CNN "State of the Union" - Transcript: Interview with Ilhan Omar

Interview

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REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: Let me ask you.

On an emotional -- on an emotional level, what's it been like for you to watch this trial in your hometown and relive this trauma that you have felt, that so many of your constituents have felt all over again?

OMAR: Yes, I mean, it's been retraumatizing. It's been really hard.

I have tried to avoid watching. I know a lot of us here in Minneapolis have done that. But it's -- but it's hard, right? You also want to know the details and want to hear from the witnesses. There's a lot we're learning. We learned that it wasn't just eight minutes and 46 seconds, as we have been saying, but it was nine minutes and 26 seconds. And so it's been really hard.

I think the one part that stayed with me is the fact that everyone who took the witness stand said they felt helpless. That is a feeling that we know really well here in Minneapolis when it comes to police abuse.

And I remember feeling helpless 20 years ago when I witnessed police officers unload three dozen rounds on mentally ill Somali men in the middle of the street. And so it's been -- it has just unearthed so much trauma for many of us, but we have each other, and we're going to get through it.

TAPPER: Most deaths in police custody do not result in charges for the officers involved. And even when there are cases and they go to trial, convictions of police officers are still relatively rare.

Are you and your city prepared for the possibility of a hung jury or a not guilty verdict in this case?

OMAR: So, the community is on edge about that. We have seen justice not delivered in our community for many years.

And I think that there is a lot of confidence in Attorney General Keith Ellison and the prosecutors in this case. But we are all eagerly awaiting to see how this trial shakes out.

It's been really horrendous to watch the defense put George Floyd on trial, instead of the police office -- the former police officer who's charged with his murder.

TAPPER: Major League Baseball -- if I could shift topics for one second to another issue of -- having to do with justice, Major League Baseball pulled the All-Star Game from Georgia because of that state's new restrictive voting law, more restrictive.

Stacey Abrams says she understands why people would want to boycott Georgia in protest, but that she thinks such actions hurt the working people who would be working at the Major League Baseball game, for example, and who are disproportionately minorities.

Do you agree with Major League Baseball's decision, or do you side with Stacey Abrams when it comes to boycotts of Georgia in general?

OMAR: We know that boycotts have allowed for justice to be delivered in many spaces.

[09:45:01]

The civil rights movement was rooted in boycotts. We know that apartheid ended in South Africa because of boycotts. And so our hope is that this boycott will result in changes in the law, because we understand that, when you restrict people's ability to vote, you create a democracy that isn't fully functioning for all of us.

And if we are to continue to be a beacon of hope for all democracies around the world, we must stand our ground.

TAPPER: There's no question that this law is -- it restricts voting, and there's no question that it's understandable why people are wary of the Republicans who passed it, given the big lie about the election.

But I have to say, the Georgia law, even with the new restrictions, is still more open when compared to other states, like New York or Delaware, in many ways, places that don't have no-excuse early voting, places that don't have early voting at all in some cases.

Should everybody -- should every state be reexamining their voting laws?

OMAR: They certainly should be.

I mean, Minnesota is not number one in voter turnout and participation because we are special, even though we are. It's because we have made voting accessible for people. And it is really important that every single state reexamine their voting laws and make sure that voting is accessible to everyone. It's also going to be really important for us to continue to push

H.R.1, which makes it accessible nationwide and strengthens our democracy.

TAPPER: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, again, happy early Ramadan. Thank you so much for joining us today.

OMAR: Yes. Thank you for having me.

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