LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS A CNN CONTRIBUTOR AND
FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR WHOSE NEW SHOW IS CALLED "THE
REDEMPTION PROJECT."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," MR. VAN JONES.
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: HOW ARE YOU.
I HAVE NOT SEEN YOU-- YOU WERE ON HERE BEFORE-- BUT YOU HAVE
NOT SEEN YOU SINCE THE FIRST STEP ACT PASSED IN SEPTEMBER.
THIS IS SIGNIFICANT.
REMIND PEOPLE WHAT THAT WAS.
>> IT WAS A PIECE OF BIPARTISAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE LEGISLATION
THAT WE GOT MASSIVE BIPARTISAN MAJORITIES IN THE HOUSE AND THE
SENATE TO SIGN OFF.
TRUMP SIGNED IT.
25,000 PEOPLE THIS YEAR ALONE ARE GOING TO HAVE SHORTER
SENTENCES GOING INTO FEDERAL PRISON.
AND 4,000 PEOPLE WHO WERE LOCKED UP FOR OUTDATED, UNFAIR CRACK
COCAINE SENTENCES ARE GOING TO COME HOME THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF
THE FIRST"FIRST STEP" ACT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THAT'S A BIG DEAL.
YEAH.
>> Stephen: HOW LONG-- HOW LONG WAS THIS BILL IN
DEVELOPMENT?
>> I MEAN, FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
FIRST OF ALL, IT STARTED UNDER OBAMA, AND TRYING TO GET THERE,
TRYING TO GET STUFF WORKED OUT.
>> Stephen: WAS THIS A PERSONAL PROJECT OF YOURS?
>> LISTEN, I WISH I COULD TAKE FULL CREDIT BUT YOU HAVE SO MANY
ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR
YEARS.
THE PROBLEM IS YOU HAD BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES STUCK ON
STUPID, CHASING EACH OTHER OFF A CLIFF FOR YEARS TRYING TO BUILD
MORE PRISONS, LONGER SENTENCES, AS IF THAT WAS GOING TO MAKE
THINGS BETTER.
WHAT HAPPENED IS IT TURNED INTO A DISASTER.
NOW WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN PRISON THAN THE U.S.-- SO-CALLED
LAND OF THE FREE-- THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY.
TWO MILLION PEOPLE LOCKED UP HERE.
WE WENT WAY TOO FAR, AND IT'S TIME TO COME BACK.
AND OBAMA STARTED IT.
AND, FRANKLY, TRUMP FINISHED IT.
BOTH PARTIES HAVE BEEN ASHAMED WHAT THEY DID, BUT BOTH PARTY
CBZ PROUD THAT WE'RE COMING BACK NOW.
>> Stephen: NOW WHAT ABOUT, WHY DID--
( APPLAUSE )
UNDERSTAND IS THAT IF THIS WAS BEING STARTED UNDER OBAMA, WHY--
WHY WASN'T IT PASSED UNDER OBAMA?
WHY DID IT-- BECAUSE IT HAPPENED FAIRLY-- YOU KNOW, LESS THAN TWO
YEARS INTO TRUMP'S TERM.
WOULD THE REPUBLICANS NOT VOTE FOR IT UNTIL A REPUBLICAN COULD
SIGN IT?
>> I THINK THAT-- LISTEN, SOMETIMES I THINK POLITICIANS
ARE POLITICAL.
>> Stephen: WHAT?
WHAT!
>> LIKE, SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES!
AND SO, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ACTUAL-- IT WOUND UP
BEING EASIER FOR RBS TO VOTE FOR IT ONCE TRUMP CAME AROUND.
BUT DON'T FORGET, ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK THAT BOTH
PARTIES ARE IN A BETTER POSITION, REPUBLICANS SUPPOSEDLY
DON'T LIKE BIG, FAILED GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS, BIG FAILED
GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACIES THAT EAT UP A BUSH OF MONEY AND HAVE
BAD RESULTS.
THAT'S THE PRISON SYSTEM, OKAY.
THAT'S THE PRISON SYSTEM IN A NUTSHELL.
SO THEY STARTED TO-- BASED ON THEIR OWN VALUES -- NOT BASED ON
LIBERAL VALUES -- BASED ON THEIR OWN VALUES TO REALIZE THIS IS
THE BIGGEST WAY TO WASTE MONEY AND HURT PEOPLE AND THEY STARTED
MOVING ON THEIR OWN.
>> Stephen: IT REALLY BECAME BIPARTISAN.
HERE YOU ARE AT THE SIGNING CEREMONY RIGHT THERE, GETTING--
RIGHT HERE-- THERE YOU ARE OVER THERE-- GETTING ONE OF THE PENS
FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP.
( APPLAUSE )
ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
BECAUSE FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT REMEMBER, DURING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE BEGINNING OF THE
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, YOU WERE THE DEVIL HIMSELF.
THE GUY-- THE SILVER GOLFER ON FOX-- GLENN BECK USED TO SAY,
"VAN JONES IS""-- >> THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN
AMERICA.
>> Stephen: AND HE CLAIMED, "I GOT HIS SCALP.
I DROVE HIM OUT OF WASHINGTON."
AND NOW YOU GET INVITEED TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
YOU SPOKE AT CPAC.
>> I HAVE TO SAY I WAS SCARED OF VAN JONES AFTER FOX NEWS PUP GET
A FOX NEWS SMEAR CAMPAIGN YOU'LL BE AFRAID OF YOURSELF.
I WAS LIKE, "WHO IS THAT GUY?" >> Stephen: HOW DID THAT
CHANGE?
WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE VAN JONES WHO IS NOW WALKING INTO C-PAC?
WHAT'S IT LIKE?
THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE?
DID YOU FEEL WELCOME?
>> DIFEEL WELCOME.
I'LL TELL YOU THIS, WE TALK ABOUT EACH OTHER MORE THAN WE
TALK TO EACH OTHER IN AMERICA NOW, AND THAT'S A BIG PART OF
THE PROBLEM.
BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES, ALL THE MEDIA NOW IS BASED ON "THOSE
GUYS SUCK.
WE'RE GREAT.
THOSE GUYS SUCK."
AND WHAT I STARTED TO REALIZE IS THE PEOPLE WHO GET NOTHING OUT
OF THIS SORT OF FOOD FIGHT AT THE TOP ARE THE PEOPLE AT THE
BOTTOM.
WHEN I GO TO APLATCH ATHEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS THEY HAD UNDER
THE LAST FIVE PRESIDENT.
THEY'VE BECOME A POLITICAL FOOTBALL.
WHEN I GO TO THE HOOD, WHEN I GO TO NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS,
COMMON PAIN BUT NO COMMON PURPOSE YET.
I STARTED TO THINK TO MYSELF I'M GOING TO FIGHT ON THE STUFF I
DISAGREE WITH YOU ON, BUT IF I CAN DO SOMETHING TO HELP
SOMEBODY IN PRISON, IF I CAN DO SOMETHING TO HELP SOMEBODY WHO
IS ADDICTED TO DRUGS, I WILL WORK WITH OR AGAINST ANYBODY TO
HELP THOSE PEOPLE, AND I FOUND A LOT OF DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
SECRETLY FELT THE SAME WAY AND WE STARTED GETTING STUFF DONE.
EVEN AT CPAC ON THOSE ISSUES I GOT A WARM, WARM WELCOME, AND I
HOPE MORE CONSERVATIVES GOING TO PROGRESSIVE CONFERENCES AND WE
CAN GET SOMETHING DONE IN AMERICA.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK.
DON'T GO ANYWHERE, I WANT TO TALK TO VAN ABOUT HIS NEW SHOW
THE "THE REDEMPTION PROJECT."
YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THIS.