TONIGHT’S "LAST WORD."
"THE 11 HOUR" WITH BRIAN
WILLIAMS STARTS NOW.
>>> WELL GOOD EVENING ONCE
AGAIN.
DAY 58 OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION.
TONIGHT NEWLY RELEASED
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWING WHAT
HAPPENED OUTSIDE ONE OF THE SPAS
THAT WAS TARGETED BY THE GUNMAN
IN GEORGIA.
THIS WAS FROM A BUSINESS
ADJACENT TO ONE OF THE SPAS IN
ACWORTH NORTHWEST OF ATLANTA.
IT APPEARS TO SHOW THE MOMENT
THE SUSPECT ENTERED THE FACILITY
AND THEN SHORTLY AFTERWARDS
SHOWS POLICE ARRIVING AT THE
SCENE.
FOUR PEOPLE WERE KILLED AT THAT
LOCATION ALONE.
IN ATLANTA AND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY THERE’S MOUNTING
OUTRAGE, OF COURSE, OVER THE
SHOOTING RAMPAGE THAT TOOK A
TOTAL OF EIGHT LIVES, INCLUDING
THOSE OF SIX ASIAN WOMEN.
TONIGHT PEOPLE GATHERED TO
REMEMBER THE VICTIMS AND TO CALL
ATTENTION TO THE WAVE OF
VIOLENCE TARGETING PEOPLE OF
ASIAN DESCENT.
TODAY THE PRESIDENT ORDERED U.S.
FLAGS ON FEDERAL BUILDINGS
LOWERED TO HALF STAFF THROUGH
SUNSET MONDAY TO MARK THE
MASSACRE.
HE AND VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS
WILL BE IN ATLANTA TOMORROW TO
MEET WITH LEADERS OF THE CITY’S
ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
EARLIER TODAY ATLANTA POLICE
INSISTED THE INVESTIGATION IS
FAR FROM OVER.
>> WE ARE NOT DONE.
WE’RE STILL WORKING VERY
DILIGENTLY TO ASCERTAIN ALL OF
THE FACTS SO WE CAN HAVE A
SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION.
>> THE INVESTIGATION INTO A
POSSIBLE HATE CRIME, IS THAT
STILL ON THE TABLE?
>> NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE FOR
OUR INVESTIGATION.
>> IS THERE ANY INDICATION THE
SUSPECT VISITED THOSE SPAS
PREVIOUSLY?
>> IT APPEARS HE MAY HAVE
FREQUENTED THOSE LOCATIONS, YES.
ALL WE DO KNOW IS HE PURCHASED
THE GUN ON THE DAY OF THE
INCIDENT.
>> ON THAT SAME LINE THE FBI IS
ASSISTING LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
WITH THE INVESTIGATION.
THIS WAS INTERESTING.
TONIGHT THE FBI DIRECTOR CHRIS
WRAY TOLD NPR, QUOTE, IT DOES
NOT APPEAR THAT THE MOTIVE WAS
RACIALLY MOTIVATED.
THE SUSPECT WHO’S CHARGED WITH
EIGHT COUNTS OF MURDER WAIVED AN
ARRAIGNMENT SCHEDULED FOR TODAY.
THE KILLINGS OUTPOURING OF ANGER
IN WASHINGTON.
TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
THREE DECADES THE HOUSE HELD A
HEARING ON ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE
AND DISCRIMINATION.
THE MOOD BECAME TENSE AFTER ONE
LAWMAKER’S COMMENTS.
>> WE BELIEVE IN JUSTICE.
THERE’S AN OLD STAYING IN TEXAS
ABOUT FIND ALL THE ROPE IN TEXAS
AND FIND A TALL OAK TREE.
WE TAKE JUSTICE SERIOUSLY, AND
WE OUGHT TO DO THAT, ROUND UP
THE BAD GUYS.
MY CERTAIN ABOUT THIS HEARING IS
IT SEEMS TO WANT TO VENTURE INTO
THE POLICING OF RHETORIC IN A
FREE SOCIETY.
NOW WE’RE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER
TALKING ABOUT CHINA, CHI-COMS,
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY,
WHATEVER PHRASING WE WANT TO USE
AND SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING WE
THINK THOSE GUYS ARE THE BAD
GUYS.
I THINK THE CHINESE COMMUNIST
PARTY, RUNNING THE COUNTRY OF
CHINA, I THINK THEY ARE THE BAD
GUYS AND I THINK THEY ARE
HARMING PEOPLE.
>> I WANT TO GO BACK TO
SOMETHING MR. ROY SAID EARLIER.
YOUR PRESIDENT AND YOUR PARTY
AND YOUR COLLEAGUES CAN TALK
ABOUT ISSUES WITH ANY OTHER
COUNTRY THAT YOU WANT, BUT YOU
DON’T HAVE TO DO IT BY PUTTING A
BULLS EYE ON THE BACK OF
ASIAN-AMERICANS ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY, ON OUR GRANDPARENTS, ON
OUR KIDS.
THIS HEARING WAS TO ADDRESS THE
HURT AND PAIN OF OUR COMMUNITY,
TO FIND SOLUTIONS, AND WE WILL
NOT LET YOU TAKE OUR VOICE AWAY
FROM US.
>> NOW, AFTER THAT EXCHANGE,
CONGRESSMAN ROY, THE ROPE AND
DESCRIBE, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE
THINK ACTUALLY STIRRED RATHER
THAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
>> KURT, YOUR PIECE IN "THE L.A.
TIMES" WAS VERY DIRECT.
YOU SAID TRUMP AND THE GOP PUT A
BULL’S-EYE ON THE BACKS OF
ASIAN-AMERICANS TODAY.
KEVIN McCARTHY WAS ASKED ABOUT
HIS OWN PAST COMMENTS.
WE’LL PLAY HIS REPLY HERE.
>> DO YOU REGRET USING TERMS
LIKE CHINESE CORONAVIRUS?
>> I WOULD WAIT TO SEE WHY THE
SHOOTER DID WHAT HE DID, BUT THE
VIRUS CAME FROM CHINA.
AND I THINK THE KNOWLEDGE WE HAD
AT THE TIME IS EXACTLY THAT.
I DON’T THINK PEOPLE FROM THE
STANDPOINT SHOULD GO AFTER ANY
ASIAN FROM ANY SHAPE OR FORM,
AND I CONDEMN EVERY ACTION TO
THAT.
>> SO, KURT, THERE’S YOUR
REPUBLICAN LEADER IN THE HOUSE
WHO, FOR THE RECORD, VOTED ON
THE SIDE OF THE
INSURRECTIONISTS.
WE’VE YET TO HEAR FROM MITCH
McCONNELL AT ALL OVER IN THE
SENATE SIDE ON THIS.
THE QUESTION TO YOU IS, ARE
REPUBLICANS UNABLE OR UNWILLING
TO RECOGNIZE HARM FROM THE WORDS
THEY’VE USED?
>> WELL, BRIAN, THEY’RE
UNWILLING.
AND THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THAT WAS
TODAY WHEN CHIP ROY, AT A
HEARING ABOUT VIOLENCE AND HATE
CRIMES AGAINST ASIAN-AMERICANS,
THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS THE
APPROPRIATE TIME TO QUOTE TOBY
KEITH SONG -- TOBY KEITH, BY THE
WAY, IS FROM OKLAHOMA, NOT
TEXAS, BUT BE THAT AS IT MAY --
TO QUOTE TOBY KEITH LYRICS AND
USE THE IMAGE ABOUT LYNCHES.
I SHOWS THE IGNORANCE.
CHINESE AMERICANS WERE THE
TARGET OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST
LYNCHINGS IN AMERICAN HISTORY IN
THE 1870s.
TO USE THAT TYPE OF IMAGERY,
ROPE AND TREES, AT A HEARING
CONVENED TO TALK ABOUT HATE
CRIMES AND THEN TO NOT EVEN
APOLOGIZE ABOUT BUT IT BUT
DOUBLE DOWN ON IT, IT SHOWS
REPUBLICANS ARE NOT CAPABLE OF
UNDERSTANDING THEIR RHETORIC.
THEY DON’T CARE.
THEY DON’T VALUE PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOT WHITE.
THEY HAVE MADE A DECISION TIME
AND AGAIN TO USE INFLAMMATORY
RHETORIC LIKE CHINESE VIRUS AND
KUNG FLU TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING
THAT HAS CREATED A SITUATION
WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACTIVELY
CREATING HATE CRIMES AGAINST
ASIAN-AMERICANS.
IF THE SITUATION IN ATLANTA
HASN’T HAPPENED IT WOULDN’T
CHANGE THE FACT THERE’S BEEN A
68% INCREASE IN ATTACKS.
WE’VE HAD PEOPLE ATTACKED ON THE
STREETS OF NEW YORK, PEOPLE SPIT
ON AND CALLED DEROGATORY
COMMENTS WHILE EATING AT
RESTAURANTS OUTSIDE IN THE BAY
AREA.
WE’VE SEEN TIME AFTER TIME,