL ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: May 25 of 2020, Mr. Derek Chauvin betrayed his badge. When he used excessive and unreasonable force upon the body of Mr. George Floyd.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The prosecution's opening statement tells you everything you need to know about how they want the jury to see this case.

BLACKWELL: 9:29. The three most important numbers in the case.

SIDNER: 9:29, the excruciating time George Floyd's neck was under then Officer Derek Chauvin's knee.

BLACKWELL: This case is not about split second decision making.

SIDNER: And to help make that point, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell played one of the videos for the jury.

UNKNOWN: Relax.

GEORGE FLOYD, DIED OF POLICE VIOLENCE: I can't breathe in my place.

UNKNOWN: What do you want?

FLOYD: I can't breathe.

BLACKWELL: You can see, he does not let up and he does not get up. You will learn that Mr. Chauvin is told that they can't even find a pulse.

SIDNER: The first witness in 911 dispatcher, her may 25th dispatch was also played in court showing she was watching surveillance video of Floyd being pinned down that day.

UNKNOWN: I didn't know, you can call me a snitch if you want to, but we have the cameras up for (inaudible) call.

JENA LEE SCURRY, MINNEAPOLIS 911 DISPATCHER: My instincts were telling me something that was wrong.

SIDNER: Jurors were told that they would also be seeing and hearing all the video from bystander's cameras, to police body worn cameras, as well as hearing from Minneapolis police officers, the chief of police, medical experts and witnesses on the scene. Donald Williams was one of those witnesses. Williams was trained in mixed martial arts, were chokeholds were practice. And what he saw on the street that day alarmed him.

UNKNOWN: You get the choke tighter. You hit different shimmies which I felt the officer on top was shimming to actually give the final choking while he was on top to get the kill choke.

SIDNER: For the defense' case?

ERIC NELSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR DEREK CHAUVIN: Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do over the course of his 19-year career. The use of force is not attractive. But it is a necessary component of policing.

SIDNER: Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson made clear, this will also be a battle of experts.

NELSON: This will ultimately be another significant battle in this trial. What was Mr. Floyd's actual cause of death?

SIDNER: He wants the jury to look at the whole scene and listen to the use of force and medical experts as well as read the medical reports.

NELSON: That it reveals that Mr. Floyd had an exceptionally high level of carbon dioxide. Dr. Baker found none of what are referred to as the telltale signs of asphyxiation. There was no (inaudible) hemorrhaging. There was no evidence that Mr. Floyd's air flow was restricted.

[23:05:00]

SIDNER: Instead, he suggested it was illicit drugs found in Floyd's system that aggravated a medical condition that took Floyd's life.

NELSON: Hypertension, his coronary disease, the ingestion of methamphetamine and fentanyl and the adrenaline flowing through his body all of which acted to further compromise an already compromised heart.

SIDNER: There was one thing the defense and prosecution did agree on.

NELSON: There is no political or social cause in this courtroom.

SIDNER: But in the streets and for Floyd's family, Chauvin is not the only one on trial. America's justice system is.

PHILONISE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER: To say that you're (inaudible) should be a death sentence. America is watching.

SIDNER: Before the trial began, the Floyd family and their lawyers knelt outside court for nearly 10 minutes to illustrate just how long Floyd begged for his life under Chauvin's knee.

BRANDON WILLIAMS, GEORGE FLOYD'S NEPHEW: We came for one thing and one thing only. We came to get justice. Somebody needs to be held accountable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (on camera): Sara Sidner joins me now. And Sara, here we go. You -- back at the scene of what we covered so much this past summer. Thank you for joining us this evening. You know, I spoke with Ben Crump and George Floyd's brother, Philonise tonight. Philonise made this point. Listen and we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

P. FLOYD: My brother is not on trial. Chauvin is on trial. America is on trial right now. Minneapolis, Minnesota, they will have to get this right. We're tired of people being killed and slaughtered about anything. I'm not anti-police but there have been a lot of killings by police officers.

And not just in Minneapolis. All across America. We will get justice. We have to get justice, because if you can't get justices for this as a black man in America, what can you get justice for in America then?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Again, that was earlier this evening, Sara. So, Sara, give me your reaction, the country, the world, paying attention?

SIDNER (on camera): Absolutely. You know, the world was watching when it happened. We saw what appeared to be and what many believe is one of the largest civil rights protests because of this video that they saw. Not just here in America but across the world. From Brazil to Germany to London. You had people coming out in the streets after seeing this, watching what they felt like was seeing torture until a man died. And they just wouldn't stand for it. And so you did see a huge

reaction? And now you're seeing people pay attention to some of what is going on in this trial. I think ultimately, everyone's eyes will shift to the very end of the trial when the jury makes its final decision.

But yes, people are paying attention to what is being said in court. Some folks hanging on every word. And I want to just mention a couple of the words we heard that I am sure the jury will remember, that will stick in their minds. And those words came mostly from Donald Williams. The witness who was there. He was yelling at some point at police because he was so disturbed about what he was seeing.

He also knows a lot about chokeholds because he learned to do them at someone who was in a mixed martial arts, a professional who has done mixed martial arts most of his life. And he used words like kill choke and blood choke. Those are phrases that are hard to forget, Don.

LEMON: Absolutely, right on Sara. Sara, we saw protesters tonight in Minneapolis. Can you describe the feeling on the ground there? And what is security like in the area?

SIDNER: Security is as tight as you can imagine it. I mean, there are not just barbed wire but razor wire and rolls of it that go all the way around not just the court but the huge complex around the administrative and court buildings. You are seeing fencing and concrete barricades. You are seeing what looked like armored vehicles that are posted.

As far as the protests go, they have not been huge. They have been absolutely peaceful. They have been very noisy, as is normal. With people expressing their opinions and using their first amendment rights. But you really have seen people come out and express the worry about what is going to be the outcome of this trial.

And many people do believe, although that is not what is being said in court by the attorneys, they do believe that the outcome of this case will be a referendum on the American justice system. They are watching it extremely closely. Especially here in Minneapolis, Don.

LEMON: And Sara, we will be watching you, of course, your coverage over the course of the coming weeks. Thank you, Sara. I appreciate it.

I want to bring in now CNN's Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates, a former federal prosecutor, Neill Franklin as well, a former Maryland State police officer. Good evening to both of you. Laura, I've been glued to your analysis all day. Great job. Thank you for joining us this evening. Because I know it's been a long day for you.

We saw the entire video today. The prosecution encouraging us to believe our own eyes. We also heard from three key witnesses, a 911 dispatcher, a gas station employee across the street who recorded multiple video clips. A man what Sara just mentioned mixed martial arts background who understands chokeholds. It was a dramatic day. How do you think the jury left on day one?

[23:10:20]

LAURA COATES, CNN INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ANALYST (on camera): I think they were riveted. For one reason, because many of the jurors and the actual of idea said they hadn't even seen the full video, or if did see it, they saw it one time and they did not see anything beyond the 8:46 that we all as a globe thought this was confined to. Come to find out, that there was 9:29 of what took place.

And so the idea that this was happening, having the vantage point of bystanders who called the police to say, stop what you're doing, who implored the actual officers on the scene to at least check the pulse. The idea of a 911 dispatcher saying, something is wrong here. My gut, indicates that something is off here.

Then you also have the defense who is trying to make this case more about the victim, George Floyd, than about the officer, the former officer who is standing trial. Why this is fascinating, of course because this is what you expect to have happen. Because what could you possibly say to justify this as a reasonable amount of force?

The only thing they can claim legally is that somehow, some way, he did not substantially cause the death of George Floyd. But in Minnesota, everyone has to keep in mind that they need not prove that it was a singular or sole cause. Only that it was a substantial causal factor. And here that nine minutes plus video, it behooves you to think of there's any other alternative.

LEMON (on camera): Yes. Neill Franklin, we heard that chilling testimony from Donald Williams who said the move Chauvin was using on George Floyd looked like a blood choke. And he described Chauvin as trying to shimmy to make the hold tighter. Here it is and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: If you can just explain what you're seeing here that did you believe this was a shimmy type move?

UNKNOWN: So explain that.

UNKNOWN: Correct.

DONALD WYNN WILLIAMS, WITNESS: OK, cool. So the gestures, the movement is from the shoulders to the top. He's doing it with his knee, not -- you know, it is not an actual choke with the hands. Now, he's actually, he put the same pressure as you would with the neck. And like I said, every time his shoulder is moving, he's pushing that pressure down on his neck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Let me just say this Neill, before I get your response. The video is tough to watch and even, and you saw the picture. It is just tough. Just look at this man with his knee on the neck of George Floyd even in the still photographs. I know, folks at home it is difficult to watch. We're in the middle of a trial and that is what key here. That's what is at stake.

So I want you Neill, give me what you're hearing. What you think about what you're hearing from Chauvin's defense attorney. Specially, when Chauvin said, you know, he said that Chauvin did what he was trained to do. What do you think of that?

NEILL FRANKLIN, RETIRE MARYLAND STATE POLICE MAJOR (on camera): So, Don, you know I've led training for the Maryland state police. I led training for the Baltimore police department, the two largest police departments in the state of Maryland. Very familiar with national standards.

There are a couple such as the use of force continuum, arrest and control tactics and techniques. Nothing like this has ever been trained anywhere in the country that I know of. Especially when we talk about major cities. Now, this witness, he pointed out something that you can clearly see in the video.

That Chauvin was really focusing that pressure on George Floyd's neck. If you really pay attention, you can see that Chauvin's weight was primarily on his left leg. He even had his left hand positioned on his thigh so he could steady himself and apply more pressure to the neck area of George Floyd. That was compelling testimony.

And you know, Don, this is going to be a trial of experts. Medical experts, use of force experts from the law enforcement community. I'm really eager and waiting to see a law enforcement expert in the use of force come in and try to explain to all of us, to the jury, that this was training. This was not police training. Not even close.

LEMON (on camera): Yeah. And then you know, if this is training, it's going to be a shock to a whole heck of a lot of people. It's going to be a couple weeks until we figure out, we think this trial is going to go on and we'll have you both back. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

The trial of Derek Chauvin and the death of George Floyd coming as the voting rights of people of color are under assault. Are we in the middle of a reckoning on race?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: We got two justice systems in America. One for white America and one for black America. And we can't have that.

[23:15:00]

So I think today is definitely the starting point. This change is long overdue in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Ten months after the death of George Floyd and police custody sparked the largest protest for racial justice in decades. The trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin is now underway. What it will mean to the millions of Americans watching it unfold? Let's discuss now. Jemele Hill is here, she is a contributing writer for the Atlantic. Good to see you. Thank you so much Jemele, for joining.

Here we go again, right, with something that we are all too familiar with in our society now. George Floyd's death set off massive demonstrations. Millions protesting police abuse and systemic racism. It was a breaking point really and now the trial is here. This is a critical trial for the black community and for the country.

JEMELE HILL, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC (on camera): Yes, it does feel like a moment. And I guess we will find in the coming weeks or months exactly what kind of moment this will be in this country. We were in a moment last year where the outrage, even the unity, that was surrounding George Floyd's death that occurred with the protest and everybody seemingly on the same page about what racial justice should look like in this country.

[23:20:04]

But now here we are back at this point where there is a trial and a jury and there's just a certain amount of understandable unease that black people in this country have. Because we've been through this before. Many times. I mean, we all saw the video of what happened with George Floyd.

We also all saw the video of what happened with Rodney King. We all saw also saw the video with what happened with Eric Garner. We also all saw what happened to Sandra Bland. I mean, this is going to touch off a lot of triggering feelings for a lot of black people in this country and it is hard to rationalize why it shouldn't. Because I think we have such little faith that the justice system will actually prevail in our favor that --

LEMON: Oh-oh. I think we lost Jemele. We lost Jemele. Anyway, we'll continue on. Maybe we can get her back. But again, this whole thing is going to center around the key piece of evidence, I think for the prosecution, obviously, will be that tape now which has gone from 8:46 to 9:29.

That certainly was a shocker in the opening statements today and then continued on with the witnesses that were called throughout the afternoon. We'll move on. We'll try to get Jemele back. But if we can't get her this time, we'll have her back another time.

So ahead, a stark warning from the CDC Director as coronavirus cases increase all across the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:25:00]

LEMON: Tonight, former President Trump slamming two of his own top coronavirus task force doctors after comments they made to CNN about the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In a long rambling statements, Trump attacks Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx calling them and I quote here, two self-promoters trying to reinvent history to cover for their bad instincts and faulty recommendations which I fortunately almost always overturned.

So joining me now, CNN Medical Analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Good evening Doctor. That's kind of the problem. That is why he got into the trouble that he did and the country got into the trouble. That's just how I feel. So Doctor, he says that he's almost always overturned the recommendations from Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx. Nearly 550,000 people have died. So is he basically admitting responsibility?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST (on camera): Oh, yeah. So one of the really remarkable passages in Sanjay Gupta's really great piece with the former administration docs was when Deborah Birx basically admitted that the vast majority of deaths were not preordained. She said that the first 100,000 in the first surge, maybe we could not have done anything about those. But everything that followed could have been potentially mitigated or prevented.

So what the president, former president is saying is that he countermanded, he overturned us, he said, the advice of Anthony Fauci, you know, probably the world's, you know, most renowned infectious disease expert. Dr. Deborah Birx, again, really renowned virologist for decades. He countermanded, he overturned their recommendations and that's where we are. What more do you really need to hear?

LEMON (on camera): Right. Doctor, after declining for weeks, cases have now -- they are rising now. More than 10 percent in 27 states. Listen to this. This is a dire warning from the CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CHIEF INFECTIOUS DISEASES DIVISION, MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL: I'm going to pause here. I'm going to lose the script and I'm going to reflect on the refrain feeling I have of impending doom. We have so much to look forward to. So much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope. But right now I'm scared.

We have come such a long way. Three historic scientific breakthrough vaccines and we are rolling them out so very fast. So I'm speaking today not necessarily as your CDC Director, not only as your CDC Director, but as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter, to ask you to just please hold on a little while longer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Yes. We have been talking for weeks about how we're in a race against the variants. Is the virus winning this race?

REINER: No. I don't think the virus is winning. In fact I think in the United States, vaccines are winning. But you know, we're in a little bit of a tenuous position now. You know the reason we don't see even more cases in the United States is that we've been so finally spectacularly successful in vaccinating Americans. We are vaccinating almost three million a people a day now. And now I think that is why we're keeping the surge, you know,

relatively down. It is extraordinarily high in Michigan, and it is surging in New Jersey. It is down in parts of the southwest and out in California which is why the national numbers aren't rising so quickly. But I was really proud of the CDC Director today. I think she really found her footing today.

And I heard her speaking to the country as a doctor, as your doctor. And telling you right from the heart what we need to do to get through this patch. Now she was optimistic. Super optimistic. But very realist about what we need to do now telling the country to hold on. I was really proud of Dr. Walensky today.

[23:30:00]

LEMON (on camera): Yes. And the president, doctor, saying today that the war against COVID is far from one urging state leaders to stop rolling back mask mandate. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm reiterating my call for every governor, mayor and local leader to maintain and reinstate the mask mandate. Please. This is not politics. Reinstate the mandate if you let it down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): How can we get people to hang in there longer and keep protecting themselves?

REINER: Well, we need this kind of consistent message from the federal government. We didn't have that in the last administration. You know, we had a group of docs telling to you mask up and we had the president doing something else and holding, you know, mass rallies.

But now we have the entire teams, you know, singing from the same song book. And it is very important. Look, it's not going to get to everyone, but hopefully, some of the governors will understand that the stakes are very high right now. Governors, like the governor of West Virginia, who did open up bars and restaurants but would not remove the mask mandate --

LEMON: Mm-hmm.

REINER: -- in a very, very red state, you know, unlike the governors of Texas and Alabama, Mississippi. So we are in a race against time. We need to get shots in arms. Every person that gets vaccinated now is a person who is not going to die. That's what it means. I can't say it any more plainly other than that. And I also think that basically everyone who wears a mask is also not going to die.

LEMON: Dr. Reiner, we always appreciate having you on. We'll see you soon. Thank you, sir.

REINER: Thank you, Don. LEMON: Trump and his allies trying to completely rewrite what happened in the Capitol on January 6th, try telling that to the officers who were beaten, officers like Michael Fanone. His mother joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): A second big lie from the former president. He incited the insurrection at the Capitol by repeating baseless claim that the election was stolen. Now, Trump and his allies are trying to convince us that nothing really happened on January 6. He is trying to gaslight all of us into thinking that we can't believe what we saw with our own eyes that day. He claims the rioters post zero threat and were hugging and kissing police.

Well, this video tells the truth. This is D.C. police Officer Michael Fanone. He is being dragged and beaten by a mob of rioters. That's what really happened, right in front of your eyes, there it is. He was tasered several times in the back of the neck, injured on the ground, surrounded by rioters. Here is Officer Fanone describing what happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. POLICE OFFICER: I was just trying to fight as best I could. I remember like guys were stripping me of my gear, these rioters, pulling my badge off my chest. They ripped my radio off of -- off my vest. They started pulling like ammunition magazines from their holder on my belt.

And then some guys started getting hold of my gun and they were screaming out, you know, kill him with his own gun. I just remember yelling out that I have kids and it seemed to work. Some people in the crowd started to encircle me and tried to offer me some level of protection.

A lot of people have asked me, you know, my thoughts on the individuals in the crowd that, you know, that helped me or tried to offer some assistance, and I think the kind of conclusion I've come to is, like, you know, thank you, but (bleep) you for being there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): That doesn't sound like hugging and kissing, does it? Officer Fanone suffered a heart attack and concussion that day. Now, he is dealing with a traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Joining me now is Officer Fanone's mother, Terry Fanone. Ms. Terry, thanks for joining. I really appreciate it.

TERRY FANONE, MOTHER OF OFFICER WHO WAS INJURED IN CAPITOL INSURRECTION: You are so welcome. LEMON: Yeah.

FANONE: So welcome. I am so happy to have an opportunity to speak for a different perspective on what happened that day.

LEMON: Yeah. Yeah. We're glad you're here. And as you know, I mean, in full transparency, I've been talking to your son for the past few months. We've become friends. I've learned a lot about his story. He's really a true hero. How are you and your family holding up right now?

FANONE: You know, that -- that clip, which I haven't heard in a while, that doesn't even begin to tell the story. It doesn't even begin to tell the story of what our family went through and what he went through that day.

LEMON (on camera): I can't even imagine. But he is so lucky to have you and your family supporting him. But I want you to listen to the former president, claiming that the rioters, who attacked your son, are being persecuted. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (voice- over): They go after people that I guess you would call them lean towards the right. And they waved American flag. In many cases, they're waiving the American flag. They love our country. It was zero threat. Right from the start, it was zero threat.

Look, they went in, they shouldn't have done it. Some of them went in and they are hugging and kissing the police and the guards. You know, they have great relationships. A lot of people were waved in and then they walked in and they walked out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): They said they were hugging and kissing the officers.

[23:40:00]

LEMON: But listen, he is saying that the rioters were waving flags. But this body camera footage shows them using the flagpoles to beat your son. So what goes through your mind when you hear the former president --

FANONE: That's exactly right.

LEMON: -- trying to rewrite history on January 6, saying, oh, there was zero threat?

FANONE: You know, it was -- I respect -- that's his opinion. That was his perspective. His perspective was from -- he wasn't there. What goes through my mind is really outrage, that not only the 850 MPD officers that were there but officers from different jurisdictions as well as Capitol Hill police. It is diminishing. It is devaluing. It -- the thing that is so profound is after he made those statements, the silence that followed, and where was the outrage from other people who were there from congressmen, who were there? And the silence to me implies indifference, I could be wrong, but indifference or complicity.

Just completely -- or are people just so -- they're so used to hearing this rhetoric they don't even listen anymore. So, for us, for our family, and for each and every police officer that I know that Michael is in touch with, constantly, it is outrageous. It is so dehumanizing. It is so devaluing. And it is outrageous, outrageous --

LEMON: Oh, Ms. Terry, if you could speak directly to the former president --

FANONE: -- for each one of them.

LEMON: If you could speak to him and his supporters who are pushing these lies about the rioters, what would you say to them?

FANONE: Where is your courage? Where is your courage? Because I know that there are people out there, I know what I know, what I know, and I know the people that -- that have implied and have stated to Michael directly that there is so much more to the story, but so many people are afraid to come out and to speak and to speak the truth.

The silence is so palpable and it is just outrageous. For me to say anything to Trump would be -- it wouldn't matter because he just can't hear. It is all the other people that are so complicit in this. That's who I would speak to, is that, how dare you?

How dare you, how dare you take advantage of these people who were defending and fighting for their lives that day to save these people, preserve democracy, civility, to restore the Capitol to what it is supposed to be? Where are you? With all of these officers stood with you, why don't you stand with them?

LEMON: The prosecutors have charged Thomas Sibick in the brutal assault of your son. He is also accused of stealing Mike's badge and radio, which he finally admitted that he buried in his own backyard. Is -- how does Mike feel about it? I know he spoke to me. He feels encouraged in knowing that he believes at this point that these rioters are going to be held accountable. Am I correct?

FANONE: Yes. You know, it is -- he does feel like there is going to be some accountability. And -- but, you know, there are definitely going to be people who slipped through the cracks and are not going to be found in any way, shape or form. So it is just a matter of fact.

But, you know, whatever fine these people or whatever jail sentence somebody might incur, it doesn't even begin. It doesn't begin to repair the damage that has been done to not only Michael but all these other people who really were -- they were the ones that were persecuted.

LEMON: Ms. Terry, I'm so grateful that you're here. Thank you so much.

FANONE: Thank you.

LEMON: The painting behind Georgia's governor -- Governor Kemp's desk drawing a lot of attention after he signed into law a bill that restricts voting rights. My next guest says it shows the plantation where her family worked for generations, going back to slavery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If I didn't tell you, a second lawsuit has now been filed, challenging Georgia's restricted new election law, which was signed by the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, last week.

The suit filed by several civil rights and voting rights groups claims that the law specifically targets Black voters and other voters of color who turned out in records numbers last November.

I want to bring in now Kimberly Wallace, who has a really personal and unique angle to this story. Kimberly, thanks so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

KIMBERLY WALLACE, FAMILY WORKED ON PLANTATION IN PAINTING ABOVE GOVERNOR KEMP'S DESK: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: So, would you please walk me through this? You are watching the coverage of Governor Kemp signing the new Georgia elections bill, and then you noticed the painting behind the governor was familiar to you. Tell us about that.

WALLACE: So I kept hearing people say, you know, he had the audacity to sign this bill in front of a picture of a plantation.

[23:50:00]

WALLACE: I was, like, wow, you know, that's messed up. And then, you know, I thought nothing of it. But when I got home and saw the picture, I was like, that picture looks familiar. I googled it and then when I saw it was the Callaway Plantation, I gasped. I was, like, wow, that place has haunted me and my family for a long time.

LEMON: Both sides of your family. Three generations worked at that plantation. How did it feel to see a painting of it behind a group of white men signing a bill making it harder, specifically for people of color, to vote?

WALLACE: It just reminded me of the intimidation tactics that have been used in the Jim Crow south for so long. I remember during the Capitol insurrection, right before the people stormed the Capitol, Donald Trump said that Brian Kemp was the dumbest governor.

I don't think that he is dumb. I think he knows what he is doing. I think the optics were there. I think, the -- Park Cannon being brought out in handcuffs, it was all very deliberate and it was sending a message to the people of Georgia.

LEMON: You know, you have actually been to the Callaway Plantation. There are some photographs, right? You have been there a number of times. So talk to me about those experiences, visiting it.

WALLACE: I've heard stories from my family about the red brick house, the red brick house. And it wasn't until 2017, my father actually brought me there and showed me around the plantation and told me, you know, I used to feed the animals here and we used to do this there and that there.

And I was, like, my father did that. This is not some story about, you know, the 1800s. This was, like, in 1950 something. So, you know, Jim Crow era sharecropping was still going on in Georgia. I just want to salute my dad. Today is Vietnam Veteran Day, Vietnam Veteran Memorial Day, so I want to salute him. He is a Vietnam War veteran.

LEMON: Dad, thank you for your service, and thank you for doing that. You have every right to do it. It's interesting when you talk about these plantations, because having traced my roots twice, you learned about the plantations in your past. There was one in Louisiana Saint Clare and there is another one, the Woods Plantation, and each come with different stories about our families.

And, you know, it's -- there were horrific things that happened but we accept them as part of our past. But I think people should learn more about --

WALLACE: Absolutely.

LEMON: -- the true history of the country and then they won't operate on -- out of a lie and maybe there won't be an insurrection. They'll be operating from the truth because they'll know the contributions of people of color in this country.

WALLACE: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I want people of color to do their research and get their family history so that they can be, you know, as patriotic as everyone else. You know, my father fought in Vietnam.

My grandfather fought in the war. My brother fought in the first Gulf War. We have just as right as much of a right to be as patriotic as everyone else, and be fueled by that to vote and to get involved in politics. So --

LEMON: Amen.

WALLACE: -- in Wilkes County, Barry Fleming is the city attorney, he wrote that bill.

LEMON: Yeah.

WALLACE: So, he is very familiar with Wilkes County. Wilkes County, Washington, Georgia is still very much segregated. So, I took that very personally when I saw that picture.

LEMON (on camera): I want to bring -- I will get this in because I think it's important. On Thursday, when the governor signed this bill into law, you mentioned it just moments ago, he is behind closed doors, right? And then you have this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARK CANNON, MEMBER, GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: (inaudible) like you're going to do something.

UNKNOWN: (Inaudible).

CANNON: Are you serious?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): No, you are not. Represent --

UNKNOWN: She's not under arrest.

UNKNOWN: For what?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): So, that's state Rep. Park Cannon, as you mentioned, knocking on that door, and then was arrested. What do you think -- what'd you think when you saw that, Kimberly?

WALLACE: I was disgusted. I was totally disgusted because like I said, you think about that as compared to the insurrection at the Capitol and it's like she was just knocking on the door. And she's now been charged with the same crimes, that some of the people that stormed the Capitol were charged with. And that's just absolutely ridiculous.

But it's very telling, how they've made this woman, Park Cannon, and Stacey Abrams and Black women of Georgia the enemy because we are the ones that came out and voted in huge, huge numbers. And they're sending a message. And I'm just here to let them know it's not going to work because now, we have been fueled by, like I said before, we're fueled by our ancestors and we're totally invested in this and we are not going to lose.

LEMON: So, what are you going to do? Because you have been -- you have been politically active in the past. You said that you were active in the Warnock-Ossoff campaigns. How are you planning to fight against this new law?

WALLACE: We just have to get people fueled up, like I said. Listen, my great grandmother, she helped build the bricks that built that red house. We are all -- everyone should do their research and know what their family contributed to this country. We built this country for little to nothing.

[23:55:00]

WALLACE: So, I think we should all be involved. So I'm just going to encourage everyone right now, do some research on your family and get involved in your local politics, vote, and hold these people accountable once they're in office.

LEMON: I can't tell you the -- the sense of empowerment and the autonomy you feel when you learned about the history of your family on this continent and then beyond.

Kimberly, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us.

WALLACE: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: Thank you. You be well. Thanks.

Thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: I am Chris Cuomo, and welcome to "PRIME TIME." This is the season of rebirth and renewal, Christians enter Easter, right, Christ's death and resurrection?