Biden ally sees Klobuchar as less likely VP pick

WASHINGTON — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar seems a less likely choice to become Joe Biden’s running mate on his presidential ticket following this week’s death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis, a key ally of the former vice president said Friday.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., told reporters that while he believes Klobuchar is “absolutely” qualified to be vice president, “This is very tough timing for her.”

Klobuchar, D-Minn., was a prosecutor years ago in the county that includes Minneapolis. As she was leaving the post to join the Senate, an officer involved in this week’s death of George Floyd was involved in the death of another man. The officer ultimately was not prosecuted.

Clyburn, who said his view was his “gut feeling,” played a pivotal role in helping Biden become the party’s all-but-certain presidential nominee. Clyburn is the No. 3 House Democratic leader and Congress’ who was arrested and charged Friday in this week’s death of Floyd. A video showing Floyd complaining that he could not breathe as Chauvin kneeled on his neck has helped spark unrest in cities around the country.

Chauvin was among six officers who fired on and killed a man in 2006 who reportedly stabbed two people and then aimed a shotgun at police. The case went to the grand jury after Klobuchar had been elected to the Senate and had left the county attorney’s office.

Klobuchar did not respond to a request by The Associated Press for an interview on Friday. But she told MSNBC that reports stating she had declined the case involving Chauvin years ago were “absolutely false.”

Klobuchar told the network that during the years she led the office, it was the practice to present police shooting cases to a grand jury to consider charges. She said she now believes the practice of asking a grand jury to decide whether to charge officers was wrong.

Klobuchar and 27 other Democratic senators wrote a letter Friday to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, asking it to investigate “patterns and practices of racially discriminatory and violent policing” by the Minneapolis police.

When pressed late Friday on the potential impact of Clyburn’s comments on her vice presidential prospects, Klobuchar told CNN, “I just can’t do politics tonight.”

“I have so much respect for Rep. Clyburn and in the end, Joe Biden was a great vice president,” she said. “He’s going to make the best decision on whoever he wants to govern with.”