>>> BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT.
BOTH ATLANTA POLICE OFFICERS
CHARGED FOR THE RAYSHARD BROOKS
KILLING HAVE NOW TURNED
THEMSELVES IN.
IN FACT THIS WAS JUST MOMENTS
AGO.
FORMER OFFICER, GARRETT ROLFE,
WHO WAS CHARGED WITH MURDER WENT
TO THE FULTON COUNTY JAIL.
HE IS IN CUSTODY ON THOSE 11
CHARGES.
HE WAS NOT GRANTED BOND.
HIS FORMER PARTNER, DEVON
BROSNAN, IS NOW OUT ON BOND.
NOW LET’S BE CLEAR, THERE HAS
BEEN CONFLICTING STATEMENTS AND
OUTRIGHT CONFUSION IN THE PAST
24 HOURS ABOUT OFFICER BROSNAN’S
LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN THE
STATE’S CASE AGAINST ROLFE.
IN FACT IF YOU SAW OUR OPENING,
I WAS DISCUSSING THIS BRIEFLY
WITH CHUCK TODD WHO HAD A BIG
INTERVIEW ABOUT IT TODAY.
NOW, WE’RE GOING TO SHOW YOU
EVERYTHING SO YOU CAN MAKE UP
YOUR OWN MIND.
FIRST WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IS
THE D.A., WHO MADE WAVES
YESTERDAY BY DESCRIBING HIM AS A
STATE’S WITNESS, STANDING BY
THAT, BASICALLY DOUBLING DOWN
TODAY AND ASSERTING THAT, YES,
BROSNAN IS BASICALLY A STATE’S
WITNESS.
>> THAT WHOLE DISCUSSION IS
SUBTERFUGE AWAY FROM THE REAL
IMPORTANT ISSUES IN THIS CASE.
I WILL JUST SAY THAT WE STICK BY
OUR COMMENTS MADE ON YESTERDAY,
BUT I’M HOPING PEOPLE WILL TURN
BACK TO THE CRUX OF THIS ISSUE.
AND THE CRUX OF THIS ISSUE IS
THAT MR. BROOKS IS DEAD FOR
REALLY NO VALID REASON AT ALL.
>> THE COMMENTS YESTERDAY, OF
COURSE, DID IDENTIFY OFFICER
BROSNAN AS COMPLETELY BEING A
STATE’S WITNESS.
IF WE ALL REMEMBER IN THE
MUELLER CASE, THE MUELLER PROBE,
WE TALKED ABOUT WHO FLIPS AND
WHO MAKES AGREEMENTS.
THAT’S HOW IT WAS PRESENTED.
HERE’S THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
CASE, YOU CAN HEAR EVERYTHING.
OFFICER BROSNAN AND HIS LAWYER
SPEAKING OUT IN THAT NEWSWORTHY
INTERVIEW WITH CHUCK TODD AND
KATY TUR.
AND THE MESSAGE IS THEY ARE
SAYING HE IS NOT A STATE’S
WITNESS AND NOT FLIPPING AGAINST
HIS FORMER PARTNER.
>> OFFICER, ARE YOU GOING TO
COOPERATE WITH THE D.A.?
>> I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO
COOPERATING WITH ANY
INVESTIGATORS WHO ARE INTERESTED
IN HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT.
>> THERE SEEMED TO BE AN
IMPLICATION, OFFICER BROSNAN,
THAT YOU WOULD TESTIFY AGAINST
GARRETT ROLFE.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU HAVE RULED
OUT?
>> OFFICER BROSNAN IS NOT GOING
TO BE A, QUOTE, STATE’S WITNESS,
WHICH IS KIND OF TV TALK.
HE’S EITHER GOING TO BE A
WITNESS AND DESCRIBE THE FACTS
OR HE’S GOING TO BE SITTING NEXT
TO ME AT COUNSEL TABLE.
>> WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A
GUEST NOW WHO HAS WORKED AND LED
ON THESE ISSUES FOR A VERY LONG
TIME.
CONGRESSWOMAN KAREN BASS CHAIRS
THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
AND IS A KEY SPONSOR OF THE
HOUSE DEMOCRATS POLICE REFORM
BILL.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
I KNOW YOU ARE BUSY.
>> YES.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
>> I UNDERSTAND THE D.A.’S
POINT, AND I THINK WE CAN GET TO
THAT, WHICH IS THE BIGGER
HEADLINE, THE SUBSTANTIVE
DEVELOPMENT IS THAT THERE IS A
MURDER CASE GOING FORWARD.
HAVING SAID THAT, AS YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE YOU’VE WORKED THESE
ISSUES, WHETHER THERE ARE
WITNESSES, PARTICULARLY OFFICERS
WHO WITNESSED WHAT HAPPENED,
COOPERATING AND THE LEVEL OF
THEIR COOPERATION MAKES A BIG
DIFFERENCE OVER WHETHER YOU GET
A CONVICTION OR NOT.
I THINK THAT’S WHY SO MANY
ACTIVISTS CARE ABOUT THIS.
SO I’M CURIOUS JUST BIG PICTURE
HAVING LAID OUT FOR OUR VIEWERS
THE CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS YOUR
TAKE.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I
CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THE OFFICER
IS WILLING TO TESTIFY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT GETS AT ONE OF
THE ISSUES THAT WE TRY TO
ADDRESS IN THE GEORGE FLOYD
JUSTICE FOR POLICING ACT, AND
THAT IS THE DUTY TO INTERVENE.
AND SO IF HE IS GOING TO TURN
STATE WITNESS AGAINST THE OTHER
ONE, THEN, YOU KNOW, WHY DIDN’T
HE INTERVENE?
WHAT DID HE DO?
WHAT WAS HIS RESPONSIBILITY?
WE WANT TO MAKE IT SO THAT
POLICE OFFICERS WHEN THEY SEE
SOMETHING GOING WRONG, THAT THEY
STOP IT.
BUT YOU AND I KNOW THAT IF YOU
TRY TO DO THAT TODAY, THEN YOU
WILL BE COMPLETELY OSTRACIZED BY
YOUR COLLEAGUES.
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR
WITH THE CASE OF THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN IN NEW
YORK WHO DID INTERVENE WHEN SHE
SAW HER WHITE COLLEAGUE DOING A
CHOKEHOLD AND SHE WAS AFRAID
THAT HE WAS GOING TO KILL
SOMEONE.
SO SHE STOPPED THE CHOKEHOLD.
WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?
SHE GOT FIRED.
AND SO IT’S THAT CULTURE THAT
WE’RE TRYING TO INTERVENE ON
WITH THE LEGISLATION.
>> UNDERSTOOD.
AND I THINK WHAT’S HELPFUL FOR
US IN TRACKING THIS IS YOUR
EXPLAINING THAT THERE IS WHAT
INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS DID AND WHAT
THEY COOPERATE WITH AND THEN
THERE’S THE ACTUAL, AS EVERYONE
HAS SAID, THE SYSTEM AND THE
RULES SO THAT YOU CAN GET AHEAD
OF THIS AND TRY TO PREVENT THESE
TRAGIC AND AVOIDABLE INCIDENTS.
GETTING INTO THE CASE, WHICH
AGAIN THE D.A., I WILL SAY, FACT
CHECKED TRUE WHEN HE SAID
THERE’S MORE TO THIS.
THEY DO HAVE OTHER WITNESSES AS
WELL.
I WANT TO PLAY AGAIN, THIS IS
ALSO NEW, MICHAEL PERKINS WAS
ANOTHER WITNESS TO THIS
SHOOTING.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> I MEAN I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO
START.
LIKE I WITNESSED THE MURDER.
I ALMOST WAS KILLED MYSELF.
I FEEL TERRIBLE ABOUT IT.
I MEAN IT’S SO NORMAL TODAY, IT
JUST HAPPENS IN DIFFERENT
CITIES.
I MEAN IT’S KIND OF -- I DON’T
KNOW IF THEY’RE TRYING TO MAKE
US GET USED TO IT OR WHAT, BUT
IT’S KIND OF LIKE SOMETHING
NORMAL NOW.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN?
>> WOW.
I MEAN HIS STATEMENT, AM I
SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT THIS AS BEING
THE NORM?
NO, HE’S NOT.
AND THAT’S WHY WE HAVE TO PASS
THIS TRANSFORMATIVE LEGISLATION.
SERIOUSLY WE WORKED ON IT UNTIL
LATE LAST NIGHT AND I’M JUST
VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE OF THE
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OUT
THERE PROTESTING.
THEY’RE NOT PROTESTING FOR SMOKE
AND MIRRORS, THEY’RE PROTESTING
FOR SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE.
SO NOW YOU KNOW THE CHALLENGE IS
GOING TO BE ON THE SENATE.
WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO?
I AM OPENING THAT THEY PASS A
VERSION OF A BILL THAT THEN WE
CAN GO TO CONFERENCE ON.
BUT THE CURRENT BILL THAT IS
THERE RIGHT NOW REALLY HAS TAKEN
ALL OF THE TEETH OUT OF OUR
BILL.
A LOT OF THE SUBJECTS ARE THE
SAME, BUT IF WE WERE TO PASS
TODAY AND TO HAVE SIGNED WHAT IS
IN THE SENATE RIGHT NOW, THEN
THAT YOUNG MAN AND WHAT HE SAID
COULD BE THE CASE IN THE SENSE
THAT NOTHING SIGNIFICANT HAS
CHANGED, AND THAT’S WHY WE
CANNOT ACCEPT THAT RIGHT NOW.
TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE IS THE
NAME OF THE DAY.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN KAREN BASS, WHO
AS I MENTIONED HAS BEEN A LEADER
FOR SO LONG, APPRECIATE YOUR
VIEWS ON THE CASE AND THE BILL.
SINCE WE’RE GOING TO BE TRACKING
THAT ACTION IN CONGRESS, I HOPE