The Monday CBS Mornings offered up a fawning, softball interview with the radical head of the Biden Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. While the broadcast swooned over Clarke having “a reputation for not backing down from a fight,” not a single question was asked about her past incendiary claims that black people had “superior physical and mental abilities” to white people or her advocacy for defunding the police.
“As the country pauses to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr…..the first black woman to run the Justice Department Civil Rights Division says that voting discrimination persists today,”Gayle King was the anchor and Democratic Party donor, as she spoke out when Clarke introduced her glamorous profile. Clarke was the anchor and Democratic Party donor. “says that continuing Dr. King’s quest for equal access to the ballot box is one of her department’s top priorities.”
Jeff Pegues (Correspondent) began the friendly conversation by asking: “What do you think is the state of civil rights in this country right now?” Clarke replied: “We have made a lot of progress as a nation, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”
“Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke hears the frustration of many over new state voting restrictions and says her department is using every tool at its disposal to protect voting rights,” Pegues sympathized as footage ran of far-left protesters holding up signs claiming Republican voting reforms were “Jim Crow 2.0” and “voter suppression.”
The title of the segment was displayed on-screen throughout. “Fighting Voter Discrimination; Assistant AG Clarke on the Crucial Battle to Protect Voting Rights.”
Pegues continued to play softballs: “Would you say that it’s people of color who are being targeted by these laws?”Clarke warned: “Yes. Voting discrimination is alive and well.”In an effort to convince his left-wing guest that he would attack Republicans, the reporter continued to follow up. “Well, who do you think is behind this effort?” Clarke dodged: “Well, look, I do not view this as a partisan issue.”
Seeming to be dissatisfied by the response, Pegues skeptically questioned: “You don’t?…You might be the only one in this town that doesn’t see it as a partisan issue.” Clarke urged for passage of a federal takeover of elections: “I’m hopeful that we can get back to that place where we’ve been time and time again where Congress has worked in bipartisan fashion to renew the Voting Rights Act.”
“Within the Democratic Party, there is growing frustration that the Justice Department and the President failed to reverse Republican efforts to change state election laws with the midterm election approaching and control of Congress on the ballot,”Pegues was bitter. Clarke was pressurized by Pegues: “Do you feel any pressure to get this done?”She redeemed the extreme left. “There is an urgency for sure. “I understand your frustration that people feel as we watch states that are working to make it harder for people to vote.”
The Pegues are: “Clarke has a reputation for not backing down from a fight.”Then, he took the time to go through her bio.
What Pegues conveniently failed to mention was any of Clarke’s wildly controversial beliefs. Clarke published this article in Harvard’s student newspaper. Crimson: “Black infants sit, crawl and walk sooner than whites….Melanin endows Blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities – something which cannot be measured based on Eurocentric standards.”
A 2020 Op-Ed Newsweek, titled, “I Prosecuted Police Killings. Defund the Police—But Be Strategic,” Clarke demanded that “we must invest less in police.”
After editing out Clarke’s radicalism, Pegues wrapped up the puff piece by declaring: “Today she is the first black woman heading the Civil Rights Division, headquartered in former FBI Director Jay Edgar Hoover’s old office. She can view Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue from her desk. But she hasn’t forgotten how she got here.”
King applauded and acknowledged the report’s promotion. “I knew very little about her. That’s really interesting to hear her story….And look where she sits today and the view from her window. Bravo.”
Fellow co-host Tony Dokoupil remarked: “She also said voting restrictions were not political, not a political issue, in her view.” King fretted: “It might not have started our political, Tony, but it sure feels very political these days.”
Far-left Democrats like Clarke, the inflammatory rhetoric coming from her boss Joe Biden, and their complicit liberal media allies are the ones making things “very political.”
Volkswagen and Comcast were able to bring this attempt to promote the Biden administration official but also censor her views. This is your chance to fight back against these advertisers by telling them what you think about their sponsorship of such content.
The complete transcript for the segment of January 17, 2009 is available here:
8:17 AM ET
GAYLE King: The nation pauses for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. You can see the memorial at Washington, D.C., where the first woman of color to head the Justice Department Civil Rights Division. She says voting discrimination continues today. In her first television interview, Kirsten Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the United States was interviewed by Jeff Pegues. She says that continuing Dr. King’s quest for equal access to the ballot box is one of her department’s top priorities.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Fighting Voter Discrimination; Assistant AG Clarke on the Crucial Battle to Protect Voting Rights]
JEFF PEGUES: What is your opinion of the present state of civil liberties in this country?
KRISTEN CLARKE: We have made a lot of progress as a nation, but we’ve still got a long way to go.
PEGUES. Kristen Clarke (Assistant Attorney General) hears many people’s anger at new voting restrictions. Her department says it is using all its tools to preserve voting rights. Would you say that it’s people of color who are being targeted by these laws?
CLARKE: Yes. Voting discrimination exists and is still alive.
PEGUES: Who do you believe is behind this effort,?
CLARKE
PEGUES: You don’t?
CLARKE: I don’t. When President Bush signed last year’s reauthorization bill, I was present at the White House. The Senate voted 98-0 in favor of the bill in Congress.
PEGUES: You might be the only one in this town that doesn’t see it as a partisan issue.
CLARKE: Well, I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful that we can get back to that place where we’ve been time and time again where Congress has worked in bipartisan fashion to renew the Voting Rights Act.
PEGUES: The legislation in Congress is currently at a standstill. Senate Democrats and the Biden administration do not have enough votes to approve their election reform legislation. With the Midterm Election approaching, and Congress in control, the Democratic Party feels increasingly disillusioned that the Justice Department failed to overturn Republican efforts to modify state election law. Are you under any pressure?
CLARKE: We have to act quickly. As we see states making it more difficult for voters to vote, I can understand their frustration.
PEGUES: Clarke’s reputation is for never giving up on a fight. She was raised in working class east New York, Brooklyn, one of New York City’s toughest neighborhoods. Her parents, Jamaican immigrants, were keen for their children to receive a quality education. Clarke went to Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.), a highly regarded boarding school. Alumni include President John F. Kennedy. Which of these did you learn to adapt?
CLARKE It was very –
PEGUES – It was not an easy task at the time.
CLARKE: It’s not that easy. It’s a very different place than East New York.
PEGUES (President of the University of Pennsylvania): When she attended a historic desegregation hearing that focused on disparities in urban and suburban school systems, she said she realized how law could help to change the world.
CLARKE: Choate had a lot of influence on my path to where I am now.
PEGUES: Today she is the first black woman heading the Civil Rights Division, headquartered in former FBI Director Jay Edgar Hoover’s old office. She can view Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue from her desk. But she hasn’t forgotten how she got here.
CLARKE: I know what it’s like for families who grow up poor and who struggle, who live paycheck to paycheck. It’s a painful experience. I know what it’s like to be marginalized, sidelined, and silenced. That personal perspective has shaped who I am.
PEGUES For CBS MorningsJeff Pegues Washington
TONY DOKOUPIL: Amazing.
KING: She was a mystery to me. That’s really interesting to hear her story. I like when Jeff asked her about going to Choate, which is a predominantly white school, in Wallingford, Connecticut, she said, “I just settled right in.” She said, “I didn’t say it was easy, but I just settled right in.” And look where she sits today and the view from her window. Bravo.
DOKOUPIL: Yes, I do. DOKOUPIL: I know. She said that voting restrictions are not political and not an issue of politics in her opinion.
KING: Tony, it might not be the start of our political but we feel very politically these days.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah.
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