GOP Minnesota contender exits, citing ‘retribution’ (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: A top Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota dropping out of the race, saying quote, at the end of the day, I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them I believe I did what was right. Chris Mattel ending his campaign and also citing the quote, retribution of national Republicans against Minnesota, issuing this statement after the killing of Alex Pretty by a federal immigration officer.

[00:00:21] Speaker 2: I cannot support the national Republican stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.

[00:00:31] Speaker 1: When you talk about Republican retribution on Minnesota, what do you mean by that?

[00:00:37] Speaker 2: The president posted something on True Social saying that it was a time of reckoning and retribution on the citizens of my state. And I've seen that happen. And I cannot be a part of it and I can't be a party, part of a party that's a part of that.

[00:00:52] Speaker 1: I mean, obviously this is, as I say, to say the very least, not done lightly. And it also, I mean, there's just your personal success right now. You made the decision, even as your candidacy struck a chord, you were finishing in the top three out of about a dozen candidates in straw polls among GOP voters, right? So you were rising to the top of the GOP party. Why did you feel then that this was a moral imperative?

[00:01:19] Speaker 2: Well, because I've talked to numerous people in my state that are getting pulled over because of the color of their skin, detained of the color of their skin. I've got the federal government saying that they can raid a house on the basis of a border patrol agent's signature, as opposed to going to a neutral magistrate judge or article three judge. This is just unconstitutional. And more importantly than that, it's just wrong. And to try to dress that up and say that this is some sort of law enforcement maneuver, it's just not. I support the beginning of Operation Metro Surge, the idea of getting rid of the worst of the worst. And they did some of that. But it has gone so far beyond that goal that it just got to a point where I just literally cannot support that.