Civil rights lawyer Leo Terrell said during a Fox News appearance Wednesday that reparations for slavery are “unconstitutional” because there is no “direct harm.”
Fox News host Harris Faulkner played footage of Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California speaking about the May 2023 election. suggestion Terrell called for the creation of a “National Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Change” in August ahead of the Democratic National Convention. He said reparations would be based on “skin color” and that such a measure would be unconstitutional. (Related story: Leo Terrell slams Democrats for failing to explain Harris' policy changes, sparking chaos on show)
“I want to be as clear as I can in my 35 years as a lawyer: Federal reparations are not possible and are unconstitutional. Why? There is no causal nexus,” Terrell told Faulkner. “You cannot award taxpayer federal funds based on the color of your skin. Americans today are not responsible for the crimes of slavery. Americans today cannot prove they suffered directly as a result of the crimes of slavery.”
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'Americans Today Are Not Responsible': Leo Terrell Explains to Harris Faulkner Why Reparations for Slavery are 'Impossible' pic.twitter.com/mPXQJSjN9D
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 4, 2024
“You're going to see Kamala Harris speak to a black audience about reparations,” Terrell continued. “Harris, she's in New Hampshire today. She's not going to talk about reparations. She's not going to talk about reparations or battleground states because that divides the country and it's unconstitutional and it's racist.”
Harris voiced her support for reparations while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
“We have to be honest and acknowledge that people in this country don't start in the same place or have access to the same opportunities,” Harris said. The New York Times February 2019. “I'm serious about approaches to change policies and structures and make real investments in Black communities.”
Terrell reminded Faulkner that any claim for reparations, even in a case like Faulkner's hypothetical Great Depression, must answer one question: (Related: 'They want to buy houses': Leo Terrell says young black Americans are 'rejecting Democratic enthusiasm')
“We need legal recourse. Who is the bad guy? Who is directly responsible? Show us receipts that prove they were directly harmed because of slavery and the Great Depression,” Terrell said.
“We have black billionaires, black movie stars, black actors. Harris, that doesn't make sense,” Terrell added.
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