Toward the end of the Q&A, Charlmagne pressed the vice president about the cases against Trump — and got a good laugh out of the way Harris wound down the exchange with what sounded like some loaded inflection:
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: I don’t feel like the Biden administration has treated Trump like a real threat to democracy. And that’s why America doesn’t realize how much of a threat he is, it’s one thing to say it, but you have to act on it.
Don’t you believe Merrick Garland should have moved faster to put Donald Trump in prison for leading an attempted coup in this country?
VP KAMALA HARRIS: The Department of Justice is has independence in terms of how they make those decisions. As they should.
And let’s also be very clear —
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: But what do you think?
VP KAMALA HARRIS: Well, no. Well, no. But Donald Trump has been very clear that he would weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies. He has been very clear that he would take out the independent folks who are in there and put in there instead his loyalists.
So I understand, again, you talk about, because this brings back to exactly your point about threats to the to our democracy.
Donald Trump Donald Trump would go in to the Department of Justice and manipulate it in such a way that it would be used as a weapon against his political enemies.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: Yeah, he’s going to lock you all up if he gets back in office.
VP KAMALA HARRIS: Well, by the way, he’s gone. You should look at his words. I don’t think that you as a journalist should feel so.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: Oh I know that! 100%! I’m out of here!
VP KAMALA HARRIS: Journalists. Judges. Others. And you know who does that? Dictators do that. Other countries do that.
Which is, say that you’re going to stand as he has, the military to go and suppress peaceful protesters. That happens in other countries. That’s not supposed to happen in America.
So do understand when this man says what he says, how that would play out in real time.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: So why is it okay for him to say he’ll lock up his political opponents, but it’s not okay for you all to say he should be in prison, when he’s actually committed crimes?
VP KAMALA HARRIS: I’ve been very clear. I think that the the courts should handle that. And I’ma handle November.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: (LAUGHS) The courts should handle that. Okay!
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