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US President Donald Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power after the November elections, an unprecedented statement by a US president, as new protests broke out in the US overnight. for the murder of Breonna Taylor.
When asked during a press conference at the White House if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power in light of the recent unrest in several cities, Trump responded: “Well, we will have to see what happens.”
In an apparent reference to voting by mail, which is expected to be widely used by voters in elections due to the coronavirus, Trump said during a press conference: “I have been complaining very strongly about ballots … ballots, and you have a very quiet one, ”he said, trailing off. “There will be no transfer, there will be a continuation. The ballots are out of control. “
His comments come as violence erupted in American cities and two police officers were shot in Louisville Kentucky, after a grand jury indicted one of the three officers involved in the Breonna Taylor shooting, but refrained from directly charging anyone for his murder.
One of the officers underwent surgery last night and was stable, while the other was also being treated at the hospital and was stable, Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said. None have life-threatening injuries, he said.
A suspect was in custody. “I am very concerned for the safety of our officers,” he added, “the safety of our officers and the community we serve is of the utmost importance.”
Six months after police officers shot the 26-year-old African-American woman six times in her apartment, Det Brett Hankison was charged with senseless endangerment. But the charges were related to shots fired at neighboring apartments, not directly to the murder of Ms. Taylor.
The other two officers, who participated in a shooting with Ms. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, after entering her apartment, were acquitted.
People took to the streets of New York, Washington DC, Chicago, and Atlanta last night, as well as Louisville, Kentucky, the site of ongoing protests since Ms. Taylor’s murder earlier this year.
Protester detained by police during a demonstration in Kentucky. Photograph: Getty
Wednesday’s long-awaited trial served to refocus attention on the issue of police conduct and racial inequality in the United States, four months after African-American George Floyd died after a white police officer knelt on his neck during several minutes.
This summer, there were protests across the country over the murder of Floyd and Ms. Taylor, and the subsequent police shooting of African-American man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last month.
Blake, who was shot seven times in the back, survived the shooting, but is paralyzed from the waist down. The resurgence of violence in the streets following the Breonna Taylor trial threatens to put questions of law and order and racial inequality back on the political agenda, less than six weeks before the elections.
Taylor’s family attorney, Ben Crump, criticized the grand jury’s decision. “The Jefferson County Grand Jury indicts the former officer. Brett Hankison with 3 counts of Excessive Danger 1st Degree for bullets that entered other apartments but NOTHING for the murder of Breonna Taylor. This is outrageous and offensive! “
The accused officer, Mr. Hankison, could face up to five years in prison on the first degree senseless endangerment charge, and Mr. Cameron said he will prosecute the criminal charges against him vigorously.
Protesters gather at the Barclays Center Thursday during a rally to demand justice for the death of Breonna Taylor. Photography: Alba Vigaray / EPA
When asked about the verdict during his press conference Wednesday, Trump praised Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, an African-American Republican who spoke at the Republican National Convention last month.
“I thought it was really brilliant. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is doing a fantastic job. I think he’s a star, ”he said, citing the statement the attorney general made when announcing the grand jury decision. “Everything will be fine.”
Earlier in the day, Trump argued that it was necessary to appoint a successor to Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November elections, to ensure that there is a full nine-member court on site in the event of an election dispute: “This will end. in the Supreme Court, and I think it is very important that we have nine justices, “he said.
Trump, who will announce his election to the Supreme Court vacancy on Saturday, said: “I think it is better if he comes before the election, because I think this scam that the Democrats are throwing … will be before the Supreme Court of the United States Court. “
A burning garbage can outside the Louisville Hall of Justice during a protest in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Photographer: Luke Sharrett / Bloomberg
He continued: “Having a four-by-four situation is not a good situation. I think it should be eight nothing or nine nothing. But just in case it would be more political than it should be, I think it is very important to have a ninth judge ”.
The 2000 presidential elections ended in the Supreme Court after the contest between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush was reduced to contested votes in Florida. More than three weeks after Election Day, a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling summoned the race for Bush, who then won a second term in 2004.
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