Should President Biden stay in the race or step aside? What Texas Democrats are saying
From members of Congress to the grassroots, Texas Democrats are discussing whether President Joe Biden should still run for re-election or step aside. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic ruling on presidential immunity that has Democrats and Republicans talking. A Dallas man who escaped from North Korea credits former President George W. Bush with his freedom. CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink covers these stories and more in the latest episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: July 7, 2024).
Political Fallout: President Biden's Debate Performance
President Biden said last week "no one is pushing him out" and that he is still running for re-election after his performance during his June 27th debate against former President Donald Trump. His comments came days before he was to sit down for his first, extended TV interview and a week before Vice President Kamala Harris will appear in Dallas to speak before the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's gathering. But some Democrats said his debate was bad enough for him to not run for reelection.
Jack asked grassroots Democrats what they thought about President Biden's debate performance and whether he should continue to run for re-election or withdraw.
Watch Jack's interview with grassroots Democrats below:
Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Austin, who is 77 years old, became the first Democrat in the U.S. House to call on President Biden to withdraw from the race. He told CNN, "I felt I was in a position to speak out about what I was hearing from so many of my colleagues and say we need a different course. I just think that some of the damage that was done at this debate will be very difficult to overcome. Why take a chance when there is a better alternative."
Congressman Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, told CBS News Texas Thursday, "I was very disappointed with the debate. I've been told for a long time now that everything was good and there were people being discouraged to encourage other people to run in the Democratic primary. A lot of this could have obviously come out a lot earlier and have a robust primary happen. Regardless, my goal is to make sure that Donald Trump is never President of the United States again."
Jack spoke with Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Dallas who criticized Congressman Doggett's announcement. Republican Congressman Pat Fallon of the 4th Congressional District in North Texas told Jack that he wants President Biden to stay in the race.
Historic U.S. Supreme Court Ruling On Presidential Immunity
Both also reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court's historic ruling on presidential immunity. It stems from the criminal case against former President Donald Trump who will likely go to trial on charges he tried to overturn the 2020 election. The 6 conservatives in the majority found a former president has "absolute immunity" from criminal prosecution when it comes to carrying out Constitutional duties, "presumptive immunity" for official acts, and "no immunity" for unofficial acts. The three liberals on the court strongly disagreed in a dissent written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who said the decision, "Makes a mockery of the principle... no man is above the law."
Watch Jack's interview with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett about the SCOTUS ruling and President Biden's debate performance below:
Watch Jack's interview with Congressman Pat Fallon about the SCOTUS ruling and President Biden's debate performance below:
The Supreme Court narrowed the charges against Mr. Trump and sent the criminal case back to the federal judge in Washington, D.C. overseeing the case, Tanya Chutkan. David Coale, a Dallas appellate attorney, told Jack the Justices left a lot of legal work for the judge to do. He and other legal experts said it would be nearly impossible for the trial to take place before the November election.
Paxton Probe:
A recent and rare ruling by the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans is shedding light on what could be the ongoing federal investigation into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The federal appeals court judges said the Attorney General's Office could not shield top officials from answering questions before a federal grand jury based on attorney-client privilege.
As CBS News Texas has reported for years now, the FBI began looking into Paxton after his former top lieutenants reported potential allegations of bribery and other wrongdoing based on his activities with Nate Paul, a developer and campaign donor.
It comes nearly one year after the Texas Senate cleared Paxton of all impeachment articles against him.
Paxton's attorney Dan Cogdell declined comment to CBS News Texas about the court filing.
The Attorney General has repeatedly denied he did anything wrong.
Celebrating Freedom:
A Dallas man who escaped from North Korea doesn't take his freedom for granted.
Joseph Kim told Jack he has former President George W. Bush to thank for changing his life forever.
Watch Jack's interview with Joseph Kim below:
