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Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ scheduled appearance for a forum at Benedict College took a turn when she found out that the event’s sponsor, the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center, celebrated Donald Trump for his “criminal justice reform.”
A criminal justice forum slated Harris and nine other Democratic presidential candidates to speak, but Harris on Friday threatened to boycott the event after learning that the sponsor gave Trump an award, according to the Washington Post. Trump made a controversial appearance at the historically Black college that same day, which was marred by even more controversy when news got out that most of Benedict’s students were not allowed to attend the event, TIME reported.
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During his speech at the event, Trump claimed that he has been an ally to the Black community without forgetting to acknowledge his disdain for the investigation into his competency as a president.
“All my life, I’ve been committed to advancing fairness and opportunity for the African American community,” Trump said. “You know that, you see what’s going on with the witch hunt. It’s a terrible thing that’s going on in our country. No crimes there; it’s an investigation in search of a crime. But in America, you’re innocent until proven guilty, and we don’t have investigations in search of that crime.”
Harris released a statement about her thoughts on Trump being honored.
“Donald Trump is a lawless President. Not only does he circumvent the laws of our country and the principles of our Constitution, but there is nothing in his career that is about justice, for justice, or in celebration of justice,” Harris said.
According to the Washington Post, Harris said on Saturday afternoon that the college dropped 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center and opened the event to the larger student body. Although it is unclear in what way the organization was dropped, the Washington Post also reported that a banner with its name was still displayed and members of the organization were present at the event, some even shared pictures on social media.
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Harris did not hold her tongue about her confusion on why Trump had been honored with an award regarding criminal justice reform at the event.
“I just couldn’t believe that Donald Trump would be given an award as it related to criminal justice reform,” she said. “This is somebody that has disrespected the voices that have been present for decades for criminal justice reform. The people that have sacrificed to create justice in this system.”