CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript Interview with Val Demings

Interview

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Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us.

A lot to discuss, but I want to get your reaction to my interview in the last hour with the attorney general, Bill Barr. It's -- and we will in a moment, but, before we do that, as you know, Joe Biden is set to travel to Kenosha tomorrow, as that community clearly deals with the fallout of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police.

Biden says he thinks the officers involved should be charged.

As the former chief of the Orlando Police Department -- we're talking about you -- do you agree?

REP. VAL DEMINGS (D-FL): Well, Wolf, thank you so much for having me on your show.

And I want to begin with some of the things that the attorney general said in your last interview with him.

He said -- you asked him a question about what would he say to the Blake family, and he said that he would talk about, in excessive force cases, there's a process, that there is an investigation that takes place, and that due process is a part of that investigation.

What he should have added, though, is that his main job is to make sure that justice is served. And so -- and that's for the Blake family and also the police officer that is involved.

And, look, if the evidence in the case indicates that the officer should be charged, then that's the direction that should be taken.

Apparently, the vice president has some information that I have not have -- had access to, because I know that there is an investigation going on. But justice is really what we want to see.

BLITZER: Jacob Blake's father has argued, as you know, that there are two different justice systems here in the United States. He says your treatment under the law depends on the color of your skin.

And I asked the attorney general about this. So, listen to part of my interview, his reaction, his statement. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Do you think black people are treated differently by law enforcement than white people?

WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think there are some situations where statistics would suggest that they are treated differently, but I don't think that that's necessary racism.

BLITZER: What is it?

BARR: Like, didn't Jesse Jackson say that, when he looks behind him and he sees a group of young black males walking behind him, he's more scared than when he sees a group of white youths walking behind him.

Does that make him a racist? Does that make him a racist?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, what's your reaction when you hear that, Congresswoman?

DEMINGS: We're talking about...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: I think that we're having some technical problems.

Can you hear me, Congresswoman?

DEMINGS: I can hear you, yes. Can you hear me?

BLITZER: All right, I think we lost your shot, but go ahead and give us your reaction to what we heard from the attorney general.

DEMINGS: You know, we're talking about America's top cop, and, yet again, he just does not seem to be able to find his way.

We know that, unfortunately, racism in America is the ghost in the room. We know that. And it has found its way into all systems, whether that's in health care, education, housing, and lending institutions. And, certainly, police departments are no exception.

We can look at the numbers in our criminal justice system, those who are in prison, those who are arrested. And we see that there is imbalance there.

And I expect the top cop, the attorney general, to, number one, care about that, and be willing to lead the effort to reform our criminal justice system.

I worked in it a lot of years. And while we do know that the overwhelming men and women in law enforcement are good, decent people, throughout the criminal justice system, there is need to -- for reform.

And I'm looking forward to being a part of that process.

BLITZER: Jacob Blake's a family says that, while his health is progressing, national reform is not.

What would you recommend to the people in Kenosha and all communities across the country, for that matter, in confronting systemic racism? What should they do to find some real, lasting change?

DEMINGS: Wolf, we have got to have real conversations that many people find pretty tough, but we got to have them, if we are going to have real, lasting change.

One of the things I always say -- and I truly believe it -- is that when we talk about the police and the community, we talk about them as two separate entities, but they are not.

The police are the community, and the community is the police. And the only way that we're going to solve this problem is for the police and the community to work together to deal with some of the toughest problems that we are facing in our communities.

What I do know, regardless of the color of your skin or the economic base in each community, because I have patrolled them, every person, black, brown, and otherwise, wants to live in safe communities.

So we really need unity around this issue. And, unfortunately, the president of the United States and the attorney general just don't seem to have the ability to lead on this issue and unify our nation around it.

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: Sorry we lost your shot, but we heard every word you said.

Congresswoman Val Demings, thanks so much for joining us.

DEMINGS: Thank you.

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