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Harris: I won't vote for wall 'under any circumstances'
WATCH LIVE: Kamala Harris takes questions at CNN town hall
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Kamala Harris takes questions at CNN town hall
By Veronica Rocha, Brian Ries and Kyle Blaine, CNN
Updated 1 min ago10:48 p.m. ET, January 28, 2019
Harris on criticism of criminal justice record: I've "been consistent my whole career"
From CNN's Dan Merica
Sen. Kamala Harris defended her criminal justice record during CNN’s town hall on Monday, refuting some liberal criticism of her record by arguing that she he “been consistent my whole career.”
The answer, which was succinct and direct, showed that Harris is not only aware of the criticism of her time as district attorney of San Francisco and attorney general of California, but is prepared to take it on.
One thing to know about @KamalaHarris is that her message discipline is stellar. No matter the question, she's pretty good at getting exactly back to what she wants to be talking about.
See Maeve Reston's other Tweets
“I’ve been consistent my whole career,” she said response to a question that asked her to address her “contradictory past.”
“My career has been based on an understanding that, one, as a prosecutor, my duty was to seek and make sure that the most vulnerable and voiceless among us are protected.”
She added: “I have also worked my whole career to reform the criminal justice system, understanding, to your point, that it is deeply flawed.”
The liberal pushback to Harris’ record on crime was epitomized by a recent op-ed by Lara Bazelon, former director for the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent in Los Angeles.
“In her career, Ms. Harris did not barter or trade to get the support of more conservative law-and-order types; she gave it all away,” Bazelon wrote.
Harris listed a litany of actions she took at attorney general, including:
- starting implicit bias and procedural justice training to police officers
- starting an open date initiative for her department
- requiring agents with her department to wear body cameras
Harris also outlined how she is “personally opposed to the death penalty,” adding “that is not going to change.” In addition to calling it a “flawed system,” Harris said it is “cheaper to let people spend their life and end their life in jail.” She did not mention that she defended California’s death penalty in court.
Harris went on to say there is still a lot of work to do on criminal justice, namely addressing mass incarceration, bail reform and the disproportionate application of the crime, but stands by what she has done.
But in a nod to some decisions she made in the past to punish criminal, Harris said that those changes need to be balanced with the need to impose penalties on those who commit crimes.
“We all realize it is a deeply flawed system, but we also want to make sure that when a woman is raped, a child is molested, one human being is killed by another human being, there is going to be consequence, and serious consequence, for those crimes,” she said.
Pressed by CNN’s Jake Tapper on some of the pushback to her record, Harris said she would compare her record to any other elected prosecutor in the country and knows there are some people she can’t win over.
“I will also say that there is so much more work to do,” she said. “And do I wish I could have done more? Absolutely, I do wish I could have done more.”
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Harris: Anyone who wants to be a leader must speak "with integrity"
Kamala Harris, answering a woman who wondered how she will avoid getting caught up in President Donald Trump's "crazy," responded:
"It's very important that anyone who presents themselves as a leader and wants to be a leader will speak like a leader. That means speaking with integrity. It means speaking truth. It means speaking in a way that expresses and indicates some level of interest and concern to people other than oneself. And so, right there we will see a great contrast."
Watch below:
Kamala Harris says she's not voting for a wall "under any circumstances"
Kamala Harris made it clear: She does not plan on voting for any legislation that supports President Trump's long-promised border wall.
"Let me be very clear. I'm not going to vote for a wall under any circumstances," the California senator said. "And I do support border security, and if we want to talk about that, let's do that."
Harris described Trump's wall as a "medieval vanity project" — those words garnered cheers from the crowd inside the Sheslow Auditorium.
Watch the moment:
Harris quotes mom: "You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you're not the last"
Kamala Harris just told CNN's Jake Tapper of a quote her mother used to say: "You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you're not the last."
Harris was responding to Tapper's question asking what it meant to her that she would be the first black female president in American history, should she win.
"That's how I think about those kinds of things," she said, "and it is about certainly breaking barriers, it is something that is very important.
She added:
"I will also say to you that I have seen fathers bring their sons up to me and say, 'She is the first,' in a way that is to also speak to those sons about the fact they should not ever be burdened by what has been and they should see what can be."
"I think that's really the most important takeaway, which is that with each barrier we break, it is saying to all of us, don't be burdened by what has been. See what can be and strive for that," she said.
CNN's Maeve Reston observed:
Here’s the thing, @KamalaHarris doesn’t really like questions about all her historic firsts. So she always goes to that saying from her mom who told her “You might be the first, but don’t be the last.” People like that answer. #HarrisTownHall
16 people are talking about this
Watch below:
Harris on health care: "We need to have Medicare-for-all"
California Sen. Kamala Harris made it clear tonight that she plans to support the progressive push for Medicare-for-All.
Renee Welk, a self-employed Iowa voter, asked Harris about her plan to "ensure that people have access to quality health care at an affordable price," and if it involves "cutting insurance companies as we know them out of the equation?"
Harris answered bluntly: "I believe the solution -- and I actually feel very strongly about this -- is that we need to have Medicare-for-all. That's just the bottom line."
The answer drew cheers and applause from the audience.
Watch Harris explain:
Kamala Harris gets roaring welcome in Iowa
California Sen. Kamala Harris just took the stage where she received a roaring welcome from Iowa voters.
The audience inside the Sheslow Auditorium cheered loudly as she was introduced by CNN's Jake Tapper and took her seat.
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