AARON AYALA IS WITH US NEXT.. >> FLORIDA’S INCUMBENT ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY HAS SUED
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OVER
MASK MANDATES.
ONE SETTLEMENT’S AGAINST DRUG
COMPANIES OVER OPIOIDS AND
PURSUES JUSTICE FROM A
POLITICALLY CONSERVATIVE
PERSPECTIVE.
SHE IS FACING RE-ELECTION AND AN
O UPON ENT IN NOVEMBER WHO
PROVIDES A CLEAR CONTRAST.
AARON AYALA BECAME FLORIDA’S
FIRST STATE BLACK ATTORNEY IN
2015 ELECTED IN CENTRAL FLORIDA,
A YEAR LATER SHE MADE STATE AND
NATIONAL HEADLINES BY DECLINING
TO SEEK THE DEATH PENALTIES IN A
HIGH PROFILE POLICE MURDER CASE
AFTER WHICH THEN GOVERNOR RICK
SCOTT MOVED IT AND OTHER SUCH
CASES FROM HER JURISDICTION.
DEMOCRAT FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
JOINS US RIGHT THERE LIVE
LISTENING TO MY VERY LONG LEAD
IN, SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
TODAY.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
AT GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> SO IF WE K LET’S START OUT
WITH THAT DEATH PENALTY CASE
BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT
YOU KNOW DESPITE NOT BEING IN
THE JURISDICTION WERE YOU
WORKING, WE ALL HEARD ABOUT IT,
WE ALL HEARD THE NEWS ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED WITH THEN GOVERNOR
SCOTT.
SINCE THEN HAVE YOU CHANGED,
MARQUIS LLOYD, A DEFENDANT, THE
CONVICTED IS OP DEATH ROW AS WE
SPEAK.
HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR
PERSPECTIVE ON THAT AT ALL?
>> YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS LOVE
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT
THE DEATH PENALTY BECAUSE THE
DEATH PENALTY IS SO EMOTIONALLY
DRIVEN.
AND WHEN I RAN TO BECOME STATE
ATTORNEY, I PROMISED TO DO
SOMETHING DIFFERENT WHICH WOULD
BE ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND LOOKING AT WHAT, WHETHER OR
NOT POLICY THAT WE HAVE ARE
EFFECTEDDIVE.
AND WHEN WE REALIZE THAT WE
SPEND $51 MILLION IN THE STATES
OF FLORIDA EVERY SINGLE YEAR,
THAT’S NOT LONG-TERM, EVERY YEAR
TO KEEP THE DEATH PENALTY GOING,
WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THE FISCAL
RESPONSIBILITY OF A BROKEN
POLICY THAT SIMPLY DOES NOT
WORK.
>> A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON
THAT.
WHO WHOSE FIGURE IS THAT $51
MILLION A YEAR.
>> SO I WILL DEFINITELY GET YOU
THAT, IT WAS ONE OF THE LOCAL
SOUTH FLORIDA, ACTUALLY PAPERS,
THE FLORIDA BAR HAS POSTED IT AS
WELL, THE FLORIDA BAR.
>> SO ARE YOU GENERALLY OPPOSED
TO THE DEATH PENALTY FOR VARIOUS
REASONS LIKE THAT.
AND YET AT THE MOMENT IT IS
FLORIDA LAW.
AND REQUIRES I UNANIMOUS JURY
RECOMMENDATION TO IMPOSE IT.
RIGHT NOW SOUTH FLORIDA IS
RIVETTED ON THE DEATH PENALTY
PROCEEDINGS OF THE MARJORIE
STONEMAN DOUGLAS SHOOTER, IF YOU
WERE BROWARD STATE ATTORNEY
WOULD YOU NOT HAVE OPTED FOR
THAT ROUTE?
>> YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE CAN TALK
ABOUT ALL THE IFS.
IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE REALITIES
OF THE DEATH PENALTY.
IT ALSO DOESN’T CHANGE THE
REALITY OF CONSIDERING IT.
YOU KNOW, THE DEATH PENALTY
MAKES IT VERY CLEAR.
I THINK AS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL,
AS THE STATE ATTORNEY YOU ARE
REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE LAW.
AND THAT IS WHAT I DO.
THAT IS THE WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS
DONE AND THAT IS WHAT I WILL
CONTINUE TO DO IS FOLLOW THE
LAW.
THAT ALSO MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO
CONSIDER THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE
IN THAT AND WHEN WE ARE LOOKING
AT BROKEN POLICIES THAT DON’T
HELP PEOPLE WE TAKE MONEY, WE
USE TAX MONEY, JUST TO BE ABLE
TO SAY THAT WE’RE DOING THINGS
SO THE KEY IS UNDERSTANDING THE
TAX LIABILITY OF A BROKEN
POLICY.
>> DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE TAX
LIABILITY IS OF A CONVICT WHO
SPENDS LIFE IN PRISON.
>> WELL, THAT’S WHERE THE NUMBER
COMES FROM T IS $51 MILLION
ABOVE THAT WHICH WE WOULD SPEND
ON A LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT THE
PONT OF PAROLE SENTENCE.
>> OKAY.
SO LET’S KIND OF PIVOT A LITTLE
BIT AND STAY WITH ENFORCING AND
APPLYING FLORIDA LAW BECAUSE
RIGHT NOW AS YOU KNOW ONE OF
YOUR COLLEAGUES ANDREW WARREN
WHO IS A STATE ATTORNEY IN
HILLBOROUGH COUNTY WAS SUSPENDED
BY GOVERNOR DESANTIS BECAUSE HE
HAD SAID HE WOULD NOT BE
PROSECUTING CASES UNDER
FLORIDA’S NEW MORE RESTRICTIVE
ABORTION LAW.
DO YOU SEE A PARALLEL THERE AT
ALL BETWEEN WHAT HAPPENED WITH
YOU AND THIS SUSPENSION?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT
THERE.
BECAUSE PART OF BEING THE
ELECTED STATE ATTORNEY LOCALLY
OR THE STATEWIDE CHIEF LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE STATE
IS TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE
CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS THAT
EXIST THAT OUR JOB AS THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL ANDREW WARREN’S
JOB AS THE STATE ATTORNEY IS TO
ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE PROTECTED
AND WE’RE NOT VIOLATING OUR
FOUNDATIONAL LEGAL ASPECT SO
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE FLORIDA
CONSTITUTION T HAS A VERY STRICT
PROVISION RELAWSUITED TO
PRIVACY.
AND THE COURTS HAVE BEEN VERY
CLEAR THAT THAT PRIVACY RIGHT IS
APPLIED TO ABORTION RIGHTS.
SO IF YOU HAVE A STATE ATTORNEY
WHO IS LOOKING AT ALLOW THAT ON
ITS FACE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL,
DESPITE BEING PASSED BY THE
LEGISLATURE, DESPITE BEING
SIGNED INTO LAW BY THE GOVERNOR,
THERE STILL HAS TO BE A STOP GAP
TO ENSURE THAT THE PEOPLE ARE
PROTECTED AND WERE NOT HAVING,
YOU KNOW, WHATEVER WE SAY GOES
BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A
FOUNDATION FOR WHICH WE VAL YAIT
OUR LAWS AND THAT IS THE FLORIDA
CONSTITUTION.
>> SO IT SOUNDS HIKE YOU SHOULD
BE RUNNING FOR STATE
LEGISLATURE.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT TO
CHANGE THE LAW, WHY NOT RUN FOR
THE STATE LEG SLATE TURE?
>> WELL, WHEN ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT CHANGING LAWS, VERSUS
INTERPRETING LAWS, THAT IS WHAT
THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
ARE FOR, CREATING LAW, SAYING
THAT WE ARE HAVING, CREATING
LAWS THAT ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL,
THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE THOSE
POSITIONS TO ENSURE THAT THE
LEGISLATURE IS DOING THEIR JOB.
SO WHILE YOU ARE MAKING LAWS,
THAT IS THE JOB OF THE
LEGISLATURE.
IF YOU ARE AN EXECUTIVE, YOUR
JOB IS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE
FAITHFULLY EXECUTED AND BASED
UPON A LEVEL OF JUSTICE.
>> SO YOU ARE RUNNING TO BE
FLORIDA’S TOP PROSECUTOR, YOU
ARE ALSO IN THAT POSITION
RUNNING TO BE SORT OF THE CHIEF
PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER.
SO I’M INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT
YOU THINK IS FLORIDA’S NUMBER
ONE THREAT OR MAYBE ONE, TWO AND
THREE THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY IN
THE STATE RIGHT NOW.
>> WELL I THINK WE HAVE TO
RECOGNIZE NATIONAL SECURITY.
IT’S REAL EASY TO LIMIT OUR
CONVERSATION ON PUBLIC SAFETY TO
JUST YOU KNOW, GANG VIOLENCE OR
INNER CITY VY LENGSZ BUT THERE
ARE REAL THREATS WHEN IT COMES
TO NATIONAL SECURITY AND WE HAVE
TO HAVE AN ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO
IS GOING TO SUPPORT AND ENSURE
THAT WE ARE WORKING PLITDICALLY
TO PROTECT PEOPLE WHO, FORMER
PRESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN THIS
STATE OR ANYONE ELSE BUT THAT WE
ARE GOING TO EXECUTE THE LAWS
NOT JUST FOR OUR OWN POLITICAL
BENEFIT BUT FOR THE SAFETY OF
OTHER INDIVIDUALS.
I THINK THAT ANOTHER PUBLIC
SAFETY THREAT IS DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE.
A LOT OF TIMES WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT JUST LOOKING INSIDE OF A
PERSON’S HOME AND NOT
RECOGNIZING THAT DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE HAS A LARGER IMPACT
UPON MASS SHOOTINGS AND EVEN
POLICE OFFICERS KNOWING THAT
THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST
DANGEROUS PLACES FOR AN OFFICER
TO GO TO.
SO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, GUN
VIOLENCE AND CERTAINLY NOT
SECURITY HAS TO BE CONSIDERED
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC
SAFETY.
>> DO YOU THINK JUSTICE THE WORD
JUSTICE MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS
TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE?
HAS JUSTICE BECOME POLITICIZED?
>> UNFORTUNATELY I FEATURE, I’M
A PROFESSOR AND IN TEACHING
STUDENTS, DEFINING JUSTICE, I,
THE WAY THAT I TRY TO EXPLAIN IT
IS THAT SOME PEOPLE FOCUS ON THE
OUTCOME ONLY.
AND OTHERS FOCUS ON THE PROCESS.
SO WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
JUSTICE WE HAVE TO CONSIDER THE
PROCESS, IS EVERYONE GOING
THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS WHICH
MEANS WE HAVE EQUAL JUSTICE OR
ARE WE PLAYING WITH IT AND DOING
FAVORS FOR SOME AND CONSIDERING
BACKGROUNDS OF OTHERS.
AND YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMIC
STATUS OF ANYONE WHETHER IT IS A
PUBLIC DEFENDER OR PRIVATE
LAWYER.
THINGS AND PEOPLE WITHOUT GO
THROUGH THE SYSTEM CONSIDERING
THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS
SOME LEVEL OF POLITICIZATION TO
THE WORD JUSTICE BUT IF WE FOCUS
ON THE PROCESS AND THE OUTCOME,
I THINK THAT PUTS US MORE
ALIGNED WHERE WE CAN FIND THAT
COMMON GROUND THAT WE’RE NOT
LOOKING AT HOW POLITICAL THE
IDEA OF JUSTICE IS.
>> AREMIS AYALA YOU ARE IN ONE
OF THE STATE’S MAR KEY-- MAR
QUEE RACE, THANK YOU FOR