Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Anti-Trump Conservative Group Grades GOP Lawmakers; McCarthy, After Denouncing Trump, Defends Trump's Riot Response; Louisville Officials Hold Press Conference After A.G. Garland Announces Investigation Into Louisville Metro P.D. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired April 26, 2021 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

OLIVIA TROYE, DIRECTOR, REPUBLICAN ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT: Well, we created this as a quick reference tool for constituents, for donors, for reporters, and anyone interested in looking up how their representative, congressional person or Senator did in terms of really through the lens of democracy.

We looked at four specific criteria, which are did any participate in the frivolous lawsuit that went to the Supreme Court that started in Texas that was meant to basically deny the election results.

Or did they issue public statements and make references to the big lie and the stolen election?

Did they cast doubt on the integrity of the election through standing against certifying the election results and what did they do during the impeachment trial in January?

Did any vote to hold Trump accountable for what happened on January 6th? And did any street to acquit and not hold anyone accountable? We saw what happened January 6th firsthand.

This is basically a reminder saying we are paying attention, you can pretend that you're going to play revisionist history and try to figure out what happened, but we all witnessed it. And democracy is fragile.

And we are watching and will be paying attention to future statements by these individuals. And it will be a dynamic tool you can reference and look to and see how they're doing.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: What I read from the Web site is that you hope that these people who have received Fs will be voted out or replaced. But you got more Fs than you have A grades.

I wonder if -- what's your concern you're being set up or setting yourselves up as a fundraising foil, that that will be a feather in the cap of a conservative to have an "F" from your group?

That just like some people tout their "F" rating from the NRA to raise money and to get voters, that they will do the same with you? TROYE: You certainly see a lot of irresponsible leadership take

negative grades and fundraise off it and turn it to a positive for them.

But I think if you are actively doing that when it comes to our democracy, I think that says a lot about your unfitness for office as an elected official willing to cross a line and use it as a badge of honor.

I feel our democracy isn't something we should be negotiating about or questioning. The fact that we actually have a democracy report card for the Republican Party says everything we have to say about where we are right now --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

TROYE: -- in terms of the behavior of the individuals.

BLACKWELL: Well, there's -- let me introduce you to one person not concerned about his "F" rating, minority leader, Kevin McCarthy.

He still is shifting and reshaping his reaction, the president's engagement in trying to stop the insurrection at the capitol.

Listen to what he said over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): When I talked to President Trump about -- I was the first person to contact him when the riot was going on, he didn't see. He ended the call, telling me he'll put something out to make sure to stop this. And that's what he did. He put a video out later.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Quite a lot later, and it was a pretty weak video. But I'm asking you specifically, did he say to you --

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: -- I guess some people are more concerned about the election than you are?

MCCARTHY: Listen, my conversations with the president are my conversations with the president. I engaged in the idea of making sure we could stop what was going on inside the capitol at that moment in time. The president said he would help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: I mean, this shows what you're up against. They're not getting closer to moderation. They are getting closer to the president.

What's your reaction to what you just heard?

TROYE: I think it's dangerous. I think it's dangerous to have these individuals pushing narratives like this.

And we all saw what happened. There's no pushing this under the rug. We lived it. Mike Pence's life was in danger. Other lives, people were hurt. People lost lives that day.

I think you're seeing -- it's embarrassing. It's shameful behavior, especially for representative McCarthy to sit there as a leader in the party and try to memory hole this.

BLACKWELL: Well, he has done it before.

Olivia Troye, with the Republican Accountability Project, thank you so much.

TROYE: Thanks for having me.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: We have a programming note now. On Wednesday, President Biden will give his first address to a joint session of Congress. Join Jake Tapper, Abby Phillip, Dana Bash, Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer for CNN's special live coverage. It starts Wednesday night at 8:00 Eastern.

[14:35:27]

So one of the world's largest countries devastated by a second wave of coronavirus. We're asking Congressman Ro Khanna if he thinks the Biden administration is doing enough to help the people of India.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: It's being -- all right. We got breaking news. Let's go to Louisville. And hearing from city officials after the announcement from Merrick Garland.

MAYOR GREG FISCHER (D-LOUISVILLE, KY): So thank you, Attorney General. We stand ready to assist in your efforts.

Next up, I'd like to turn things over to LMPD Chief Erika Shields.

Chief?

ERIKA SHIELDS, CHIEF, LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT: Thank you, Mayor.

Good afternoon.

I can't say that I was entirely surprised by the DOJ announcement.

And I think that as someone who truly believes in police reform and doing things differently, which will only help us as a profession in the long run, I think it's -- I think it's a good thing.

I think that it's necessary, because police reform, quite honestly, is needed in near every agent across the country.

And if us, at Louisville LMPD, are going to be one of the flagship departments for change, then bring it on. We're going to deliver.

[14:40:06]

What I have found in my short time here is a department comprised some of some of the most honorable men and women I've ever worked with in law enforcement.

They want to get it right. They want the community to be proud of them.

And so what I look at this as an opportunity to quicken the pace in which we can make those changes essential so that the community trusts us and believes in us.

The city had invested in, prior to my arrival -- rolled out shortly before I started -- in an independent audit of the department, a top to bottom review by Hilyard Hines (ph), third party.

And put forward a number of recommendations extremely beneficial for us as we develop our strategic plan moving forward and as we operationalize changes.

But the reality of it is what the DOJ is doing, is they are bringing more resources, drilling down in greater detail and also providing the guidance of what it is the federal government wants to see nationally from law enforcement agencies.

And there has to be clarity and uniformity on that if we're ever going to be in a space where policing as a profession that we can be proud of in every corner of America.

To the officers, the employees, what I will say, is this venture will only be successful if you are engaged. Your feedback, involvement and observations are imperative.

The job that you do, day in and day out is extremely difficult, extremely dangerous. And that's the one piece of this equation, with all the criticism that comes on police, that we have to also deal with.

And we have to get our arms around. And that is just the sheer volume of illegal guns on the street. Because I think if we don't address that as well we're going to have a much harder time getting our arms around this.

And it is imperative then, as you as officers, that you -- you engage in in process. It's OK if we've done things wrong. We're going to do it differently. We're going to do it better.

But this is your future. It is our future.

And we need to articulate what's worked and what hasn't worked so that we can be afforded those resources and the assistance that's so desperately needed to get us in a space where we can be proud, proud of who we are and proud of our performance day in and day out. And I do welcome this, as the mayor does. Because I think that we are

in a space that we need -- we need support. But I also firmly believe in LMPD and the city of Louisville. And we've got this.

Thank you.

FISCHER: Thank you, Chief.

We'll now hear from the president of the metro council, David James.

DAVID JAMES, (D), LOUISVILLE METRO COUNCIL MEMBER: Good afternoon, everybody. I too welcome this opportunity to have the attorney general of the United States look at the patterns and practices of LMPD.

I think our officers at LMPD really want to have the very best police department in the country. And I think our citizens want to have the very best police department in the country.

But I think there has to be some cultural change that takes place in order for that to happen. And I think that Chief Shields is doing a fantastic job.

However, as she said, I think that she needs some help to get that done.

I think having the federal government coming and look at what we have going well and what we don't have going so well is very important. And I don't think that it's any secret that we have a police department that has some troubles.

But we also have a police department that has some of the best police officers in the country. I look forward to this and welcome it. The metro council welcomes it.

I know our police department can do better, hand that some change has to take place. And that our -- and that our -- the community wants to do better and have good relationships with our police. And I believe those things can happen.

Thank you.

FISCHER: Thank you, President James.

Now another way to look at this is we've been building momentum toward this type of audit now the last, you know, six to nine months in the community. Again, unfortunately, out of a tragedy.

We have a lot of experience with audits like this, with the desire to improve like this.

[14:44:59]

We have seen many of our LMPD officers embrace this type of movement toward becoming the best police force in the country and reform and all that's involved with that.

Because America is at a crossroads with policing. We just happen to be the city we're talking about here today.

So the opportunity for us to really get in right in a new way that enhances this police community legitimacy we're talking about is really an outstanding opportunity for us.

One of our critical partners with that journey is Mike O'Connell. our county attorney, now giving his thoughts -- Mike?

MIKE O'CONNELL, (D), JEFFERSON COUNTY ATTORNEY: Thank you Mayor Fischer.

And my office -- and I know everyone up here from listening to them that we welcome this with open arms.

Louisville needs this level of accountability to fully push ahead with needed reform. This is what our community needs at this moment to have a chance at repairing trust between its citizens and police department.

I was pleased to hear Attorney General Garland mention some of the steps metro has already taken, including the settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor. But there's much more to be done.

I think one of the other things that is fortunate about this database when you get the Department of Justice telephoning you with their Civil Rights Division and telling you that they want to meet on pretty short notice to discuss some things, it's generally not about traffic tickets.

It's about something very serious. And which it is.

And the team they have and will assemble to come in here and perform this very important work -- you know, I was very impressed with them. So there's hopefully there's a reason to call in the Department of Justice.

And hopefully, that's what will come about as a result of this work that they're going to do.

But I will certainly be an eager partner with the Department of Justice in in work and help them in any way possible.

Thank you.

FISCHER: With that, we're happy to take any questions.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mayor Fischer, you met with the DOJ - (INAUDIBLE) -- there was going to be an investigation?

FISCHER: We met with them at 11:30 this morning. And they explained why they were in town, the work they'd been doing, that they were going to be initiating an investigation to see where that would take them with our department.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did they state that it would overall look at the last several years or just the Breonna Taylor case specifically that got their attention that they are delving into?

FISCHER: There was four specific areas they are looking into and that they will be going back I think they said about five years or so.

Released -- did they release -- it did the attorney general mention that? I think they will be putting out the directive what they will be looking at.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It'll start this week or next week and how long it will last?

FISCHER: It started with the announcement to us here today. And they did not want to give a timeline exactly how long it would last.

They did reference that investigations like this in Chicago and Baltimore took about 13 months or so.

We're a smaller department, certainly than Chicago. And depending how good our records are in shape, that could dictate how quickly it proceeds.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The last -- (INAUDIBLE) -- pretty small. Is there any concern that this is going to affect the ability to recruit additional people to the degree classes coming up at LMPD?

FISCHER: Let me say something.

And, Chief, I'll throw it to you.

I see this as a really exciting positive thing. Because it's no secret that policing in America is at a crossroads right now. I mean, it seems like almost every news cast on there's something about the police in the community not working right.

I know that our police force, for instance, our police members they don't want that. They want change. They want to see the community welcoming their work.

And when their work is conducted under difficult circumstances. they want to understand why and how it happened. And they want to understand the good so, folks, are interested in changing the tenor and tone of safety in our country, which is very important.

We'll be thus enthused at joining a police department at the vanguard of that change, just like good police officers will be within LMPD, which we're honored to have many, many of those.

Chief, do you want to comment on that?

[14:50:01]

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

SHIELDS: Do you want me to

(CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They're looking into if there are violations of constitution or federal law. If there are findings of that happening, do you consider that a good thing for the department that you've been over for 10 years?

SHIELDS: Do you want me to --

(CROSSTALK)

SHIELDS: Let me first address the recruitment thing because I think it's important to notate that hiring across the United States in law enforcement is proving to be extremely challenging.

We have to rebrand our product. We have numerous self-inflicted wounds that have made our product unappealing, period. And so, this is not -- this is not isolated to LMPD, by any stretch.

And what I think is my job is to ensure that the department and the people we're hiring understand.

This actually empowers me because what I will be pushing for is more resources, more training, right, and more tools other than lethal force to help our officers navigate the numerous situations they encounter day in and day out.

And I think for too long we have allowed other parties dictate how we do our job and how we train and what we invest in. And the reality of it is, we need to be driving that.

And so, to me, I look at this as a huge opportunity to get us on the path forward that is most beneficial for the police department. And I think, you know, that's my job, is to make sure people understand that this is not -- this is not a negative.

With what these folks have been dealing with for the last nine months, I think I would like to believe they've dealt with the hardest part and that we can get to some level of normalcy in this city so that the community feels good about LMPD.

FISCHER: Darcy, would you repeat that question?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When you talk about this as an opportunity and a good thing, it's a federal investigation into if an agency violated a constitution or federal law.

So the finding, potentially, is that the police department that you've been over for ten years was breaking laws. So, if there's a finding that there's something wrong with the department, do you consider that a good thing?

FISCHER: Well, first off, I hope that the investigation will show that the LMPD did a good job under very difficult circumstances.

If there was -- if it's found that there are violations of constitutional policing, that needs to be communicated, it needs to be understood and it needs to be corrected if it's not understood. Look, you know, my job is to represent all of the people of

Louisville. Not to protect the police department. Not to protect any specific interest group. It's to make sure that justice is present throughout the entire community.

And if that means welcoming audits, welcoming the DOJ and they help us in that ultimate goal, that's a good thing for the community.

I would regret it if it had happened but the worst thing in the world would be to look the other way and deny it happened.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You have spoken about officers wanting change, but I think -- officers that say, yes, but we for years with the vote of no confidence about chief, not only by the officers but also by the -- bipartisan members.

You've lost 60 percent of your officers in the last year and a half. There's a mobile division because of all the lawsuits. There's also the record-breaking shooting and homicide.

All of that happened before -- so what would you say to somebody who says, yes, now we welcome change but we've been asking for it under this administration for years?

FISCHER: I'd say that there's been plenty of change enacted by our police chiefs that we've had under my watch. And that things happen in a city our size.

We've never just said, we need to constantly change and improve. LMPD has a record of doing that. This is part of the ongoing record, what we've done since the tragedy with Breonna Taylor.

People have different opinions of what change is. Some people don't welcome change, others embrace change. We've always tried to improve and we're going to continue to do so.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you regret not asking Chief Conrad to step down?

FISCHER: That's a simplistic question?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you regret it?

FISCHER: I'm not going to dignify a question like that because it's simplistic and --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

FISCHER: Any other questions? Anybody else?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

[14:55:08]

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You said the officers don't have anything to worry about or they should be looking forward to this. Morale has been an issue for a while with officers in the department.

How is this going to make things better, especially right now?

FISCHER: Well, to me -- and I'll give it to chief after this -- our police officers are smart people.

They see what's happening around the country with policing and police reform and questioning about police. They certainly have lived it and experienced it in our community.

They're not happy with the type of situation that policing is in locally or nationally. So, we have to change. And I would think they want to be part of that.

Chief?

SHIELDS: Thank you.

I think that the police have not enjoyed their job, right? And so they understand that whatever we've been doing isn't working.

And they want clear line of sight on how -- what is -- how can we be successful? How can policing be enjoyable again? What do we have to do to get this right?

And I think that when you, in this particular situation, when you have the DOJ coming in and providing pointed feedback, resources and assistance, it only shores up what we're already working on.

We're already working on this, but this is like a force multiplier on steroids coming in. It's not -- I don't -- I really believe that the hardest part for LMPD has been navigated.

And you now -- they're now in a space where they realize and they see, they have to change, they want to be proud of their job, of the work they're doing.

They want the community to be proud of them. And so let's get there.

And I don't -- I don't look at this as something that's beating up on them.

This is -- police departments, especially if you're in a city, you're going to have things just often are not going to go well and sometimes they just go awful.

And it's like anything else. Are you going to lay down or are you going to pick up and say, you know what, I'm going to do what I need to do to come out on top? And that's what we're doing.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I hear you saying you need reform, the changes and talking about the positives there. But the Justice Department -- (INAUDIBLE)?

What does it tell you about the reforms and the quality of the reforms if the Justice Department is coming in with this investigation? FISCHER: Well, prior they announced they were going into Minneapolis.

The two cities in the spotlight this last year were Minneapolis and Louisville.

I really appreciated the attorney general recognizing the progress we've made in the city.

But, look, DOJ's job is not to sit back and say, they're trying, they're making progress. Their job is to come in and understand what's happened and what's going on and put a stamp of approval on that or say, no, we need to investigate in further areas.

So the important thing here, folks, is for the citizens of Louisville to say, OK, we've looked at this every possible way, through community reforms, through hiring a new police chief, now the Department of Justice.

And so that -- if you're looking for the ultimate arbitrator of what's taken place, they are it.

And so that's why I think this is a win for the city and will remove any type of critics we might have from the most-fierce critic on the left, the most-fierce critic on the right, for different reasons, about the city having some agenda or some objective to approve with the way we're going about this.

That's why this is a good and welcome thing for the community.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mayor, this --

(CROSSTALK)

FISCHER: Anybody new?

Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE). Is that a cultural issue, something deeper?

FISCHER: Yes. I feel like it's a cultural issue.

If you're looking at the use of force and who that force is used against and how it's applied, if you're looking at searches and seizures and who is searched and why they're searched and how that constitutional authority that they have is applied.

[14:59:59]

If you're looking at if there's any dispirit impact on the police department, upon its citizens, those are all cultural issues within the police department. And those are all things that need to be addressed.