Trump vs. the “radical, vicious, racist prosecutors”

Presented by Bank of America : How race and identity are shaping politics, policy and power.

Feb 08, 2022 View in browser   By Brakkton Booker Presented by Bank of America With help from Tyler Weyant and Charlie Mahtesian District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine listens during a news conference on the January 6th insurrection on Capitol Hill. | Alex Wong/Getty Images What up Recast family! The White House is considering further expanding federal policy limiting no-knock warrants, and Andrew Yang backtracks from his supportive tweet of podcaster Joe Rogan. Today, we kick things off with a discussion with one the nation's most progressive prosecutors.   One of former President Donald Trump's tactics this year is aiming his fury at the prosecutors with active investigations into his business and campaign operations, as well as those filing lawsuits against groups that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6. In remarks late last month, he specifically pointed to New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C., adding that those cities had "radical, vicious racist prosecutors." Trump also floated the idea of widespread demonstrations in those cities. Perhaps it's no coincidence, The Washington Post points out, that all three cities have Black prosecutors with ongoing investigations. Letitia James, the New York attorney general and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chairs the House's Jan. 6 select committee, are also Black. Fani Willis, an Atlanta-area district attorney, has already requested security help from the FBI . Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine's office has filed the first federal civil suit by a government agency against members of The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, alleging the individuals and groups "conspired to commit acts of violence and attack the United States Congress" last year. "Obviously, the former president is reckless," Racine told me during an interview. He would later add that Trump is "a threat to our democracy, and a proponent of violence." Racine is the District of Columbia's first-ever elected attorney general. He was tasked with remaking a position that was formally appointed by the mayor into an independent office with far more robust prosecutorial capabilities. District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine | Alex Wong/Getty Images Racine is taking on the Jan. 6 challenge despite announcing he will not be seeking a third term. That came as a surprise for those who saw him as a formidable incumbent or someone who could be eyeing a challenge to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is seeking a third term. After all, when both were up for reelection four years ago, Racine won nearly 93 percent of the vote in his AG race — outpacing Bowser's otherwise impressive vote total of 76 percent in the mayoral contest. We discuss the legacy Racine wants to leave in the attorney general's office, why he's choosing to step away from elective politics and why Trump is not named in his current lawsuit connected to Jan. 6.   A message from Bank of America: As part of Bank of America's $1 billion, four-year commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity, the bank has committed $25 million to a jobs initiative that will enhance up-skilling and reskilling for Black and Hispanic-Latino individuals. Watch to see how this is preparing Delaware State University students for jobs of the future.   This interview has been edited for length and clarity. THE RECAST: You've decided not to seek reelection. This, despite the enormous powers of this office you've helped to build in an office of 700 employees. Why would you want to give that up? RACINE: Well, let me first say as D.C. 's first elected attorney general, and the second, I think our office, because of the hard work of lawyers and professionals, has really transformed the way in which that office is perceived. I want to emphasize here our goal has been to use the law to support and help vulnerable residents in D.C. That means Black, brown, and senior. It also means some white folks and others who are, frankly, on the lower end of the economic scale. And our goal has been to use the law to help them stand up for themselves and to create a more equitable D.C. Now, look, there is no doubt that I certainly love the job. Really proud of my colleagues and the standing that we have, not only locally, but also nationally. I did decide to step away from politics for a host of reasons, most especially, my little boy, whose name is Kareem. And, you know, it's …. my view that sometimes politicians stay around too long and that the people deserve change instead of entrenchment. THE RECAST: You came into office amidst this wave of reformist-minded prosecutors. I'm talking about Kim Foxx , the Cook County state's attorney; Larry Krasner in Philly; George Gascón, the Los Angeles district attorney; and the list goes on. At the time, there was a push to move away from the tough-on-crime approach employed in many big cities. Since the pandemic started, there seems to be outrage toward this reformist approach, with some arguing that these DAs aren't doing enough to tamp down violent crime in cities. Do you feel like this thinking has changed during your two terms in office? And is the criticism fair? RACINE: I start from the premise that the War on Crime that really got started when President Nixon came into power, and was fueled, of course, by the War on Drugs in the '80s, and '90s, had consequential and overwhelmingly negative impacts on the very communities that the "war" was to assist. That system resulted in mass incarceration, only paralleled by the likes of North Korea, Russia and China. And it falls disproportionately on the backs of the poor, the brown and the Black. So progressive prosecution, if you call it that…my philosophy and the philosophy of many of those friends who you mentioned, is that prosecution should be fair and just and it should be focused on objective data and principles around recidivism and rehabilitation. I think today is a hard day for reformers, but our argument is every bit as powerful. It's hard because of the media game. It's hard because of the political game. But…the objective data and facts strongly suggest that one can have a more fair and just system that actually enhances public safety by reducing recidivism, and empowering those communities that are impacted by crime. THE RECAST: Let's turn to the civil lawsuit that your office filed against folks associated with the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. First, though, your thoughts on what happened during a rally in Texas where the former president spoke of "radical, vicious, racist prosecutors" and also floated the idea of pardoning those who took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection. RACINE: Obviously, the former president is reckless. The former president loves to incite people to do dangerous things to our democratic principles. Exhibit A: look what happened on Jan. 6. And frankly, he's inspiring and acting and encouraging people to engage in violence against those who would dare to actually investigate him. I will refer you to a time when the president invited me to the White House and he praised my efforts to help get passed theFirst Step Act . So this is a president who will praise you when you act in a manner that is consistent with what he believes or wants. He will condemn you and even inspire people to harm you and your family when you disagree, and call him out for what he is: a threat to our democracy, and a proponent of violence for which, at the end of the day, he will never take responsibility for.   Power dynamics are changing. With The Recast, you'll get a twice-weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe to the newsletter here. Attorney General of Washington, DC, Karl Racine | Alex Wong/Getty Images THE RECAST:  Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the suit against the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys does not name the former president. Right? You're going after people who were physically in the Capitol, but not necessarily the person who many feel directed the mob to go to the Capitol that day? RACINE:  You're exactly right, Brakkton. The Jan. 6 suit against the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers — over 30 individuals who [have] three things in common: [They] planned, participated and conspired in the Jan. 6 insurrection on our Capitol. The reason why we brought that lawsuit is because over 800 Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the threat by the mob on our Capitol. So we are standing up once again, for District of Columbia values and District residents and District employees. Here, the men and women in blue. That's what this lawsuit is about. And no, the former president is not named in this lawsuit. But you also know that we don't hesitate to sue the president, as we have in regards to the Trump [International] Hotel, his inauguration committee and countless other lawsuits where he sought to misuse executive power to the detriment of our democracy. Can I just tell you one statistic about all of those suits that I and my Democratic attorney general colleagues brought, please? We bought over 153 lawsuits. We won [nearly] 80 percent of those . That is a shockingly high percentage. I played basketball. If you're an 80% foul shooter, [that's] really, really accurate. What that means is that the president of the United States was a flagrant violator of the Constitution, and that judges appointed by Republican presidents and judges appointed by Democratic presidents reproached him. THE RECAST: With that said, if you felt so confident about your success suing the former president, why wasn't he named in your Jan. 6 lawsuit? RACINE: Let me just say that's a civil lawsuit, again, against people who planned, participated and conspired. As I understand it, the Department of Justice is actively investigating those, including the [former] president of the United States, who may have incited and otherwise committed other acts that are felonies related to Jan. 6. While the District of Columbia does allow the attorney general to bring a misdemeanor incitement of riot charge against those who incited a riot, prudence would have the attorney general wait and not interfere with a large-scale felony investigation [by the Department of Justice].   A message from Bank of America:     ICYMI @ POLITICO GOP's Latina Inroads — Former President Trump's performance among Latino voters came as a surprise to Democrats in Texas in the presidential election. POLITICO's Sabrina Rodriguez reports those numbers were not outliers, as Hispanic women are chairs of Republican parties in the four southernmost border counties and more are running for congressional seats. Marianna Treviño Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center, pictured in November 2020. | AP Photo/Eric Gay The Butterfly Effect — A non-profit butterfly preserve along the Texas-Mexico border has morphed into a target of right-wing conspiracy theories. POLITICO's Renuka Rayasam reports on how its executive director took on U.S. immigration policy and why the 100-acre property is temporarily closing. Mines Your Own Business — Environmentalists are fighting to prevent the largest lithium mine in the country from breaking ground in Nevada. One problem though: A pair of prominent activists who are part of a group with anti-transgender views is tearing apart the environmental alliance, threatening its ability to attract potential donors for their cause. Our E&E News colleague Jael Holzman has more.   A message from Bank of America: "A college education is fundamentally important for the long-term prospects of any American, but particularly for those from underserved communities," says Dr. Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University. Learn more about Bank of America's partnership with DSU to give students the opportunity to change their lives and transform communities.     THE RECAST RECOMMENDS Former NYC mayoral and presidential candidate Andrew Yang found himself having to backtrack after tweeting "I don't think Joe Rogan is a racist…" in a since-deleted tweet, the Los Angeles Times reports . Rogan is under fire for using the N-word and Spotify removed some 70 of his old episodes from it's platform. Yang then went on this tweetstorm. Check out this Washington Post piece about how conservatives like former POTUS Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are redefining who can be the targets of racism: it's white men. Minnesota lawmakers are readying to debate banning no-knock warrants following the shooting death of Amir Locke during a Minneapolis police raid last week. Gov. Tim Walz has vowed to sign the measure if a bill reaches his desk, the Star Tribune reports. Iconic Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar died over the weekend from complications related to covid. She was 92. She is said to have recorded some 25,000 songs and her voice appeared in numerous films earning her the nickname "the nightingale of Bollywood." And meet Randa Abd Al-Aziz the Black Iraqi news presenter on the state run news station, perhaps the only in its history. Bad Bunny surpassed The Weeknd as the most-streamed artist on all platforms. We got a giggle out of this music video he did with the Simpsons. And we'll leave you today with some budget luxury. "Luxury" cabinets.     Follow us on Twitter Brakkton Booker @brakktonbooker Rishika Dugyala @rishikadugyala Teresa Wiltz @teresawiltz   Follow us

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