'This Is Life Or Death': Matt Gaetz Takes Aim At Progressive Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner

5 months ago

At last Friday's House Judiciary Committee field hearing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) spoke to victims of violent crime.

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Transcript

00:00 The gentleman from Florida is recognized.

00:02 When Philadelphia was coined the city of brotherly love,

00:06 I don't think Cain and Abel were the brothers

00:08 they were referring to.

00:10 But it seems, if you look at the major crimes in this fair city,

00:16 they're increasing.

00:17 The latest Pew report indicates that the number

00:20 of major crimes, which is the combined

00:22 tally of violent crime and property crime,

00:25 has now reached a 20-year high.

00:28 I was deeply moved by the testimony of Ms. O'Connor,

00:33 Ms. Fitzgerald, and Dr. Fitzgerald.

00:35 And I was stricken and a bit insulted

00:38 that my previous colleague made mention of this as a circus,

00:42 as you're here to hopefully lend greater understanding

00:47 to policymakers about how to make death and violence less

00:51 likely.

00:53 Ms. Fitzgerald, your testimony almost brought Mr. Biggs

00:57 and I to tears.

00:57 We are sympathetic criers.

00:59 But what was it like hearing Ms. Scanlon describe

01:03 this as a circus?

01:06 We certainly aren't circus animals.

01:08 We are people.

01:11 I'm born and raised in this city.

01:12 My entire family is here.

01:14 And this city is suffering.

01:16 How did you feel, Dr. Fitzgerald?

01:20 We just met this morning, Ms. Scanlon.

01:22 However, and with all due respect,

01:26 we aren't circus animals.

01:28 My wife, my daughter-in-law that are here

01:32 because we've suffered tremendous pain,

01:35 as you suffered when you were carjacked.

01:38 I remember reading that article.

01:40 So I keep very much in tune with what's

01:41 going on here in the city.

01:43 We have generations of Fitzgeralds, Marreros,

01:47 that give back to the city.

01:49 Her brother-in-law commutes back and forth from the county

01:54 into the city to the poorest section of this city

01:56 to give out food to--

01:58 My brother.

01:59 I'm sorry, your brother.

02:00 Excuse me.

02:01 But my point being, we have a vested interest in care.

02:06 And we wouldn't be used as circus animals.

02:09 We're telling a story.

02:10 And we're smart enough to be intent enough

02:13 to communicate properly and share what we feel

02:18 and what our family feels.

02:21 Again, we didn't move here.

02:23 We were born and raised here.

02:25 We still have tremendous connections with this city.

02:28 So we get feedback.

02:30 And it goes back to--

02:32 Well, Dr. Fitzgerald, if you don't mind, I want to zero in.

02:34 Because I was looking at really the election contest

02:39 for Mr. Krasner, who everyone here, most folks here

02:42 seem to have some objection with.

02:44 And he won overwhelmingly.

02:46 And he said in his victory speech,

02:49 in Philadelphia, this is a movement

02:51 that has been led by black and brown and broke people

02:56 and progressives.

02:57 And if you're black or brown or broke,

03:00 you better be progressive.

03:02 Because there isn't much of an alternative.

03:05 Seems to me that living would be an alternative, right?

03:11 Living is an alternative that is the reality for folks

03:16 that live in communities like I grew up in,

03:18 in West Philadelphia or in East Division,

03:21 where my wife grew up.

03:23 These are the neighborhoods that are the poorest.

03:25 These are the neighborhoods that have most of the gun

03:28 violence within the city.

03:29 And these are the ones that no one surveys,

03:32 that no one talks to, that perhaps one or two

03:36 representatives from those ends of the communities speak.

03:39 And they don't necessarily speak for the people on the ground.

03:42 Well, I also want to zoom out a little bit.

03:46 Because Mr. Krasner made a remarkable admission

03:49 in his election victory speech.

03:51 He said, this is about a movement

03:55 of progressive prosecutors who have taken office

03:58 around the country.

03:59 It is not about us as individuals.

04:01 So Ms. O'Connor, I wanted to give you

04:03 a chance to react to that.

04:05 That this dynamic, this soft on crime progressivism,

04:09 it's not just an isolated circumstance in one area.

04:12 But the DAs who are doing these policies,

04:16 they actually see themselves as part of a broader movement

04:19 to impact the whole country this way.

04:21 What's your reaction to that?

04:24 I'm going to try to keep it nice.

04:27 I think people are delusional.

04:29 There is no one here in this room

04:31 that can come at me with any of the facts about Jim's job.

04:35 These guys are all lengthy, lengthy past criminals.

04:40 How can somebody not understand what's

04:44 going on that these men-- my husband could still

04:46 be here today if these men were prosecuted the way

04:49 they should have been and been behind bars over multiple--

04:53 these guys have combined eight to 10 murders

04:56 underneath them.

04:57 It's insane.

04:57 They have been let out, and they know this.

05:02 When people are killed in Philadelphia,

05:04 people just can't wait to see the rap

05:07 sheet of the person that did the shooting

05:08 and how many times they have been let out.

05:10 It is ridiculous.

05:13 My son is a police officer.

05:15 Again, he has locked someone up who laughed in his face

05:18 and said, I will be out in a few hours.

05:21 He was right.

05:23 And our district attorney, oh my god,

05:25 my son was in the police academy,

05:27 and this man came up to him as he was standing around the Hero

05:31 Wall.

05:32 And he said, how you doing there, sir?

05:33 And my son looked at him like, are you crazy?

05:36 He said, how am I doing?

05:38 That's my father on the wall right there.

05:39 And Larry couldn't even look at him.

05:41 He just turned away.

05:43 The policy is everything is totally out of control.

05:47 And people that respect this man or want to vote for him,

05:50 let it happen to your family, and then

05:52 you'll see how you'll feel about everybody walking free

05:55 and what goes on in this city.

05:56 I see what the police officers go through.

05:58 They are scared to do their job.

06:00 You have nobody going into the academy.

06:02 Why would they?

06:02 He is looking to prosecute the police more than people in jail

06:06 where they should be.

06:06 It's ridiculous.

06:08 Mr. Chairman, I see my time has expired,

06:10 but I just wanted to thank all of the witnesses

06:12 and certainly express my appreciation for the hearing

06:15 and my understanding that this is no circus.

06:16 This is a very serious endeavor that is life or death.

06:19 And I yield back.

06:21 Chair recognizes-- the gentleman in the back.

06:23 Chair recognizes the gentlelady from Pennsylvania.

06:25 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

'This Is Life Or Death': Matt Gaetz Takes Aim At Progressive Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner

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