Tipsheet

Kamala: Trump Has A 'Rap Sheet' And I Can Prosecute It

Beth Baumann
Beth Baumann  |  June 22, 2019 1:50 PM

During the South Carolina Democratic Party (SCDP) convention on Saturday, California Sen. Kamala Harris (D) used her background as a former prosecutor as leverage to say she'd "prosecute the case" against President Donald Trump.

"We need somebody on our stage when it comes time for that general election, who knows how to recognize a rap sheet when they see it and prosecute the case," Harris said to a thunderous applause. "So, let's read that rap sheet, shall we? He [Trump] asked black Americans, he said, 'what do you have to lose?' Well, we know civil rights and investigations are down and hate crimes are up. We have a lot to lose."

"Let's look at the rap sheet, where he told working people that he would help them but instead passed a tax bill benefiting the top one percent and the biggest corporations in this country. Said he'd help the farmers but passed what I call the 'Trump Trade Tax.' Trump Trade Policy by tweet and now we got farmers with soy beans that are rotten in bins and auto workers who may be out of their job by the end of the year," Kamala said.

"Let's look at that rap sheet, where he said he would give everyone health care but he's still trying to rip health care away from folks and turn back the clock on Obamacare," Harris continued. "Let's talk about looking at that rap sheet, where he has embraced dictators like Kim Jong-Un and [Vladimir] Putin and taking their word over the word of the American intelligence community."

"Let's prosecute the case," she said.

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She then laid out her ideal vision for the United States.

"I believe in an America, our America, where you only have to work one job to have a roof over your head and put food on the table. I believe in an America where teachers are paid their value. I believe in an America where no politician tells a woman what to do with her body," Harris said. "I believe in an America where health care is a right and not a privilege just for those who can afford it. I believe in an America where children do not have to fear going to school for fear of a mass shooter. I believe in an America, I believe in an America where we have a president who understands the greatest strength and the greatest power any one individual can have is not to beat people down but to life them up."

Her speech definitely fired up the Democratic base, especially for those who are big on impeaching President Trump. 

But she also received an outstanding ovation from MSNBC panelists who loved what she had to say. 

"Who was this woman? I've never seen her before! Who that is?" Jason Johnson, Politics and Journalism Professor at Morgan State University, asked with a laugh. "Best Senator Harris I've ever seen. I have seen her at networks. I have seen her at- This is the best speech she has ever given. And I'm not easily impressed. She called the president a predator. She said he got a rap sheet. It was brilliant. I am shocked and amazed. If this is the Senator Harris that we see at the debate next week, Biden is in trouble."

MSNBC Host Joy Reid pointed out that Harris' brand has been focused solely on her prosecutorial experience and, based on her South Carolina speech, she could see Harris taking on Trump on a debate stage.

South Carolina State Rep. Gilda Cobb (D) called Harris a "prosecutor with a passion" and said "if she can keep that level of energy and that passion she'll be fine." Cobb also said she expected Harris to move up in the polls as a result of this speech. 

"I watched the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings and that-" Jimmy Williams, a political consultant, said, pointing to the stage, "-was that [Committee hearings] on steroids. But I knew the steroids were there because anybody who knows Kamala Harris knows she's got 'it' the question is when does she use it? But she talked about law and order and took it off the table from the Republicans. We now have an African American woman who's got brains, she's good looking, all those things, and guess what she just did? She said to the Republican Party, 'You don't get to be the party of law and order anymore. We do.' And she almost blatantly referred to the president as a predator, which he is a predator. And so, okay, let's go prosecute the predator. And that is what this election is about."

The Democrats are energized by Harris' "prosecutorial" status but they have seriously failed to dig into her past. When there was sexual harassment taking place in her office, where was the justice? When she was Attorney General of California she pushed truancy laws. When she got asked about those laws she suddenly backpedaled. She worked with then-Mayor Gavin Newsom to make San Francisco a sanctuary city, and now that was also a mistake. In fact, the New York Times even slammed her for not being this "progressive prosecutor" that she touts herself to be. 

If Harris is going to run as this "tough on crime," "tough as nails," "hard hitting" prosecutor, she mighhhhttt consider sticking to her past policy positions and not flip-flop whichever the way the wind blows. Or she can keep it up and face Trump on the debate stage. He'll take jabs at her for her political pandering.