Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears Live on CNN's New Day

August 20, 2019

Alisyn Camerota: New this morning, the police officer in the Eric Garner case is vowing to appeal after being fired from the NYPD and stripped of his pension. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio celebrated the decision saying that justice has been served for the Garner family. And the Democratic presidential candidate joins us now. Mr. Mayor, great to have you here.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good to be here Alisyn.

Camerota: So Officer Pantaleo, that’s what Eric Garner’s family has been asking for for five years. Many people think that was long overdue. Couldn’t this have been done years ago?

Mayor: Alisyn look, the important point here is there was justice and there was a fair trial for the first time. And you know where that fair trial happened? It happened at the NYPD. And this really bears recognition. I think a lot of people in this city, in this country would say well, wait a minute, if something’s happening within the Police Department, is it going to be fair, is it going to be impartial? It was. An NYPD judge said look, this was a prohibited chokehold. That’s not acceptable. This officer should be fired. The Police Commissioner confirmed it. And I think what we are seeing is the effect of real reform where you have a police agency stepping up and saying we need accountability in our own house. That’s the big news here.

The problem Alisyn was the United States Department of Justice – over two very different presidential administrations told New York City do not proceed, the Justice Department will handle this. But Alisyn, here’s the rub. They didn’t for five years they actually did nothing. And I think we need a law in this country that says God forbid we ever have one of these situations again, the Justice Department should be on a clock, where they have to provide speedy justice. That’s the whole American concept of justice, it has to be speedy.

Camerota: Because justice was delayed, let’s be honest in this case.

Mayor: Yes.

Camerota: And the NYPD could have started, just – what you are talking about, that disciplinary action and a trial, while the DOJ was doing their investigation?

Mayor: When the Department of Justice says do not proceed, it will undermine a prosecution in a much higher case, because remember –

Camerota: It’s not a law, it’s a request.

Mayor: It’s a request from the United States Department of Justice, which bluntly at that point in history, we believed was the great dispenser of justice. The Department of Justice over the years has stepped into a number of these very sensitive situations and been the force for justice. So when they say don’t proceed, we the Justice Department have higher charges, not just occupational charges, but higher criminal charges, you should defer to them according to all history. But things have changed now. They did not act. And let me tell you, job-one is to never have a tragedy like this again and it can be done Alisyn, it can be done, because we have changed policing. Every cop has a body camera now, every cop has been trained in de-escalation so that very tragic moment you see doesn’t happen again and implicit bias training, telling our officers what we all need to learn. We have biases in this. We have to bring them out in the open so we can overcome it.

Camerota: And I guess all of that is the silver lining. But for the Garner family this morning, what do you have to say to them? Do you personally think that five years was too long for them to wait?

Mayor: Of course it was too long. And what I have said is we would never do it that way again because we depended on a Justice Department that did not provide justice. And I think in the future, and first of all, again when I say never again, I mean it. We need to have the resolve in this country and in this city to believe it can be stopped in the future. This kind of incident did not have to happen. Eric Garner did not have to die. And there are ways of policing that can stop this from happening and this NYPD today would never have done things that way. That’s the important point – to never let there be another tragedy. Every police force in America should be trained in [inaudible] implicit bias, every police officer in America should have a body camera so it never happens again. But Washington has something to do here. The Justice Department needs to confirm to this whole country that if there ever is, God forbid another situation, they will step in and make a decision fast.

Camerota: Let’s talk about your presidential race. So, CNN has a new poll out just this hour, let us pull that up right now. Joe Biden is doing very well. Joe Biden has gone up since June. He’s at 29 percent. I guess the bad news there is Bill de Blasio is there under one percent. It’s not at zero percent but it is under one percent. And I am just wondering what do you think that’s about?

Mayor: Well, first of all, I am looking forward to Sunday, on this network, a town hall meeting that I think is going to give a lot of people a chance to actually get to know me and what I’ve done, what I believe in. Because honestly those televised town halls have been absolutely crucial for other candidates. This will be the first one I am getting as one of the last candidates to enter the race. Look in the end, yes you see a bunch of candidates there, but there is not in the end, I think a sense among Democratic voters that they are secure in where they want to go. The vast majority of Democratic voters are going to make their decision late. And what are they looking for? They are looking for someone who can change this country. Where ever I go Alisyn people are not satisfied with the status quo. America right now is not working for working people. I’ve proven in New York that big changes can happen. We gave pre-k to every child for free. We have made sure that folks got paid sick days, health insurance, we are making sure that anyone who does not have health insurance, directly gets health care when they need it. These are big changes and when I go over the country, this is what people want to see and I can say, hey I have actually gotten this done. So the more people get to know this record and this vision that I have, I think it is going to move people.

Camerota: But it sounds like what people are looking for is who can beat Donald Trump and that’s why Joe Biden’s numbers are so –

Mayor: Right and the challenge becomes, in terms of who can beat Donald Trump – first of all, do they have a record that proves they can get something done because people want to know that and that’s part of how you beat Donald Trump. Is to prove that you can get things done for the American people and put the lie – he said he would be the best thing in the world for the America worker. It’s been the opposite. He’s given away the store to the wealthy and the corporations, that huge tax cut for example. The tariff war is hurting farmers, hurting consumers. He said one thing and did another. You need a candidate tough enough to point that out, to have a record that stands up to him. And bluntly Democrats have to stand for working people again which in 2016 was not entirely clear. So with all due respect to Joe Biden, unless there’s a message that’s strong and forceful, you are not going to see Democrats want a candidate without that strong message because without that message, we don’t beat Donald Trump.

Camerota: Mayor Bill de Blasio we will look forward to Sunday night and your town hall.

Mayor: Absolutely. Thanks, Alisyn.