Scandal s04e14 Episode Script
The Lawn Chair
- I'm fine.
- I don't think you are.
I'm fine.
It's been two days.
Are you talking to somebody? You need to talk about it, what happened to you, to someone.
You need a War buddy.
Even the biggest, baddest Navy Seals have war buddies.
I'm not there at the talking stage.
I'm just tired, so I'm resting.
- Resting? - Yes, resting.
- Uh-huh, not working? - No.
Look, 'cause you're the kind of person that would do that - This is it - Dive back into work like nothing ever happened.
I'm in bed right now, and I'm pretty sleepy, so Okay.
If you are resting, I guess I'll let you go.
I'll call you tomorrow.
- Olivia.
- Chief Connors.
Thanks for coming down.
I heard you weren't available.
Wasn't sure I'd get you.
What's his name? Brandon Parker, 17.
Matched the description of a suspected shoplifter a couple blocks away.
Officer stops to question him, kid pulls a knife, officer shoots him well within his rights and now we've got a dead black kid put there by a white police officer.
You need me to handle the optics? I run a clean force.
The last thing I want is a riot that sets my city on fire.
How long has the body been here? Half an hour.
Waiting for the coroner.
The coroner needs to get here fast.
You need to move that body out of the street as soon as possible.
We are four short blocks from the Capitol, within the shadow of the White House.
One misstep Bring me the cop who shot my son! - Sir, I need you to put that down gun.
- We need some backup down here.
- Tell your men to stand down.
- I can't do that.
- Chief Connors.
- Where's Mitchell? Mitchell! - Chief Connors.
- Widen the perimeter.
- Bring me the cop who shot my son.
- Get those gawkers back as far as possible! Every one of these bystanders has a cellphone with a camera built in.
You shoot that man, you'll be famous worldwide in under 10 minutes.
I'm not leaving until you bring me that cop.
- Put the gun down, Sir.
- Come on, Connors.
No! Lower your weapon now! Sir! Sir! Mr.
Parker! Name's Clarence.
Hi, Clarence.
I'm Olivia.
I'm here to help you.
I thought we could talk.
- Are the one that killed my son? - No, Sir.
Then I don't have anything to say to you.
I understand you want answers, but without access to the crime scene Crime scene? One of them murdered my son.
How do you think cops who murdered my son are gonna handle the crime scene? The Attorney General of the United States is a friend of mine.
If I can get him down here to oversee the investigation, make sure the evidence stays intact, make sure everything's handled properly, is that something you would be interested in? You can get the Attorney General of the United States - down here? - I can.
Who are you? Olivia Pope.
I can get the Attorney General here.
I can, but I need you to hand over the gun first.
No.
Mr.
Parker! No one gets my gun.
Cop shot a kid.
Father just showed up with a shotgun, won't let the cops near the body until he talks to the officer who killed his son.
You need one of my A.
U.
S.
A.
S down there? I promised him you, David.
I'm the Attorney General of the United States.
You can't just promise me to people.
You need to come down here.
I don't think you understand how bad this is.
And I don't think you understand how the law works.
- I have a meeting.
- David! So, the question is, can we replace the vice president? Unfortunately, the constitution doesn't cover the incapacitation of a vice president, which leaves you with two options, the first of which is impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors.
We can't impeach him.
How would that look? With all due respect, Mr.
President, the man did try to overthrow the United States government.
Which no one would believe now that he's a pumpkin.
Which leaves the second option, section 2 of the 25th amendment, which says that whenever there's a vacancy in the vice president's position, the president can fill the post.
We can argue that, even though he's alive, this is essentially a vacancy.
It's a reach, but I think it's doable.
- Then go do it.
- Yes, Sir.
In terms of a replacement What do you think of Abernathy or Bascombe? You promised the world a bold second term, not two more scoops of vanilla.
I am tired of my vice presidents trying to overthrow me.
Those two are loyal, competent and as old as the hills.
They're one cigarette away from joining Andrew in the stroke ward.
Mellie's next.
I promised her.
She doesn't need the competition.
Do you know what an uphill battle it's going to be for Mellie to go from being first lady to being president? Call Bascombe and Abernathy.
I want them both vetted.
There's an awful lot of cops.
We need them to keep these people back.
It's for their own safety, Olivia.
- The man's got a gun.
- Yeah, but he's not gonna shoot them.
These people are his neighbors, his supporters.
They're the last people he's interested in hurting.
- Can't take any risks.
- Olivia Pope.
Assistant U.
S.
attorney Ellison from the Attorney General's office.
- I asked for David Rosen.
- He sent me.
- How can I help? - You can get me David Rosen.
He's not available.
Mr.
Parker! - Damn it.
- Who's that? Can I come over there? Neighborhood activist.
He's given us trouble before.
- He can't.
- Sir, get back here! Sir! My name is Marcus Walker.
- Sir, you need to stay back.
- I'm using my cellphone to record everything that's happening right now.
You will not shoot me! You cannot shoot me! You're being recorded! - Get him out of there! - I need to go in.
I can't let you do that, Olivia.
Chief Connors, I can take care of this for you, but I need to go in.
Tell your men to stand down and let me go in.
Stand down! Excuse me.
Can I help you? - Marcus Walker.
- Olivia Pope.
- I'm sorry, but you can't be out here.
- Mr.
Parker is my neighbor.
He drove me home from the hospital when I was three days old.
We really need you back by behind the tape.
I want Marcus to stay.
Mr.
Parker wants me to stay.
Okay.
Mr.
Parker, I called in that favor.
See that woman down there? She's with the Justice Department.
She's gonna oversee the investigation, make sure everything is done by the book.
- You said you could get the Attorney General down here.
- I know.
- I did.
But I spoke with him directly - Do you mind if I ask who hired you? And Ms.
Ellison is authorized to handle this.
You now you have the support and oversight of the federal government, but you're going to have to put the gun down now.
Let us take your son out of the street, have him looked at by the medical examiner.
Who hired you? She's helping me out, Marcus.
Helping you and cashing a check from the Washington Metro police? Impressive.
What's the going rate for playing both sides? I'm working to defuse the situation, to get to the bottom of what happened, to give Mr.
Parker what he wants without any more violence.
Well, that's your first mistake, thinking this situation needs to be defused.
She's telling you to trust her, yet she couldn't deliver on the only thing she promised you.
Mr.
Parker, put the gun down and come with me.
That's the only way this works.
I brought this for you.
Just want you to be comfortable.
Because if you leave here, if you put that gun down, you're giving up on the only power you'll ever have in this situation.
And she wouldn't be here unless you had lots of power.
I'm not the enemy.
Are you sure? Mr.
Parker.
In case it rains or something.
I want him to be protected From the elements.
Good for you, baby! That's right! I said, "can you hear me?" Yes! Can the DCPD hear us? Yes! Can the caring, thoughtful citizens of these great United States hear us? Yes! Tell me who I'm dealing with.
Marcus Walker, neighborhood activist.
Born and raised in the Rosemead District of D.
C.
, graduated with honors from Georgetown.
Hosts a popular podcast on civil rights, runs a job-placement program for at-risk kids in southeast D.
C.
We speak for Brandon Parker! And we ask, when will the people we pay to protect us stop gunning us down in the streets?! What about Clarence? Bank clerk for the past Uh, record clean, taxes paid, shotgun is registered.
Raised Brandon by himself after his wife, Janice, died 12 years ago from breast cancer.
Brandon was supposed to graduate from high school in June, had a part-time job delivering supplies for a hardware store on the hill.
Brandon deserves answers! His father, Clarence, deserves answers! We demand answers, too! Will we leave this corner without those answers? No! Let Brandon Parker hear you! No! Stand up! We fight back! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Protestors joining Clarence Parker, calling for justice in the wake of Brandon Parker's shooting by police officers late last evening.
All of this, of course, happening only about a mile away from the White House.
It's clearly a local matter, and as such, is being and should be handled by local authorities.
Even though it's basically happening - in the president's own backyard? - Asked and answered.
Carol.
Why aren't the police releasing the shooting officer's name? - I need to say something.
- You can't say anything.
- I'm getting pummeled out there.
- She's right, Cy.
It can't look like I'm behind the curve.
Anything you say right now will end up vilifying law enforcement.
I was on duty.
I, uh, heard over the radio that a kid had just shoplifted a cellphone from a store on Ambrose Street I'm driving on.
About 10 seconds later, I see him walking.
How do you know it's the same kid? I don't, of course, not at first.
I just see he's he's he's got a cellphone box in his hand.
Uh, it's sleek.
It's brand-new.
So I call into the station to get a description of the kid uh, African-American, 5'10", medium build, - around 20.
- That describes every kid in the neighborhood.
Yeah, that's why I didn't arrest him.
I-I just I just stopped and asked him where he got it, and he became hostile.
He said, uh, it was none of my business.
You think about calling for backup then? Uh, I-I didn't feel he was dangerous at that point.
See, ma'am, I-it's my job to interact with the people in this neighborhood.
I-I like to think I'm pretty good at it.
So I just asked the kid if I could see the box.
Next thing I know, he's he's charging at me, he's he's reaching in his coat pocket for a knife.
And you saw the knife.
And you fired because you thought your life was in danger.
That is the only reason I would ever discharge my weapon.
So, what happened to the knife? Where is it now? It must be on the boy, at the crime scene.
I called for backup as soon as I fired.
I was first on the scene.
Jeff was devastated, just sitting in his car.
I just can't stop thinking about my own kids, Ms.
Pope.
How I would be feeling right now if I were that boy's father.
I need you to check security-camera footage from all of the businesses on Ambrose.
See if you can find footage that corroborates - Officer Newton's story.
- Which is ? He had to shoot Brandon Parker because he feared for his life.
On it.
What's his name? The cop who gunned down Brandon Parker.
You know why you're here, right? You know why they chose you.
Give us the cop's name.
- Help us get justice.
- You don't want justice.
You want anger.
You want outrage.
You want retribution.
Huh.
You're right.
I do.
So should you.
That is a father.
That is his dead son.
This is not your stand to make, Marcus.
This isn't a platform.
You're not auditioning to become America's next great black activist.
If this erupts, if a father is gunned down right next to his son, will you be able to sleep at night? - Nice purse.
- What? Prada? What's your point? Probably worth a year's rent at my place, 'cause I live right around the corner.
This block, these people are home.
Uh-huh.
We live in the same city, Olivia, but this is probably the first time you ever stepped foot on this block.
Probably never been to this neighborhood except to get grits from Reggie's or chicken and Greens off of Wade Street.
You have no idea what I'm about.
You're about getting a white republican president elected twice.
Excuse me if I don't buy you're a real down-ass chick.
Big picture you and I want the same thing.
You're just taking the path of most resistance to get there.
It's not smart.
We don't want the same thing.
You want to put it to bed quietly, tell everyone on the hill that you came down to the Hood and you saved us.
No thanks, Olivia.
Your black card's not getting validated today.
As tension continues to mount in the standoff between police and the father of slain black teenager Brandon Parker, BNC has learned the name of the officer involved in the shooting Jeffrey Newton, a 32-year-old decorated 9-year veteran of the Washington Metro police department.
It's unclear why Newton's identity was withheld by the police.
Calls for comment have gone unanswered.
They're turning Parker into a hero, and we look like the enemy.
These so-called neighborhood activists, they're not helping.
Next thing you know, there's gonna be a riot.
Press will eat that up.
They want a riot.
No, before it goes too far, I'm clearing out this mob and shutting this thing down.
I'm gaining control.
I get it.
The other side threw a good punch, you're bruised, but if you strike back, if you start a fight, you're just the bully.
There is a dead child lying in the street in front of their homes.
What would you do if there was a dead child, a child you knew, lying in the street in front of your home? The fact that they stand in groups and say things you do not like does not make them a mob it makes them Americans.
You hired me to tell you what to do.
I'm telling you do nothing.
You found his name and leaked it.
That was low.
So is shooting an unarmed kid.
Mrs.
Grant! Hello! - Susan Ross.
- Ah.
Senator.
I'm from Virginia.
Oh, Susan, it's so nice to see you.
Thanks.
Uh, I've been thinking a lot about vaccination protocols.
Oh.
Just, uh, take the measles.
When you get sick with the measles, it confers lifelong immunity from getting measles again assuming you didn't die.
But unlike when you actually get sick, when you get a vaccine, you need booster shots to keep your immunity up.
Now, there's a whole population of people out there who think they're protected, but they're not.
- That is a shame.
- It is.
Take genital warts.
Let's not.
Oh.
I'm Rosalyn Mendez, the Governor of New Mexico, and I'm posting this video tonight because I can't sleep.
Three miles from my hotel, Clarence Parker is sitting over the body of his son, Brandon.
Those of you who know me and voted for me - already know my story.
- What is this, Cy? - Just keep watching.
- But there's a part of it i-I don't spend a whole lot of time talking about.
It's the part when I was growing up and I saw how my parents were treated, how they had their paychecks stolen from them, how they knew people who had been beaten to death in the fields, and the police never did anything about any of it because they were from Mexico, so they didn't matter.
So I want to say to Clarence Parker and all those communities in this country where the police make you feel like you don't matter, we all matter every one of us.
She's saying everything I wish I could say but can't.
Not unlike a vice president.
Cyrus.
She's a republican.
And a woman and a minority.
I made Mellie a promise.
Yes, but you also made a promise at the beginning of this term to be the best damn president you could be.
This is the future of our party.
All we need to do is get out of her way.
No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! I brought you a hoagie.
I'm not hungry, Ms.
Pope.
I never let Brandon leave the house without saying where he was going.
I never fell asleep until I heard his key turn in the lock.
No being around girls.
We fought about that one a lot.
It may sound so simple to you, but I just kept saying to myself, "get him to 18".
"Get him a diploma.
Don't let him end up dead, locked up.
" There was a thrift store down on Browning road.
I used to buy Brandon old portable radios, TVs, calculators cheap crap 'cause he loved taking stuff apart, seeing how it worked.
He always had a mind for that kind of thing.
He was gonna do the apprentice thing after graduation and become an electrical contractor.
And even though he wasn't going to college, I put a university of Maryland sticker on my truck anyway so if he ever got pulled over, the cops wouldn't think he was just a thug Without a f without a future.
All that And there he is, laid out in the cold street, dead.
We're gonna get to the bottom of this.
And then you can bury your son.
That sounds real good, Ms.
Pope.
But you and I both know that this only ends with me dead or locked up 'Cause that's just the way things go around here.
Hey, how's it going down there? Not good.
Do we have footage of the shooting? Not yet.
Huck's still on it.
We'll find something.
Call me as soon as you do.
All press behind the barricade now.
Quinn, what are you seeing on TV? Anything about the protest? Just something about the vice president.
I got to go.
I know what you're doing shutting down the press.
We need to separate the protestors from the reporters in order to protect Yourselves, right? So that when you go into that crowd armed with your riot gear and your tear gas, the world won't be watching? Instead they'll be focused on, what, the vice president's stroke anything except this? I hired you to handle the optics, and now the optics are behind that barricade, where they belong.
That's what we wanted, Olivia.
That's a good thing.
Whose side are you on here? Not yours.
No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! Tell Officer Hogan to hold off on the riot gear.
Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Why did you meet with the governor of new Mexico? Because Governor Martinez has been outspoken on this Clarence Parker mess.
I wanted to hear her thoughts.
I know a vetting when I see one.
You and Cyrus were giving her the once-over for V.
P.
Cyrus thought it would be a good idea.
- That does not mean she's the right person for the job.
- You told me you were gonna pick someone boring and unelectable.
I prostituted myself so that you would get your mistress back, and now you're gonna take someone young and charismatic and female and Latina and make her the Vice President of the United States? How dare you? What happened to my turn? We had a deal, Fitz.
Stand up! Fight back! No luck on the surveillance tapes? Nothing faces the street except for the bank, and I just found out the police were there last night, and they took the tapes, the backups everything.
The DCPD has been sitting on footage of the shooting all day? If they haven't released it yet, that means It didn't happen the way they said it did.
I can't help you.
I wish I could.
I need to see that tape, David.
I need to see what happened! I'm assuming you were hired by the Metro Police.
Maybe just I don't know ask them for a copy.
- I can't.
- You can't? - I quit.
- Quit, or were you fired? David.
I can't just go marching into every sensitive situation trying to rush the justice process.
There are laws, okay? Ones I'm being paid by the U.
S.
government to uphold.
To protect people who look like you! Oh, come on, Liv! You talk about fairness and justice like it's available to everybody! It's not! That man standing over his son's body thinks he knows he's going to end up in one of two places a jail cell or a drawer in the morgue.
And to hell if I can't look him in the eye and tell him he's wrong.
I can't fix this, David! I-I have nothing left, no more tricks in my bag.
It's too much! It's too You're exhausted.
After everything you've just been through, this is the last thing you should be dealing with.
I thought I was going to die.
For about a week straight, I thought I was a goner.
I lived in complete and total fear.
I know.
Imagine feeling like that every single day of your life.
What is it you want? A subpoena.
Sources say the Justice Department served the DCPD with a subpoena today for surveillance footage.
The police are saying your son pulled a knife on the officer.
Did you see a knife? I don't.
Then what was he pulling out of his pocket? How should I know? All I know is he doesn't carry a damn knife.
We can check for a knife.
But we'd have to move your son.
Let me help you.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Mr.
Parker, I think it might be time to go home.
Grieve your son.
He doesn't carry a knife.
He doesn't carry a knife! - He doesn't carry a knife! - Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa! Mr.
Parker! - Get on the ground now! - He doesn't carry a knife! - Lower your weapon now, or we will be forced to shoot! - Come on, Mr.
Parker.
He doesn't carry a knife.
No! Do not shoot! This man just needs some space right now.
Right, Mr.
Parker? We're all just gonna give you some space.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Marcus and I are gonna step away now, and when we do, I need you to lower your gun.
Okay? Can you do that, Mr.
Parker? Nice and slow.
That's it.
That's it.
That's it.
He doesn't carry a knife! The mandatory curfew is now in effect.
Disperse immediately.
Report to your homes.
Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! They're gonna pump these people full of tear gas.
They'll confront Clarence.
If he doesn't surrender, they'll shoot him.
They just need to be prepared for what happens after that.
Well, I don't want to think about it.
I can't watch the city burn.
Curfew is in effect.
Crowd must disperse immediately.
On its second day, the crowd has grown both in size and in level Where is she? Little late for a drop-in, Cy.
- Where's Mellie? - Why? Because I just got a call from the times asking for comment on Rosalyn Mendez for V.
P.
And you think I leaked it? You're damn right! I do! They're digging into her past, finding dirt.
Well, I didn't.
But she was dirty, Cyrus.
It was gonna come out sooner or later.
Later I could've handled.
Later I would've spun.
But now now it's out there.
All right, Cy.
Enough.
Mendez is off the table.
I can't sell a V.
P.
Who sends her own constituents to a prison she owns.
We'll deal with it in the morning! I didn't do it.
I know.
I did.
And that video was a naked power grab if I've ever seen one.
She'd be just as bad as Sally and Andrew, if not worse.
Besides, you were right.
We had a deal.
So Let's pick a V.
P.
Who won't get in your way.
I have one.
She's perfect.
Competent? Yes.
And completely unelectable.
This clears Newton.
Yeah.
Sucks.
How did Liv look? She must be exhausted.
- You two let her go down there? - She's fine.
Fine? She's on the other end of a grieving dad's shotgun while pissed-off cops aim a hundred automatics at his head.
You think that's a good place for her to be after the hell she's been through? It's Liv.
Okay, I don't get this.
Brandon yells at Newton, reaches for something.
Newton opens fire.
Knife found at the scene.
- What's that? - Surveillance footing at the shooting.
Which appears to completely exonerate the cops, but they were just sitting on the tape.
Maybe they were just holding on to it, waiting to release it when things calm down.
Or maybe they were hiding something.
All right.
Play it again.
We found a shadow.
- What? - In the back of the cop car in the bank's security footage.
I wasn't sure what I was looking at at first, - so we zoomed in and - Talk faster or say less.
It was a person.
Okay.
Newton made an arrest an hour before.
There's no record showing the perp was booked, but we looked into it and See that shadow moving in the backseat? That's the missing suspect.
The suspect had a knife.
The knife was never officially booked into evidence, so No more black men under attack! I think I know where that knife ended up.
Who else knew? - I don't know what you're talking about.
- I'm talking about the perp in the back seat of your patrol car the one you arrested last night, the one whose knife you planted on Brandon Parker when you realized he was unarmed, the one you let go in exchange for his silence.
Was it just you, or did anyone else help you hide the fact you're a murderer? I think you'd better leave.
Or what? You'll shoot me? What the hell is this, Chief? The Attorney General, David Rosen.
And these agents are here to question Phillip Durant, the man you picked up last night.
Then I imagine they'll have a few questions for you.
We found him at a convenience store, buying lottery tickets.
I guess he was feeling lucky.
- I don't believe this.
- You don't want to talk, that's fine.
We'll use your friend Phillip's testimony.
- This is over.
- God, what the hell is it with you people? "Us people"? Yeah, you people I didn't misspeak.
You people have no idea what loyalty is, what respect is.
You're here because you were supposed to help us, and you spent every second of it trying to tear us down, tear me down, push your own damn agenda! I'm here to find the truth! The truth is, those people in Rosemead have no respect for anything or anyone.
No, they're like you.
They just take whenever they want, and they have no problem turning their backs on the people who gave it to them people like me, who strap on their boots every day, kiss their wife and kids goodbye, and trek 40 miles into a city where everyone, including little babies, are taught to look at us like the enemy! They are taught to question me, to disobey me, and still I risk my life for these people.
Every day for seven years, I have allowed myself to be disrespected and hated by these people, all to protect them from themselves.
I mean, all I hear about on the news are dirty cops, cops who shoot innocent black kids.
It's crap! There were 84 murders in this city last year.
Were all of those cops shooting innocent black boys? Hell no.
Those were blacks turning guns on each other, and yet somehow I'm the animal! Brandon Parker is dead because he didn't have respect, because those people out there who are chanting and crying over his body, they didn't teach him the right values.
They didn't teach him respect.
He didn't respect me.
He didn't respect my badge.
Questioning my authority was not his right! His blood is not on my hands! It's just I can't believe I'm really here, the Oval Office.
I still feel that way, every day.
Me too.
It's kind of smaller than I thought it would be, though studies have shown people actually were smaller back when the White House was built.
Researchers have discovered that the average height of an American soldier during the revolutionary war was about 5'7", though Thomas Jefferson was 6'2".
Susan, do you know why you're here? I think I can guess, which is why I brought the presentation materials on my vaccination proposal.
I also had a few thoughts on tax reform that I'd love to discuss with you, but we don't have to do it all tonight.
Susan, I've asked you here because I'd like to offer you the vice presidency.
What? The president is asking you to be his new vice president.
Why? "Why?" I'm a terrible choice.
I just got elected.
That's why I'm asking you.
This town has a way of taking people and turning them into politicians.
I don't want a politician.
But if I were the vice president and then something happened to you Then you would be president.
But I don't want to be president.
I mean, no offense, but your job is the worst job in the entire world.
No, actually, vice president is probably worse because you don't actually get to do anything, do you? And I want to get things done.
There's so much to do not just on the vaccination front, but we need a new tax code and budget reform, and there's the war in West Angola and the war right here at home, five minutes away.
Have you seen it on TV? That poor man whose son was shot dead in the street.
Oh, my God.
If anything like that ever happened to Casey, my daughter she's 10.
If anything like that ever happened to her but of course she's white and the daughter of a senator, so the police are actually gonna think twice before shooting her.
But that poor man, he raised that boy all by himself.
Can you even imagine what he is going through right now? I can't.
I would die.
I would literally die on the spot.
I would have to kill myself.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry.
Of course you know.
Of course you do.
You know more than anyone.
See? This is why you don't want me to be vice president.
I'm terrible at this, at talking to people and not saying what I'm thinking at all times.
I think we could probably use a little more of that around here.
Now Tell me about this vaccination plan of yours.
Tonight, Officer Jeffrey Newton was arrested for altering evidence, perjury, and filing a false report.
He and fellow Officer Edward Brennan have also been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
In light of these charges, the Justice Department, under my supervision and with the full cooperation of Metro Police Chief Lawrence Connors, will open an independent federal investigation into the Washington, D.
C.
, Police Force.
But even given these actions, I don't stand up here pretending justice has been served tonight.
Brandon Parker is still gone.
This is what Brandon was reaching for.
This is what was in his pocket the receipt for his new cellphone.
You were right.
He didn't have a knife.
He had a piece of paper.
The officer who shot your son is behind bars.
No one is going to arrest you, Mr.
Parker.
Let's go.
Where are we going? This isn't my neighborhood.
No, it's not.
Tonight, a young man's potential was cut tragically short.
Another American community is looking for answers, and another father is knowing the unbearable pain of losing a child.
Jack, please.
Give us a moment.
Mr.
Parker.
I am so sorry for your loss.
Please Call me Clarence.
My son's name was Brandon.
Ours is a country of laws, but those laws failed Brandon Parker tonight.
And I can only hope in the weeks ahead, we can begin to understand why.
- I don't think you are.
I'm fine.
It's been two days.
Are you talking to somebody? You need to talk about it, what happened to you, to someone.
You need a War buddy.
Even the biggest, baddest Navy Seals have war buddies.
I'm not there at the talking stage.
I'm just tired, so I'm resting.
- Resting? - Yes, resting.
- Uh-huh, not working? - No.
Look, 'cause you're the kind of person that would do that - This is it - Dive back into work like nothing ever happened.
I'm in bed right now, and I'm pretty sleepy, so Okay.
If you are resting, I guess I'll let you go.
I'll call you tomorrow.
- Olivia.
- Chief Connors.
Thanks for coming down.
I heard you weren't available.
Wasn't sure I'd get you.
What's his name? Brandon Parker, 17.
Matched the description of a suspected shoplifter a couple blocks away.
Officer stops to question him, kid pulls a knife, officer shoots him well within his rights and now we've got a dead black kid put there by a white police officer.
You need me to handle the optics? I run a clean force.
The last thing I want is a riot that sets my city on fire.
How long has the body been here? Half an hour.
Waiting for the coroner.
The coroner needs to get here fast.
You need to move that body out of the street as soon as possible.
We are four short blocks from the Capitol, within the shadow of the White House.
One misstep Bring me the cop who shot my son! - Sir, I need you to put that down gun.
- We need some backup down here.
- Tell your men to stand down.
- I can't do that.
- Chief Connors.
- Where's Mitchell? Mitchell! - Chief Connors.
- Widen the perimeter.
- Bring me the cop who shot my son.
- Get those gawkers back as far as possible! Every one of these bystanders has a cellphone with a camera built in.
You shoot that man, you'll be famous worldwide in under 10 minutes.
I'm not leaving until you bring me that cop.
- Put the gun down, Sir.
- Come on, Connors.
No! Lower your weapon now! Sir! Sir! Mr.
Parker! Name's Clarence.
Hi, Clarence.
I'm Olivia.
I'm here to help you.
I thought we could talk.
- Are the one that killed my son? - No, Sir.
Then I don't have anything to say to you.
I understand you want answers, but without access to the crime scene Crime scene? One of them murdered my son.
How do you think cops who murdered my son are gonna handle the crime scene? The Attorney General of the United States is a friend of mine.
If I can get him down here to oversee the investigation, make sure the evidence stays intact, make sure everything's handled properly, is that something you would be interested in? You can get the Attorney General of the United States - down here? - I can.
Who are you? Olivia Pope.
I can get the Attorney General here.
I can, but I need you to hand over the gun first.
No.
Mr.
Parker! No one gets my gun.
Cop shot a kid.
Father just showed up with a shotgun, won't let the cops near the body until he talks to the officer who killed his son.
You need one of my A.
U.
S.
A.
S down there? I promised him you, David.
I'm the Attorney General of the United States.
You can't just promise me to people.
You need to come down here.
I don't think you understand how bad this is.
And I don't think you understand how the law works.
- I have a meeting.
- David! So, the question is, can we replace the vice president? Unfortunately, the constitution doesn't cover the incapacitation of a vice president, which leaves you with two options, the first of which is impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors.
We can't impeach him.
How would that look? With all due respect, Mr.
President, the man did try to overthrow the United States government.
Which no one would believe now that he's a pumpkin.
Which leaves the second option, section 2 of the 25th amendment, which says that whenever there's a vacancy in the vice president's position, the president can fill the post.
We can argue that, even though he's alive, this is essentially a vacancy.
It's a reach, but I think it's doable.
- Then go do it.
- Yes, Sir.
In terms of a replacement What do you think of Abernathy or Bascombe? You promised the world a bold second term, not two more scoops of vanilla.
I am tired of my vice presidents trying to overthrow me.
Those two are loyal, competent and as old as the hills.
They're one cigarette away from joining Andrew in the stroke ward.
Mellie's next.
I promised her.
She doesn't need the competition.
Do you know what an uphill battle it's going to be for Mellie to go from being first lady to being president? Call Bascombe and Abernathy.
I want them both vetted.
There's an awful lot of cops.
We need them to keep these people back.
It's for their own safety, Olivia.
- The man's got a gun.
- Yeah, but he's not gonna shoot them.
These people are his neighbors, his supporters.
They're the last people he's interested in hurting.
- Can't take any risks.
- Olivia Pope.
Assistant U.
S.
attorney Ellison from the Attorney General's office.
- I asked for David Rosen.
- He sent me.
- How can I help? - You can get me David Rosen.
He's not available.
Mr.
Parker! - Damn it.
- Who's that? Can I come over there? Neighborhood activist.
He's given us trouble before.
- He can't.
- Sir, get back here! Sir! My name is Marcus Walker.
- Sir, you need to stay back.
- I'm using my cellphone to record everything that's happening right now.
You will not shoot me! You cannot shoot me! You're being recorded! - Get him out of there! - I need to go in.
I can't let you do that, Olivia.
Chief Connors, I can take care of this for you, but I need to go in.
Tell your men to stand down and let me go in.
Stand down! Excuse me.
Can I help you? - Marcus Walker.
- Olivia Pope.
- I'm sorry, but you can't be out here.
- Mr.
Parker is my neighbor.
He drove me home from the hospital when I was three days old.
We really need you back by behind the tape.
I want Marcus to stay.
Mr.
Parker wants me to stay.
Okay.
Mr.
Parker, I called in that favor.
See that woman down there? She's with the Justice Department.
She's gonna oversee the investigation, make sure everything is done by the book.
- You said you could get the Attorney General down here.
- I know.
- I did.
But I spoke with him directly - Do you mind if I ask who hired you? And Ms.
Ellison is authorized to handle this.
You now you have the support and oversight of the federal government, but you're going to have to put the gun down now.
Let us take your son out of the street, have him looked at by the medical examiner.
Who hired you? She's helping me out, Marcus.
Helping you and cashing a check from the Washington Metro police? Impressive.
What's the going rate for playing both sides? I'm working to defuse the situation, to get to the bottom of what happened, to give Mr.
Parker what he wants without any more violence.
Well, that's your first mistake, thinking this situation needs to be defused.
She's telling you to trust her, yet she couldn't deliver on the only thing she promised you.
Mr.
Parker, put the gun down and come with me.
That's the only way this works.
I brought this for you.
Just want you to be comfortable.
Because if you leave here, if you put that gun down, you're giving up on the only power you'll ever have in this situation.
And she wouldn't be here unless you had lots of power.
I'm not the enemy.
Are you sure? Mr.
Parker.
In case it rains or something.
I want him to be protected From the elements.
Good for you, baby! That's right! I said, "can you hear me?" Yes! Can the DCPD hear us? Yes! Can the caring, thoughtful citizens of these great United States hear us? Yes! Tell me who I'm dealing with.
Marcus Walker, neighborhood activist.
Born and raised in the Rosemead District of D.
C.
, graduated with honors from Georgetown.
Hosts a popular podcast on civil rights, runs a job-placement program for at-risk kids in southeast D.
C.
We speak for Brandon Parker! And we ask, when will the people we pay to protect us stop gunning us down in the streets?! What about Clarence? Bank clerk for the past Uh, record clean, taxes paid, shotgun is registered.
Raised Brandon by himself after his wife, Janice, died 12 years ago from breast cancer.
Brandon was supposed to graduate from high school in June, had a part-time job delivering supplies for a hardware store on the hill.
Brandon deserves answers! His father, Clarence, deserves answers! We demand answers, too! Will we leave this corner without those answers? No! Let Brandon Parker hear you! No! Stand up! We fight back! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Protestors joining Clarence Parker, calling for justice in the wake of Brandon Parker's shooting by police officers late last evening.
All of this, of course, happening only about a mile away from the White House.
It's clearly a local matter, and as such, is being and should be handled by local authorities.
Even though it's basically happening - in the president's own backyard? - Asked and answered.
Carol.
Why aren't the police releasing the shooting officer's name? - I need to say something.
- You can't say anything.
- I'm getting pummeled out there.
- She's right, Cy.
It can't look like I'm behind the curve.
Anything you say right now will end up vilifying law enforcement.
I was on duty.
I, uh, heard over the radio that a kid had just shoplifted a cellphone from a store on Ambrose Street I'm driving on.
About 10 seconds later, I see him walking.
How do you know it's the same kid? I don't, of course, not at first.
I just see he's he's he's got a cellphone box in his hand.
Uh, it's sleek.
It's brand-new.
So I call into the station to get a description of the kid uh, African-American, 5'10", medium build, - around 20.
- That describes every kid in the neighborhood.
Yeah, that's why I didn't arrest him.
I-I just I just stopped and asked him where he got it, and he became hostile.
He said, uh, it was none of my business.
You think about calling for backup then? Uh, I-I didn't feel he was dangerous at that point.
See, ma'am, I-it's my job to interact with the people in this neighborhood.
I-I like to think I'm pretty good at it.
So I just asked the kid if I could see the box.
Next thing I know, he's he's charging at me, he's he's reaching in his coat pocket for a knife.
And you saw the knife.
And you fired because you thought your life was in danger.
That is the only reason I would ever discharge my weapon.
So, what happened to the knife? Where is it now? It must be on the boy, at the crime scene.
I called for backup as soon as I fired.
I was first on the scene.
Jeff was devastated, just sitting in his car.
I just can't stop thinking about my own kids, Ms.
Pope.
How I would be feeling right now if I were that boy's father.
I need you to check security-camera footage from all of the businesses on Ambrose.
See if you can find footage that corroborates - Officer Newton's story.
- Which is ? He had to shoot Brandon Parker because he feared for his life.
On it.
What's his name? The cop who gunned down Brandon Parker.
You know why you're here, right? You know why they chose you.
Give us the cop's name.
- Help us get justice.
- You don't want justice.
You want anger.
You want outrage.
You want retribution.
Huh.
You're right.
I do.
So should you.
That is a father.
That is his dead son.
This is not your stand to make, Marcus.
This isn't a platform.
You're not auditioning to become America's next great black activist.
If this erupts, if a father is gunned down right next to his son, will you be able to sleep at night? - Nice purse.
- What? Prada? What's your point? Probably worth a year's rent at my place, 'cause I live right around the corner.
This block, these people are home.
Uh-huh.
We live in the same city, Olivia, but this is probably the first time you ever stepped foot on this block.
Probably never been to this neighborhood except to get grits from Reggie's or chicken and Greens off of Wade Street.
You have no idea what I'm about.
You're about getting a white republican president elected twice.
Excuse me if I don't buy you're a real down-ass chick.
Big picture you and I want the same thing.
You're just taking the path of most resistance to get there.
It's not smart.
We don't want the same thing.
You want to put it to bed quietly, tell everyone on the hill that you came down to the Hood and you saved us.
No thanks, Olivia.
Your black card's not getting validated today.
As tension continues to mount in the standoff between police and the father of slain black teenager Brandon Parker, BNC has learned the name of the officer involved in the shooting Jeffrey Newton, a 32-year-old decorated 9-year veteran of the Washington Metro police department.
It's unclear why Newton's identity was withheld by the police.
Calls for comment have gone unanswered.
They're turning Parker into a hero, and we look like the enemy.
These so-called neighborhood activists, they're not helping.
Next thing you know, there's gonna be a riot.
Press will eat that up.
They want a riot.
No, before it goes too far, I'm clearing out this mob and shutting this thing down.
I'm gaining control.
I get it.
The other side threw a good punch, you're bruised, but if you strike back, if you start a fight, you're just the bully.
There is a dead child lying in the street in front of their homes.
What would you do if there was a dead child, a child you knew, lying in the street in front of your home? The fact that they stand in groups and say things you do not like does not make them a mob it makes them Americans.
You hired me to tell you what to do.
I'm telling you do nothing.
You found his name and leaked it.
That was low.
So is shooting an unarmed kid.
Mrs.
Grant! Hello! - Susan Ross.
- Ah.
Senator.
I'm from Virginia.
Oh, Susan, it's so nice to see you.
Thanks.
Uh, I've been thinking a lot about vaccination protocols.
Oh.
Just, uh, take the measles.
When you get sick with the measles, it confers lifelong immunity from getting measles again assuming you didn't die.
But unlike when you actually get sick, when you get a vaccine, you need booster shots to keep your immunity up.
Now, there's a whole population of people out there who think they're protected, but they're not.
- That is a shame.
- It is.
Take genital warts.
Let's not.
Oh.
I'm Rosalyn Mendez, the Governor of New Mexico, and I'm posting this video tonight because I can't sleep.
Three miles from my hotel, Clarence Parker is sitting over the body of his son, Brandon.
Those of you who know me and voted for me - already know my story.
- What is this, Cy? - Just keep watching.
- But there's a part of it i-I don't spend a whole lot of time talking about.
It's the part when I was growing up and I saw how my parents were treated, how they had their paychecks stolen from them, how they knew people who had been beaten to death in the fields, and the police never did anything about any of it because they were from Mexico, so they didn't matter.
So I want to say to Clarence Parker and all those communities in this country where the police make you feel like you don't matter, we all matter every one of us.
She's saying everything I wish I could say but can't.
Not unlike a vice president.
Cyrus.
She's a republican.
And a woman and a minority.
I made Mellie a promise.
Yes, but you also made a promise at the beginning of this term to be the best damn president you could be.
This is the future of our party.
All we need to do is get out of her way.
No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! I brought you a hoagie.
I'm not hungry, Ms.
Pope.
I never let Brandon leave the house without saying where he was going.
I never fell asleep until I heard his key turn in the lock.
No being around girls.
We fought about that one a lot.
It may sound so simple to you, but I just kept saying to myself, "get him to 18".
"Get him a diploma.
Don't let him end up dead, locked up.
" There was a thrift store down on Browning road.
I used to buy Brandon old portable radios, TVs, calculators cheap crap 'cause he loved taking stuff apart, seeing how it worked.
He always had a mind for that kind of thing.
He was gonna do the apprentice thing after graduation and become an electrical contractor.
And even though he wasn't going to college, I put a university of Maryland sticker on my truck anyway so if he ever got pulled over, the cops wouldn't think he was just a thug Without a f without a future.
All that And there he is, laid out in the cold street, dead.
We're gonna get to the bottom of this.
And then you can bury your son.
That sounds real good, Ms.
Pope.
But you and I both know that this only ends with me dead or locked up 'Cause that's just the way things go around here.
Hey, how's it going down there? Not good.
Do we have footage of the shooting? Not yet.
Huck's still on it.
We'll find something.
Call me as soon as you do.
All press behind the barricade now.
Quinn, what are you seeing on TV? Anything about the protest? Just something about the vice president.
I got to go.
I know what you're doing shutting down the press.
We need to separate the protestors from the reporters in order to protect Yourselves, right? So that when you go into that crowd armed with your riot gear and your tear gas, the world won't be watching? Instead they'll be focused on, what, the vice president's stroke anything except this? I hired you to handle the optics, and now the optics are behind that barricade, where they belong.
That's what we wanted, Olivia.
That's a good thing.
Whose side are you on here? Not yours.
No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Stand up! Fight back! Tell Officer Hogan to hold off on the riot gear.
Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! Why did you meet with the governor of new Mexico? Because Governor Martinez has been outspoken on this Clarence Parker mess.
I wanted to hear her thoughts.
I know a vetting when I see one.
You and Cyrus were giving her the once-over for V.
P.
Cyrus thought it would be a good idea.
- That does not mean she's the right person for the job.
- You told me you were gonna pick someone boring and unelectable.
I prostituted myself so that you would get your mistress back, and now you're gonna take someone young and charismatic and female and Latina and make her the Vice President of the United States? How dare you? What happened to my turn? We had a deal, Fitz.
Stand up! Fight back! No luck on the surveillance tapes? Nothing faces the street except for the bank, and I just found out the police were there last night, and they took the tapes, the backups everything.
The DCPD has been sitting on footage of the shooting all day? If they haven't released it yet, that means It didn't happen the way they said it did.
I can't help you.
I wish I could.
I need to see that tape, David.
I need to see what happened! I'm assuming you were hired by the Metro Police.
Maybe just I don't know ask them for a copy.
- I can't.
- You can't? - I quit.
- Quit, or were you fired? David.
I can't just go marching into every sensitive situation trying to rush the justice process.
There are laws, okay? Ones I'm being paid by the U.
S.
government to uphold.
To protect people who look like you! Oh, come on, Liv! You talk about fairness and justice like it's available to everybody! It's not! That man standing over his son's body thinks he knows he's going to end up in one of two places a jail cell or a drawer in the morgue.
And to hell if I can't look him in the eye and tell him he's wrong.
I can't fix this, David! I-I have nothing left, no more tricks in my bag.
It's too much! It's too You're exhausted.
After everything you've just been through, this is the last thing you should be dealing with.
I thought I was going to die.
For about a week straight, I thought I was a goner.
I lived in complete and total fear.
I know.
Imagine feeling like that every single day of your life.
What is it you want? A subpoena.
Sources say the Justice Department served the DCPD with a subpoena today for surveillance footage.
The police are saying your son pulled a knife on the officer.
Did you see a knife? I don't.
Then what was he pulling out of his pocket? How should I know? All I know is he doesn't carry a damn knife.
We can check for a knife.
But we'd have to move your son.
Let me help you.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Mr.
Parker, I think it might be time to go home.
Grieve your son.
He doesn't carry a knife.
He doesn't carry a knife! - He doesn't carry a knife! - Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa! Mr.
Parker! - Get on the ground now! - He doesn't carry a knife! - Lower your weapon now, or we will be forced to shoot! - Come on, Mr.
Parker.
He doesn't carry a knife.
No! Do not shoot! This man just needs some space right now.
Right, Mr.
Parker? We're all just gonna give you some space.
He doesn't carry a knife.
Marcus and I are gonna step away now, and when we do, I need you to lower your gun.
Okay? Can you do that, Mr.
Parker? Nice and slow.
That's it.
That's it.
That's it.
He doesn't carry a knife! The mandatory curfew is now in effect.
Disperse immediately.
Report to your homes.
Stand up! Fight back! No more black men under attack! They're gonna pump these people full of tear gas.
They'll confront Clarence.
If he doesn't surrender, they'll shoot him.
They just need to be prepared for what happens after that.
Well, I don't want to think about it.
I can't watch the city burn.
Curfew is in effect.
Crowd must disperse immediately.
On its second day, the crowd has grown both in size and in level Where is she? Little late for a drop-in, Cy.
- Where's Mellie? - Why? Because I just got a call from the times asking for comment on Rosalyn Mendez for V.
P.
And you think I leaked it? You're damn right! I do! They're digging into her past, finding dirt.
Well, I didn't.
But she was dirty, Cyrus.
It was gonna come out sooner or later.
Later I could've handled.
Later I would've spun.
But now now it's out there.
All right, Cy.
Enough.
Mendez is off the table.
I can't sell a V.
P.
Who sends her own constituents to a prison she owns.
We'll deal with it in the morning! I didn't do it.
I know.
I did.
And that video was a naked power grab if I've ever seen one.
She'd be just as bad as Sally and Andrew, if not worse.
Besides, you were right.
We had a deal.
So Let's pick a V.
P.
Who won't get in your way.
I have one.
She's perfect.
Competent? Yes.
And completely unelectable.
This clears Newton.
Yeah.
Sucks.
How did Liv look? She must be exhausted.
- You two let her go down there? - She's fine.
Fine? She's on the other end of a grieving dad's shotgun while pissed-off cops aim a hundred automatics at his head.
You think that's a good place for her to be after the hell she's been through? It's Liv.
Okay, I don't get this.
Brandon yells at Newton, reaches for something.
Newton opens fire.
Knife found at the scene.
- What's that? - Surveillance footing at the shooting.
Which appears to completely exonerate the cops, but they were just sitting on the tape.
Maybe they were just holding on to it, waiting to release it when things calm down.
Or maybe they were hiding something.
All right.
Play it again.
We found a shadow.
- What? - In the back of the cop car in the bank's security footage.
I wasn't sure what I was looking at at first, - so we zoomed in and - Talk faster or say less.
It was a person.
Okay.
Newton made an arrest an hour before.
There's no record showing the perp was booked, but we looked into it and See that shadow moving in the backseat? That's the missing suspect.
The suspect had a knife.
The knife was never officially booked into evidence, so No more black men under attack! I think I know where that knife ended up.
Who else knew? - I don't know what you're talking about.
- I'm talking about the perp in the back seat of your patrol car the one you arrested last night, the one whose knife you planted on Brandon Parker when you realized he was unarmed, the one you let go in exchange for his silence.
Was it just you, or did anyone else help you hide the fact you're a murderer? I think you'd better leave.
Or what? You'll shoot me? What the hell is this, Chief? The Attorney General, David Rosen.
And these agents are here to question Phillip Durant, the man you picked up last night.
Then I imagine they'll have a few questions for you.
We found him at a convenience store, buying lottery tickets.
I guess he was feeling lucky.
- I don't believe this.
- You don't want to talk, that's fine.
We'll use your friend Phillip's testimony.
- This is over.
- God, what the hell is it with you people? "Us people"? Yeah, you people I didn't misspeak.
You people have no idea what loyalty is, what respect is.
You're here because you were supposed to help us, and you spent every second of it trying to tear us down, tear me down, push your own damn agenda! I'm here to find the truth! The truth is, those people in Rosemead have no respect for anything or anyone.
No, they're like you.
They just take whenever they want, and they have no problem turning their backs on the people who gave it to them people like me, who strap on their boots every day, kiss their wife and kids goodbye, and trek 40 miles into a city where everyone, including little babies, are taught to look at us like the enemy! They are taught to question me, to disobey me, and still I risk my life for these people.
Every day for seven years, I have allowed myself to be disrespected and hated by these people, all to protect them from themselves.
I mean, all I hear about on the news are dirty cops, cops who shoot innocent black kids.
It's crap! There were 84 murders in this city last year.
Were all of those cops shooting innocent black boys? Hell no.
Those were blacks turning guns on each other, and yet somehow I'm the animal! Brandon Parker is dead because he didn't have respect, because those people out there who are chanting and crying over his body, they didn't teach him the right values.
They didn't teach him respect.
He didn't respect me.
He didn't respect my badge.
Questioning my authority was not his right! His blood is not on my hands! It's just I can't believe I'm really here, the Oval Office.
I still feel that way, every day.
Me too.
It's kind of smaller than I thought it would be, though studies have shown people actually were smaller back when the White House was built.
Researchers have discovered that the average height of an American soldier during the revolutionary war was about 5'7", though Thomas Jefferson was 6'2".
Susan, do you know why you're here? I think I can guess, which is why I brought the presentation materials on my vaccination proposal.
I also had a few thoughts on tax reform that I'd love to discuss with you, but we don't have to do it all tonight.
Susan, I've asked you here because I'd like to offer you the vice presidency.
What? The president is asking you to be his new vice president.
Why? "Why?" I'm a terrible choice.
I just got elected.
That's why I'm asking you.
This town has a way of taking people and turning them into politicians.
I don't want a politician.
But if I were the vice president and then something happened to you Then you would be president.
But I don't want to be president.
I mean, no offense, but your job is the worst job in the entire world.
No, actually, vice president is probably worse because you don't actually get to do anything, do you? And I want to get things done.
There's so much to do not just on the vaccination front, but we need a new tax code and budget reform, and there's the war in West Angola and the war right here at home, five minutes away.
Have you seen it on TV? That poor man whose son was shot dead in the street.
Oh, my God.
If anything like that ever happened to Casey, my daughter she's 10.
If anything like that ever happened to her but of course she's white and the daughter of a senator, so the police are actually gonna think twice before shooting her.
But that poor man, he raised that boy all by himself.
Can you even imagine what he is going through right now? I can't.
I would die.
I would literally die on the spot.
I would have to kill myself.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry.
Of course you know.
Of course you do.
You know more than anyone.
See? This is why you don't want me to be vice president.
I'm terrible at this, at talking to people and not saying what I'm thinking at all times.
I think we could probably use a little more of that around here.
Now Tell me about this vaccination plan of yours.
Tonight, Officer Jeffrey Newton was arrested for altering evidence, perjury, and filing a false report.
He and fellow Officer Edward Brennan have also been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
In light of these charges, the Justice Department, under my supervision and with the full cooperation of Metro Police Chief Lawrence Connors, will open an independent federal investigation into the Washington, D.
C.
, Police Force.
But even given these actions, I don't stand up here pretending justice has been served tonight.
Brandon Parker is still gone.
This is what Brandon was reaching for.
This is what was in his pocket the receipt for his new cellphone.
You were right.
He didn't have a knife.
He had a piece of paper.
The officer who shot your son is behind bars.
No one is going to arrest you, Mr.
Parker.
Let's go.
Where are we going? This isn't my neighborhood.
No, it's not.
Tonight, a young man's potential was cut tragically short.
Another American community is looking for answers, and another father is knowing the unbearable pain of losing a child.
Jack, please.
Give us a moment.
Mr.
Parker.
I am so sorry for your loss.
Please Call me Clarence.
My son's name was Brandon.
Ours is a country of laws, but those laws failed Brandon Parker tonight.
And I can only hope in the weeks ahead, we can begin to understand why.