FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
REBECCA KLEEFISCH WAS NOT IN
CHARLOTTE, BUT WAS CHEERING THE
TICKET ON FROM WISCONSIN.
SHE JOINS US NOW FROM HER HOME
IN CONCORD.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> INTERESTINGLY, THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY PRESENTED NO NEW 2020
PLATFORM AT THIS CONVENTION
EXCEPT TO SUPPORT THE
PRESIDENT'S AMERICA FIRST
AGENDA.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THAT
IS?
>> WELL, I WOULD SAY THE
AMERICANS -- OR AMERICA FIRST
AGENDA IS ABOUT PRIORITIZING OUR
NATIONAL INTERESTS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THE PRESIDENT
SPOKE ABOUT LAST NIGHT IS HOW HE
HAS PRIORITIZED AMERICA ON A
GLOBAL SCALE.
PEOPLE START TO FORGET IN THE
MIDST OF SOME OF THE CULTURAL
DISSENTS THAT WE'VE SEEN AND THE
CORONAVIRUS AND COVID-19 HEALTH
CARE CRISIS THAT TERRORIST
LEADERS ARE DEAD AND THAT WE
HAVE A UNITED
STATES/MEXICO/CANADA AGREEMENT.
WE'RE BRINGING JOBS BACK TO THE
HEARTLAND OF THIS COUNTRY.
THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT I
THINK SOMETIMES GET ROLLED TO
THE BACKS OF OUR MINDS WHEN WE
LOOK AT THE NEWS CYCLE.
>> THERE WAS A LOT MADE,
SPEAKING OF NEWS CYCLES, OF
FACT-CHECKERS BEING KEPT VERY
BUSY DURING THIS CONVENTION.
THE WASHINGTON POST DESCRIBED
THE SPEECHES AS A FIRE HOSE OF
FALSE CLAIMS AND A TSUNAMI OF
UNTRUTHS.
SO HOW ARE VOTERS SUPPOSED TO
SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION?
>> WELL, I THINK YOU HAVE TO
LOOK AT THE ACTUAL DATA AND THE
ACTUAL STATISTICS.
THE SPEAKERS WHO ARE ON THE RNC
STAGE, JUST LIKE THE SPEAKERS ON
THE DNC STAGE, HAVE FACTS AND
DATA THAT THEY USE IN ORDER TO
BUILD THEIR ARGUMENT FOR
ELECTIONS.
AND I AM A FORMER JOURNALIST, A
RECOVERING JOURNALIST, AND JUST
LIKE YOU, WE EACH AS JOURNALISTS
CHOOSE HOW WE REPRESENT FACTS,
WHAT THINGS MAKE IT INTO THAT
FIRST SENTENCE, WHAT THINGS MAKE
IT INTO THE HEADLINE.
AND I THINK AS RHETORIC SOARS,
SOMETIMES FACTS ARE THERE, BUT
THEN WHEN THE JOURNALISTS CHOOSE
TO PUT THEM THROUGH A FILTER,
THEY DETERMINE THAT WITH A
COUPLE OF TWEAKS, THINGS AREN'T
EXACTLY THE SAME.
I'VE SEEN THIS TIME AND TIME
AGAIN ON POLITIFACT.
>> I HAVE TO MOVE ALONG, BUT NOW
YOU'RE SAYING THAT IT'S THE
FACT-CHECKERS THAT ARE SKEWING
THE FACTS.
BUT SO I ACTUALLY WANT TO MOVE
ALONG TO SOMETHING VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT AS WELL.
THE PRESIDENT'S THEME OF LAW AND
ORDER COMES THROUGH LOUD AND
CLEAR.
BUT HE REALLY HAD NO SPECIFIC
MENTION OF WHAT HAPPENED IN
KENOSHA TO JACOB BLAKE OR ABOUT
THE TEENAGE VIGILANTE NOW
CHARGED WITH MURDERING TWO
DEMONSTRATORS.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ABOUT
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN KENOSHA,
INCLUDING ABOUT THAT TEENAGE
SHOOTER?
>> PERSONALLY?
MY HEART GOES OUT TO KENOSHA.
I THINK JULIE JACKSON, THE
MOTHER OF JACOB BLAKE, WAS VERY
ELOQUENT IN MAKING THE FAMILY
STATEMENT WHEN SHE ASKED FOR
PEACE AND SHE SAID JACOB WOULD
NOT WANT THIS CIVIL UNREST IN
THE WAKE OF THE SHOOTING.
BUT AS A JOURNALIST, I FIND IT
VERY DISTURBING THAT WE SEE
POLITICIANS COMING OUT AND
TRYING THE COP INVOLVED IN THE
SHOOTING BEFORE THE FACTS HAVE
EVEN BEEN FULLY INVESTIGATED BY
OUR DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
THAT'S DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR IN A
FREE COUNTRY, WHERE WE KNOW THAT
YOU ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN
GUILTY.
AND SOY THINK WE SO WE NEED TO LET THE FACTS
SHAKE OUT.
WE NEED TO PRAY FOR KENOSHA, BE
PRAYERFUL ABOUT THE RECOVERY OF
JACOB BLAKE, KEEP A MIND'S EYE
TO WHAT HIS CHILDREN HAVE SEEN
AND BE VERY HOPEFUL ABOUT CHANGE
IN THE FUTURE.
BUT I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT THINGS THAT NEEDS TO
COME OUT OF THE KENOSHA
SITUATION IS BODY CAMERAS.
IT'S GOING TO BE VERY
CHALLENGING FOR DOJ TO
INVESTIGATE THIS WHEN KENOSHA
DOES NOT HAVE BODY CAMERAS AND
WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT
DEFUNDING POLICE, BUT YET THEY
WANT MORE ACCOUNTABILITY AND
TRANSPARENCY.
BODY CAMS GIVE YOU THAT.
>> I HAVE TO ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR
COMMENT ABOUT THE TEEN SHOOTER.
WHAT ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY THERE?
>> OH, I THINK THAT THERE MUST
BE ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND YOU'VE SEEN, THE DA HAS
ALREADY ISSUED CHARGES.
THE INVESTIGATION WILL ENSUE.
IN THIS AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
WHERE EVERYBODY IS TAPING THINGS
ON CELL PHONES, WE BECOME JUDGE
AND JURY ON OUR COUCHES AFTER
WATCHING TWITTER AND FACEBOOK.
THAT'S DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR.
WE NEED TO LET DOJ DO ITS JOB.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THE