Klobuchar on defense as Floyd death puts spotlight on record

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) defended her record as a county prosecutor on Friday after George Floyd's death in police custody, which has shocked the country and sparked days of protests in Minneapolis, the largest city in her home state.

Klobuchar specifically pushed back after reports circulated online falsely accusing her of declining to press charges in 2006 against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.

"This idea that I somehow declined a case, which has been reported on some news blogs ... against this officer is absolutely false. It is a lie. I don't know what else to say about it, than it is a lie. The case was investigated. ... That investigation continued into a time where I was already sworn into the U.S. Senate," Klobuchar told MSNBC.

"It was handled and sent to the grand jury by my successor," she added.

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Klobuchar also sought to defend her record on race-related issues, acknowledging that there is "institutional racism" and positioning herself as "one of leaders" in the Senate "in terms of pushing for sentencing reform ... a leader on voting rights, that's my record."

But Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), a close ally of Biden's, acknowledged this week that Floyd's death would likely have an impact on the VP race.

"We are all victims sometimes of timing," he told reporters, according to CNN. "This is very tough timing for Amy Klobuchar."

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