'Special Report' All-Star Panel on crime, defunding the police

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White House claims GOP defunded police by rejecting stimulus bill

'Special Report' All-Star panel explains why the White House is wrong

This is a rush transcript from "Special Report with Bret Baier," June 29, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVE SCALISE, (R-LA) HOUSE MINORITY WHIP: We have seen, unfortunately, police officers leaving the police force in record numbers. And what is the answer from Democrats to finally reject this radical idea of defunding the police? No. They are trying to blame Republicans now for the dumpster fire that they created.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES, (D-NY) HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS CHAIR: So we're to believe that the radical Republicans who have chosen the big lie over the rule of law are going to lecture the country, the Congress, and the House Democratic Caucus on law and order? Are you kidding me? We are not going to be lectured about so-called law and order by a party that is leaning into lawlessness and disorder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Democrat Hakeem Jeffries and Republican Steve Scalise talking about the issue of crime and who is to blame, and defunding the police. And we have seen this back and forth over a few days since the weekend.

A couple of polls to bring up, FOX polls, compared to a year ago, is there more or less crime in the country? More 73 percent? In your local area? More 54 percent. Then you look at trust and confidence in police and law enforcement, a great deal, fair amount, 72, not very much, none, 27 percent.

Let's bring in our panel there, start with that discussion, Kimberley Strassel, a member of the editorial board at "The Wall Street Journal," Harold Ford Jr., former Tennessee Congressman, CEO of Empowerment and Inclusion Capital, and former Education Secretary Bill Bennett. Bill, let me start with you. I talked to a lot of people over the past couple of days. They are kind of scratching their heads, saying this is really political jujitsu on the part of Democrats, flipping it around, even though a lot of them are on camera talking about defunding the police.

BILL BENNETT, FORMER EDUCATION SECRETARY: Yes, this is a very hard sell for the Democrats to suggest that they are strongly behind the police, that they're tough on law and order. The only thing that might help is some tapes from Biden in the 80's when he was the chairman of the judiciary, when I was the drug czar, and he's say you've got to be tougher on those people. You've got to lock them up for a longer period of time. But I don't think they want to get those out.

What we've got to realize is that while the most radical elements in the Democratic Party were talking about defunding the police or dismantling the police all together, most of the Democrats in the Congress were quiet. The president was ambiguous, the vice president less ambiguous in the wrong direction. James Clyburn said whoa, whoa, whoa, this is a mistake, but he did not have a lot of echoes there.

BAIER: Yes. And just to give you a little montage of some of those soundbites, you don't have go far, but here they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY, (D-MA): Yes, I support the defund movement because this is about the investment in our communities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am for defunding the police.

REP. ILHAN OMAR, (D-MN): Not only do we need to defund, but we need to dismantle and start anew.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, (D-NY): Many affluent suburbs have essentially already begun pursuing a defunding the police in that they fund schools, they fund housing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: All right, and one more soundbite here. This is Peter Doocy asking about those comments to Jen Psaki who is trying to say it's Republicans defunding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEDRIC RICHMOND, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: Let's talk about who defunded the police. When we were in Congress last year trying to pass a rescue plan for cities that were cash strapped and laying off police and firefighters, it was the Republicans who objected to it.

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: How is that an argument to be made when the president never mentioned needing money for police to stop a crimewave when he was selling the American rescue plan?

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The American Rescue Plan, the state and local funding, something that was supported by the president. A lot of Democrats who supported and voted for the bill could help ensure local cops were kept on the beat in communities across the country. As you know, didn't receive a single Republican vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: OK, Harold, where are you on this? Straighten this out from a Democratic perspective?

HAROLD FORD JR., FORMER TENNESSEE REPRESENTATIVE: So politics, you're going to have politics. I give the Democrats a little credit for trying to play a brand of politics that may or may not work by shifting some of the responsibility. Here are the facts. There are some serious people who had some really dumb ideas about defunding the police a year ago. I was not one of them. I made clear that any person speaking that book obviously does not care about the people he or she represents, nor do they live in a community that needs policing. And I might add all communities do.

Good policing roots out violence. Good policing roots out gun violence and the awful things that happen, and they're happening in many cities. I might add, the great political affirmation we have this evening about Democrats, if you look at the top two Democrats that finished in the mayoral race, both were against defunding the police. One is a former captain of the police department, and that was in a Democratic primary.

Democrats are going to have to get away from this issue, though, for all of the obvious reasons. I think Secretary Bennett is right about the political predicate, and your polling confirms it, Bret, that if Democrats are seen being weak on crime, weak against violence in communities, big cities, small cities alike, we're going to lose. I might add Republicans need to come around on this ghost gun issue. Biden is right about that. But the optics and the messaging, Democrats are going to have to shift and shift dramatically to get this right.

BAIER: Obviously this all sets up, Kimberley to the 2022 next round of elections, the midterms. We're a long way from that but, still, it's a big factor.

KIMBERLEY STRASSEL, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, yes, and it's why you see Republicans expressing some optimism about their chance because, look, politics is local. We talked about this a lot. You showed that poll, and people are seeing crime in their cities. And that is something that really, really resonates with.

And one of the remarkable things here is why it has taken so long for the White House to come around on this, because Harold is right, starting last summer it was only a few voices. But it's the silence that has really hurt the rest of the Democratic Party. And even in the wake of last year's midterm, there were a number of Democrats who lost their seats who came back to the party and said we did because of the defund the police argument. We have got to stop it. And, yet, it's continued on.

So we'll see what kind of damage control, where this damage control gets them. But once that people has sunk in to a lot of voters' minds, it can be very difficult to reverse that trajectory.

BAIER: Yes, former President Obama was one of them.

Last word on kind of how the 2022 races while, again, we're far away, Bill, are shaping up and the confidence that maybe you are hearing on Capitol Hill.

BENNETT: Yes, well, I think the Republicans are right to be confident, but be very careful. We know how good the Democrats are on these things. And Republicans need to be sharp.

On the crime issue, again, they have to remind people, really remind people of what people already know. You are not going to persuade people that the Democrats are tough on crime. I used to defend Donald Trump on a lot of things, but if someone said he's abrasive, don't you think? I wouldn't say well, no, he isn't. Yes, he was. Just swallow it, live with it, and say we made a mistake there. Now we are back on track.

BAIER: All right, panel, stand by if you would. We are going to dip in down in south Florida to Surfside. This is the Miami-Dade County mayor speaking about the process of going through this finding bodies. Let's listen in.

MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA, MIAMI-DADA COUNTY, FLORIDA: -- alive in circumstances such as this. And they are truly the best in the world, and we truly have all of the help that we need. And they have been working nonstop, as you know, for nearly six days. So, please, pray for them and their families, and join us with support and donations and volunteering as you are able.

BAIER: All right, she is going to the Spanish portion of this. We will monitor this as it continues in Surfside and give you an update. Again, 11 dead. They are still searching for some 151 as families wait and hope for anything. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: We're continuing to monitor the press conference down in south Florida at Surfside, and they are continuing the Spanish portion, briefing reporters down there. We did learn over the past couple of minutes that the death toll has increased to 12 in the building collapse down there from the mayor of Miami-Dade County. Also, the number of unaccounted has dropped to 149 as they continue what is still a search and rescue effort, but over time is feared that it will transition to a search and recovery effort, obviously, as time goes by here in south Florida. We'll continue to monitor that.

Meantime, the president was in Wisconsin today, trying to pitch the infrastructure package and possibly the second package that deals with much bigger things, including climate change initiatives that they want to pitch. This issue about the building down in south Florida actually came up while talking about all of that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think that climate could have played a role in that building's collapse?

JENNIFER GRANHOLM, ENERGY SECRETARY: Well, obviously we don't know fully, but we do know that the seas are rising. We'll have to wait to see what the analysis is for this building. But the issue about resiliency and making sure we adapt to this change in climate, that's going to mean levees need to be built, that mean sea walls need to be built, that means infrastructure needs to be built. There is so much investment that we need to do to protect ourselves from climate change, but also to address it and mitigate it. And hopefully these infrastructure bills when taken together will make a huge step and allow America to lead again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Obviously, that's the Energy Secretary Granholm. Down in Miami, in Surfside, they are talking about construction violations, at least so far. We're back with the panel. Kimberley, what about this pitch, when you hear that, and Democrats really talking about a bigger thought process when it comes to infrastructure?

STRASSEL: Well, all the way from the beginning, Bret, they have been trying to make climate was a portion of infrastructure. The bipartisan negotiators that got together in the end for the most part rejected that and demanded that the money be focused on physical infrastructure, probably the right definition because of the actual definition.

But now you have Democrats really trying to gin up some kind of enthusiasm momentum for this second reconciliation bill which they intend to stuff everything into that they didn't get into the bipartisan bill. And they do have a challenge there because you are seeing a lot of cracks emerge within their own party.

BAIER: Harold?

FORD: So I think a few things. We can squabble over some of the edges here and some of the comments made by politicians and do it day by day. I thought Secretary Granholm was trying to answer a question. And there's no doubt we have not heard much about climate change, but we have heard salt water could have played a role, and we'll learn more and we'll have more definitive answers soon.

But while we are having this debate, China continues to make huge advancements in quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, advanced medicine making, and even the advance in next generation energy products that will be consumed around the globe. I would agree with Kimberley, this first bill should focus on physical infrastructure. I think the electric vehicle battery powering stations should be a big part of that certainly as a part of physical infrastructure, energy, those airports, roads, and bridges should make up the first part. And anyone concerned about the second phase or second chapter or second state may be of what the president may do, remember Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, Kyrsten Sinema said they are not going to support breaking the rules that many fear could be broken here. So let's get on with the first one.

BAIER: There is a thing about process here, and the president says he has got a deal and it's going to be a great deal. However, Nancy Pelosi says, Bill, "We will not take up a bill in the House until the Senate passes the bipartisan bill and a reconciliation bill." That's the House Speaker. That's not just process. That's like you have to get it done.

BENNETT: The president has a bipartisan problem. Right now the bipartisan problem is not with the Republicans and Democrats, it's with the Democrats, one set of Democrats versus another set of Democrats. And he's got to get that straight.

Now, Manchin did say he would vote for reconciliation. But, will he vote for reconciliation at the Bernie Sanders number of $6 trillion? I don't think so. They have problems.

BAIER: Yes. All right, panel, thank you.

Just some breaking news we want to get in, the U.S. Supreme Court has just come in, left in place the CDC's ban on residential evictions imposed last year to combat the spread of COVID-19, prevent homelessness during the pandemic. That's a major setback for landlords who had challenged the policy. The vote was five to four. The ban is set to expire at the end of July. We will continue to follow that. That's a big story.

When we come back, tomorrow's headlines tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Finally tonight, a lot in this show, so a quick look into tomorrow's headlines. Kimberley?

STRASSEL: Gas prices are high and getting higher. The combination of Fourth of July travelers and shortage of tank truck drivers means some places might even have shortages.

BAIER: Harold?

FORD: Americans so far at Wimbledon, mixed story. My favorite, Serena, retired with an energy, but Sloane Stephens and Francis Tiafoe advance with big upsets.

BAIER: You always have the good sports ones. All right, Bill?

BENNETT: Yes, he does. Despite their bad troubles, Democrats take some heart. Three elderly people sadly died in England, and so an opportunity for mask mandates returns to the United States, beginning in Los Angeles, where you will have to wear a mask eating indoors even if you are vaccinated. I think French Laundry restaurant is excepted, though.

(LAUGHTER)

BAIER: Reference to Governor Gavin Newsom. All right, panel, thank you.
 

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