IS INVESTIGATING THE SHOOTING OF
JACOB BLAKE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL
JOSH KAUL JOINS US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO YOU HAVE BEEN SWIFT TO
PROVIDE INVESTIGATIVE DETAIL TO
THE PUBLIC.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT IN YOUR
MIND IN THE MIDST OF THE ANGST
AND ANGUISH IN KENOSHA THAT HAS
SPREAD ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY?
>> WE WANT TO BE AS OPEN AND
TRANSPARENT AND SWIFT IN
PROVIDING DETAILS IN THIS
INVESTIGATION TO THE PUBLIC AS
WE CAN BE.
BUT THAT ALSO HAS TO BE BALANCED
TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS
INVESTIGATION IS FULL AND
THOROUGH.
SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE
RELEASING ANY INFORMATION THAT
IN ANY WAY MIGHT UNDERMINE OUR
ABILITY TO CONDUCT THAT KIND OF
INVESTIGATION.
BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN DO
THAT CONSISTENT WITH MAKING SURE
THE INVESTIGATION IS FULL AND
THOROUGH, WE WANT TO DO SO.
>> WHAT IS THE LATEST STATUS ON
YOUR INVESTIGATION INTO THE
POLICE OFFICER WHO SHOT JACOB
BLAKE SEVEN TIMES IN THE BACK
AND THE OTHER OFFICERS INVOLVED?
FOR EXAMPLE, HAVE YOU DETERMINED
WHY THE OFFICER WOULD SHOOT AND
WAS JACOB BLAKE ARMED?
>> THE INVESTIGATION IS MOVING
FORWARD QUICKLY.
WE HAVE CONDUCTED SEVERAL
MATERIAL WITNESS INTERVIEWS, FOR
EXAMPLE.
EVIDENCE HAS BEEN SENT TO THE
CRIME LABS FOR ANALYSIS.
I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT SOME
OF THE SPECIFICS ON FACTS THAT
ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BE
DISPUTED FACTS AT THE CENTER OF
THIS CASE.
BUT WE ARE WORKING TO MOVE THE
INVESTIGATION QUICKLY SO THAT A
DECISION CAN BE MADE AND WE CAN
MOVE FORWARD AS APPROPRIATE.
>> FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WERE
RELEASING TODAY THAT OFFICERS
TRIED TO USE TASERS ON JACOB
BLAKE AND THEY FAILED.
ALSO, THAT THERE WAS A KNIFE IN
THE FLOORBOARDS OF HIS CAMPLET
ARE THOSE ACCURATE THINGS THAT
YOU HAVE RELEASED SO FAR?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
WE'VE BEEN RELEASING INFORMATION
THAT WE THINK IS CLEARLY
ESTABLISHED BASED ON THE FACTS
FROM OUR INVESTIGATION.
BUT WE ALSO ONLY RELEASE THAT
INFORMATION ONCE WE BELIEVED IT
WAS APPROPRIATE BASED ON THE
INTERVIEWS THAT HAD BEEN
CONDUCTED.
WE'RE GOING TO KEEP DOING THAT
AS WE MOVE FORWARD, BECAUSE WE
WANT TO KEEP PEOPLE INFORMED TO
THE EXTENT WE CAN.
IT'S ALSO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
TO THE INVESTIGATION THAT WE
ONLY DO SO IN A WAY THAT'S
CONSISTENT WITH KEEPING THAT
INVESTIGATION FULL AND THOROUGH.
>> HOW LONG DO YOU EXPECT YOUR
PROBE TO CONTINUE AND WHEN MIGHT
THIS CASE THEN BE HANDED OVER TO
KENOSHA COUNTY FOR ANY CHARGING
DECISIONS?
>> I DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC DATE.
WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WE'RE
GOING TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD
AS SWIFTLY AS WE CAN CONSISTENT
WITH MAKING SURE THAT THE
INVESTIGATION IS CONDUCTED WITH
THE KIND OF INTEGRITY IT NEEDS
TO BE.
>> WILL YOU THEN MAKE A
RECOMMENDATION TO THE DA ON WHAT
THEY CHARGE?
>> OUR PRACTICE IN THESE CASES
IS NOT TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION
TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AS TO
WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE CHARGES
BROUGHT OR NOT, BUT INSTEAD TO
PRESENT THE INFORMATION AS FULLY
AS WE CAN.
OUR GOAL IN THIS CASE, AS IN ANY
CASE, IS TO VIGOROUSLY PURSUE
JUSTICE AND GET TO THE TRUTH OF
ALL THE RELEVANT FACTS.
>> I HAVE KNOW THAT THIS OTHER
CASE THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO TALK
ABOUT IS BEING CHARGED BY
KENOSHA COUNTY.
BUT AS TO THE FATAL SHOOTING OF
TWO DEMONSTRATORS IN THE MIDST
OF THE PROTEST BY AN ILLINOIS
TEENAGE VIGILANTE ARMED WITH
ANAR AN
AR-15, WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO
THAT?
>> IT WAS DESPICABLE.
WE HAVE SEEN VIOLENCE AND ARSON
AND DESTRUCTION OF THINGS IN THE
CITY OF KENOSHA.
AND THAT NEEDS TO STOP.
FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SEEN A FEW
NIGHTS NOW OF PEACEFUL
PROTESTING RATHER THAN THE KIND
OF VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTION WE
HAVE SEEN.
BUT THE PEOPLE OF KENOSHA HAVE
BEEN THROUGH VERY TRAUMATIC
EVENTS, NEED THE OPPORTUNITY TO
GRIEVE, TO COME TOGETHER, TO
RAISE THE ISSUES THAT THEY WANT
TO RAISE, TO PROTEST PEACEFULLY,
WITHOUT HAVING PEOPLE WHO ARE IN
MANY CASES FROM OUTSIDE OF
KENOSHA AND EVEN OUTSIDE OF
WISCONSIN, AS THE SHOOTER WHO
YOU JUST MENTIONED IS, COMING IN
TO TRY TO CREATE CHAOS IN THE
CITY OF KENOSHA.
>> IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT
THESE ARE ORGANIZED GROUPS OR
SOMEHOW SPURRED BY ORGANIZED
GROUPS TO MOVE INTO THESE KINDS
OF SITUATIONS?
>> AS YOU SAID, THE KENOSHA DA
IS THE ONE PROSECUTING THIS
CASE, BUT I'VE CERTAINLY SEEN
REPORTS INDICATING THAT THERE
WERE EFFORTS TO ORGANIZE PEOPLE
ONLINE AND EXTREMIST VIOLENCE BY
MILITIA GROUPS OR WHITE
SUPREMACISTS IS A REAL ISSUE.
THERE HAVE BEEN INCIDENTS OF
DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OUR LAW
ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES ARE
INVESTIGATING THOSE CASES AND,
WHERE APPROPRIATE, BRINGING
PROSECUTIONS.
>> JOSH KAUL,