'You can't criticize Republicans?' California Republican cornered by CNN anchor
A California Republican caught in President Trump’s mid-decade gerrymandering plan got blindsided Wednesday night when a CNN anchor demanded to know why her grievances should be taken seriously when she refused to criticize Texas Republicans for the same maneuver.
State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares joined "The Source" with fill-in anchor Brianna Keilar to discuss Democratic plans to pass legislation Thursday to put their newly proposed map on the ballot to offset in an effort to offset expected GOP gains in Texas.
Valladares accused Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Democratic allies of breaking the state's Constitution by drawing congressional maps "behind closed doors with no transparency."
Keilar noted that the new maps that Democrats in California aim to pass include a trigger such that they would only take effect if Texas's redistricting maps become official.
"Do you hold Texas Republicans at all responsible for what you're facing in your state?" asked Keilar.
When Valladares tried to insist that the California legislation specifies any state, rather than Texas, Keilar pressed her.
"Okay. But that's the effect of this. There is a trigger. This isn't happening in a vacuum. There's a contingency. And in this case, it is Texas. So let's just be clear. If it says other states, well, it's Texas," she said with a light chuckle. "So do you have any criticism from members of your own party in Texas?"
When Valladares pivoted to insisting California voters spoke in 2008 and 2010 to take the map-drawing out of the hands of politicians, Keilar pressed her again.
"So then what do you think about what they're doing in Texas?" asked Keilar.
Valladares urged all other states to follow California's lead and adopt their own independent redistricting commissions.
"Do the right thing, uphold democracy, implement your own independent redistricting commissions," she said.
But Keilar wasn't satisfied.
"If you can't criticize Republicans in Texas for their approach, which is so different from the one that you're advocating for in California, I mean, how should voters see California Republicans as opposed to a move like this? Only when it doesn't favor them?" she asked.
"Listen, I was elected, and the 120 legislators that were elected this past November in California, to uphold the California Constitution. This isn't a Republican issue. This isn't a Democrat issue. This is an issue of political elitists in California silencing and taking the power away from California voters," Valladares replied.
Later in the segment, Keilar demanded to know what message Valladares would send Trump.
"So it has become evident that a few California Republican lawmakers are acceptable collateral damage for President Trump. If he's able to secure more Republican gains overall in states considering redistricting, what would you say to the president?" she asked.
As Valladares began to respond that she wants to protect California voters, Keilar cut her off.
"What would you say to the president? Because this isn't happening in a vacuum, this very much has to do with his request for getting more safe seats in Congress," she pressed.
"Well, I'm assuming if the president listens to this show, he is going to know loud and clear how I feel about transparency and fairness in our elections process, specifically when it comes to redistricting," Valladares replied.
Watch the clip below or at this link.