CALLING ON CONGRESS TO EXTEND
THE EVICTION MORATORIUM DEADLINE
ONCE AGAIN BECAUSE OF A SURGE IN
COVID-19 CASES DUE TO THE DELTA
VARIANT.
TURNING TO THE 2022 ELECTIONS
TWO CANDIDATES ARE IN THE
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RACE FOR
WISCONSIN ATTORNEY GENERAL.
LAST WEEK WE REDUCED YOU TO RYAN
OWENS.
TONIGHT WE SPEAK WITH ERIC
TONEY.
TONEY HAS BEEN THE FOND DU LAC
DISTRICT ATTORNEY SINCE 2013.
HE'S THE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE
WISCONSIN DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
ASSOCIATION.
DURING THE PANDEMIC IN 2020,
TONEY ADVISED LOCAL OFFICIALS
THAT GOVERNOR EVERS EXCEEDED HIS
LEGAL AUTHORITY BY EXTENDING THE
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY BEYOND
60 DAYS.
ERIC TONEY JOINS US FROM
FOND DU LAC.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> WHY SHOULD WISCONSIN VOTERS
ELECT YOU TO BE ATTORNEY
GENERAL?
>> WHAT WE'VE REALLY SEEN FROM
OUR CURRENT ATTORNEY GENERAL IS
LEADERSHIP FAILURE AFTER
LEADERSHIP FAILURE, WHETHER IT
WAS MARCY'S LAW WHEN THAT CAME
OUT LAST APRIL AND THE FAILED
GUIDANCE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ACROSS
WISCONSIN TO GIVE CONCRETE
GUIDANCE WHERE NOW WE HAVE SO
MANY DIFFERENT COUNTIES
STRUGGLING TO ADAPT.
WE THEN SAW THE FAILED GUIDANCE
DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND THEN WHEN WE SAW THE DEFUND
THE POLICE MOVEMENT AND THE
CHAOS THAT ENSUED AFTER THE
JACOB BLAKE SHOOTING, OUR
ATTORNEY GENERAL WAS NOWHERE TO
BE FIND.
WE NEED SOMEONE WHO IS NOT
AFRAID TO LEAD.
I'M IN MY NINTH YEAR NOW,
PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE WISCONSIN
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ASSOCIATION.
AND I HAVE ALSO PROSECUTED JUST
ABOUT ANY TYPE OF CASE YOU CAN
THINK OF, FROM MURDERERS, COLD
CASE HOMICIDES, SCWAWLTS,
COMPLEX DRUG CONSPIRACIES, DRUNK
DRIVING, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
I'VE UTILIZED EVERY RESOURCE
THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
HAS TO OFFER FOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
OUR ATTORNEY GENERAL IS OUR TOP
COP AND WE NEED AN ATTORNEY
GENERAL THAT'S GOING TO ACT LIKE
OUR TOP COP.
I'M THE SON OF A COP.
MY DAD WAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND I GREW UP
IN THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT FAMILY
AND THEY HAVE EARNED OUR RESPECT
AND OUR SUPPORT.
BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE WE DON'T
WANT BAD COPS OUT THERE EITHER.
BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY HAVE DUE PROCESS JUST LIKE
EVERYONE ELSE.
BECAUSE ANY BAD COP OUT THERE IS
STANDING ON MY DAD'S REPUTATION
AND ALL OUR OTHER WONDERFUL LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.
THAT'S THE SAME SENTIMENT THAT
OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE
THROUGHOUT THIS CASE.
THE LEADERSHIP I HAVE EXHIBITED
OVER MY TIME AS DISTRICT
ATTORNEY IS EVIDENT BY THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT THAT I HAVE.
OVER 60 OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT
PROFESSIONALS HAVE ENDORSED ME.
IT'S BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FROM
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS AND THE
UNANIMOUS ENDORSEMENT FROM THE
WISCONSIN FRATERNAL ORDER OF
POLICE.
>> SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WOULD
BE YOUR POSITION ON SOME OF THE
PRONGS OF POLICE REFORM THAT
PEOPLE ARE CALLING FOR IN LIGHT
OF CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THAT OF
GEORGE FLOYD?
>> WELL, WE HAVE TO -- WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT POLICE IMPROVEMENT,
WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AS WELL,
SO PROSECUTORS, PUBLIC DEFENDERS
AND OUR COURTS.
I'VE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
COIN.
BEFORE BECOMING A DISTRICT
ATTORNEY I WAS A DEFENSE
ATTORNEY.
SO I WOULD REPRESENT CRIMINALS,
DO MENTAL HEALTH CASES.
I'VE SEEN THIS ISSUE FROM BOTH
SIDES AND HAD THOSE PERSONAL
CONVERSATIONS WITH DEFENDANTS TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THEIR
CONCERNS ARE.
THAT'S A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE THAT
NOBODY ELSE IN THIS RACE HAS.
SO WE CAN ALL DO BETTER.
BUT WE CAN'T JUST FOCUS ON
POLICE.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SYSTEM AS
A WHOLE AND NOT PANDER TO
INTEREST GROUP.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IMPROVEMENTS
THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE SAFE
WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE SAFETY
OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
>> YOU SAY YOU SUPPORT IMPROVING
AND DEFENDING WISCONSIN ELECTION
LAWS AND SAY YOU WOULD FIGHT TO
ENSURE ALL BALLOTS ARE TREATED
EQUALLY REGARDLESS WHAT COUNTY
THEY ARE CAST IN.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> SO WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS SOME
CLERKS WHEN WE LOOK AT ABSENTEE
BALLOTS, WHERE SOMEONE IS
FILLING OUT A CERTIFICATE, AND
WHOEVER IS FILLING THAT
CERTIFICATE OUT TO VERIFY THAT
SOMEONE IS WHO THEY SAY AND SAY
FORGET TO PUT THEIR ADDRESS ON
THERE, SOME CLERKS ARE FILLING
IN THAT ADDRESS.
OTHER CLERKS ARE NOT DOING THAT.
IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT EVERYBODY
IS OPERATING BY THE SAME RULES,
THAT THE LAW IS APPLIED EQUALLY
ACROSS ALL OF WISCONSIN.
THAT'S AN AREA WHERE FRANKLY AN
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OPINION COULD
GIVE GREAT GUIDANCE.
BECAUSE THIS ISN'T AN EFFORT TO
SAY WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO
VOTE.
WE DO.
BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
EVERYBODY'S BALLOT IS BEING
TREATED EQUALLY THROUGHOUT
WISCONSIN.
AND THERE'S NOTHING
CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT THAT.
>> JUST REALLY QUICKLY, DO YOU
BELIEVE THAT INVESTIGATIONS INTO
WISCONSIN'S ELECTION ARE
WARRANTED?
>> WELL, I THINK IT DEPENDS ON
WHAT YOU TALK ABOUT AS FAR AS
ELECTIONS -- OR INVESTIGATIONS
GO.
I'M MORE CONCERNED.
I THINK OUR LEGISLATURE HAS DONE
A GOOD JOB OF IDENTIFYING SOME
ISSUES WITH REGARD TO OUR
ELECTION LAWS TO LOOK AT GAPS.
THE BIGGER CONCERN IS OUR
ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS CUT THE
PROSECUTION UNIT FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BY 25% AND
ALLOWED KEY POSITIONS TO GO
UNFILLED, EFFECTIVELY DEFUNDING
THE POLICE WHEN WE'VE SEEN
MILWAUKEE SET AN ALL-TIME RECORD
FOR HOMICIDES.
OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE SEEING
MORE SHOOTINGS AND MO HOMICIDES.
THAT'S NOT A RECORD TO BE PROUD
OF.
>> I NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE, BUT
THANKS VER