CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Carson
Interview
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PAUL: We want to now bring in Congressman Andre Carson, Democrat from Indiana. Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.
REP. ANDRE CARSON, (D) INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: What a pleasure. Thank you.
PAUL: Absolutely. What do you think needs to happen? Does he need to step down?
CARSON: Well, I echo the sentiment of my friend and colleague, Congressman Don McEachin who is from Virginia. He knows better than I do. I think he served with then Senator Northam, and he mentioned in the press release his record as a senator. But this is very disturbing. I think many of us can claim youthful indiscretions, however, he was an adult. Given the legacy of the Ku Klux Klan, given the hurtful legacy of blackface, he should have known better. I think he is young enough to have known better.
[10:05:09] And I think in a very real sense it speaks to the climate in which we live in where you have white supremacists growing at an alarming rate. We're seeing hate crimes against Muslims, against African-Americans, Latinos, members of the LGBTQ community. And I think these pictures are just a painful reminder that we have a long way to go in this country as it relates to race relations.
PAUL: I want to listen real quickly to what Governor Northam said in his statement.
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PAUL: Congressman, is it fair to accept that he is not the same person today as he was then, and does it matter?
CARSON: I certainly understand that all of us evolve throughout life, but right now I'm taking cues from folks in Virginia, I'm certainly taking cues from my congressional colleagues and friends, Congressman Bobby Scott and Congress Don McEachin.
PAUL: He has enjoyed a broad African-American support since he was elected. Do you see anyone coming to his defense?
CARSON: Not at this point. Again, I'm taking ques from my congressional colleagues, Bobby Scott, and Don McEachin regarding this matter. I think they served with him, they worked with him, they know him better than I do. I can only go by pictures, I can only go by reports. And again, taking a picture in blackface, even with the Klansman hood on, I think is unacceptable and worthy of resignation.
PAUL: So that's what I would like to ask you. He says that he does not know which person he is in that picture. Does it matter that he figures that out and owns it?
CARSON: I don't think it matters, whether you were in a Klansman uniform or whether you were in blackface, both are equally offensive. I think given the history of racism in our history, given the history of the Ku Klux Klan, their attacks on African-Americans, their attacks on Catholics, Jewish brothers and sisters, they've evolved, as it were, and so they're not as detectible in today's time, but their efforts and outreach are still the same and still felt. And let's not even talk about blackface and the destructive legacy of blackface and its contribution to the broken psychology in the African-American minds throughout history. PAUL: Congressman Carson, thank you so much. Do stay with us if you
would, please. We have some breaking news on Russia and we'd love to get your thoughts on that as well as a member of course of the intelligence committee. This morning, we are learning that Russia is going to build a new supersonic nuclear missile after the U.S. backed out of a cold war missile. We're going to talk about that on the other side of the break.
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