‘BALD FACED-LIE’
Amy Klobuchar hits out at ‘absolutely false’ claim she declined to prosecute cop who knelt on George Floyd’s neck
SENATOR Amy Klobuchar slammed the "absolutely false" claim that she declined to prosecute the cop who knelt on George Floyd's neck.
The former Democratic presidential candidate defended herself during a Friday interview with MSNBC.
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She said: "Yesterday when these reports came out about this officer, I was with our community and my number one focus the city that was burning.
"This idea that I somehow declined a case which has been reported on some news blocks and then set out on the internet against this officer is absolutely false.
"It is a lie. I don't know what else to say about it than it is a lie."
Klobuchar has been accused of failing to prosecute officer Derek Chauvin, along with other cops, in the death of man in October 2006.
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She had been serving as a County Attorney of Hennepin County, Minnesota, at that time.
The disgraced former Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin has past misconduct complaints - one being excessive use of force.
Chauvin is reportedly among six Minnesota cops who fatally shot Wayne Reyes on October 29, 2006, after Reyes allegedly aimed a shotgun towards them, according to the .
Klobuchar added: "The case was investigated... that investigation continued into a time where I was already sworn into the US Senate."
"I have never declined the case. It was handled and sent to the grand jury by my successor and he has said that his office had said that.
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Also confirming Klobuchar's denial, The Hennepin County Attorney's office told the New York Times: "Sen. Klobuchar's last day in the office here was December 31, 2006, and she had no involvement in the prosecution of this case at all."
When speaking with MSNBC, Klobuchar spoke on what she called "the bigger issue" - about how when she was county attorney, she repeatedly said: "The cases that we had involving officer involving shootings went to a grand jury."
She admitted that things could have gone better if she "took the responsibility, looked at the cases," and made the decision herself.
Klobuchar thinks a way to move forward would be for prosecutors to take responsibility themselves and a call for change in how police are hired and trained.
Earlier today, Olivia Nuzzi, a Washington Correspondent for , asked Klobuchar about her VP run as she gets slammed for not prosecuting Minnesota police.
It comes as:
- President Donald Trump warned protesters ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ after another night of unrest
- prosecutors decried Floyd's arrest video but involved
- Minnesota Gov Tim Walz as the peaceful protests erupted in violence
Klobuchar said the allegations of her dropping out of the run for Joe Biden's Vice President are "are a bold faced lie.”
“Joe Biden will make a good decision on who should be the Vice President and as for the other matters, I think you better get the facts straight. I’m gonna be going on TV shortly so that you can get the facts.”
When asked if she felt the calls for her to drop out are unfair, Klobuchar said: “I am now going to go and meet with people about what’s happening in my city but I gave you an answer, and that’s that Joe Biden is gonna make the best decision for the country.”
She reportedly hung up immediately after her statement, Nuzzi wrote to on Friday.
On Monday, 46-year-old George Floyd died after Officer Chauvin was filmed kneeling on his neck in as the black man shouted "I can't breathe."
The arrest was carried out after Floyd allegedly tried to use forged documents at a local deli.
An ambulance was called and Floyd was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he later died.
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The described Floyd as an "unresponsive, pulseless male," and explained that despite medics performing numerous checks on several occasions, they did not find a pulse.
Four police officers have since been fired after the release of the cop-kneeling video.
Earlier today, former Republican congressman for the delay in charging officers over Floyd's death.
He called 's death "murder" as he recounted what he witnessed in the video of his controversial arrest.
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George Floyd protestors hit streets across the US for third night as troops are deployed after mass looting and arson
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