President doesnt have the most appreciation for what this country is all about. So in two successive days weve seen Church Leaders come out and criticize if not outright condemn President Trump for using religious buildings or shrines for political purposes. You have the head of the Episcopal Church here in washington, condemning the president using the church as a photo op, holding up the bible, st. Johns church. And then you had the washington archbishop Wilton Gregory criticizing the president of going to the shrine of Paul John Paul ii. And the president doing what he did in front of the religious institutions and two, to the president using them as a photo op. Well, as you know, i grew up in the projects and my father was in the methodist church. I read the bible a whole lot. I studied the bible in the Historical Context away from what these pt are that you all live by and i noticed that Speaker Pelosi mentioned something this morning and maybe yesterday as well and she may have had reference to this. There in the book, the preacher, so to speak, were told theres a time and a place for everything under the sun. And theres a time that we ought to do certain things and theres time we ought not to do certain things. Theres never a time, however, to misuse religious. This president seemed to think the religion is some kind of prop to further his political interests, to go out and hold up a bible in front of a sanctuary, and to have a cadre of people following you, the thing that got me about that more than anything else is the way they marched over to that church. Not to kneel, not to go inside and pray, but to stand in front of and hold a bible up in the most awkward way that ive ever seen and then call people over for photo op in front of the church. There was Something Real weird about all of that. And i think that people, if they are not given any real thought to whether, as we said down here in the south, whether or not this president is wrapped tight, i think that should have told them everything they needed to know. Congressman, what do you make lets talk about the protest overall and for those of you watching at home, and the sun is reflecting on my face through my blinds, but i was congressman, i want to get your reaction to or would you make of the protests that have been happening nationwide over now the last nine days . Well, if ive ever seen anything like this since maybe emmitt till. I do believe that that was a defining moment in this countrys history. I think this as a defining moment. I think that what george floyd went through, what his family is going through, what his child will live through are all indicators of why this country needs to rise up and take stock. Where we are, what we stand for and really make some determinations how we can live out of the rest of this year. Here were trying to get out of the worst Health Crisis weve had in a hundred years and now weve got the worst social problem weve had in maybe 60 or 70 years. And so, this is a double whammy that we had better take stock of right away and decide how we get through this. We cannot get through this pitted against each other. We must stand in solidarity with each other. Youve got to think seriously about how we are going to restructure our health care system. Restructure our educational system, how we are going to make the real greatness of this country acceptable and affordable for everybody. Our judicial system is crying out for restructuring and i think what we see here is an indication of some of the things weve got to do and do right away. And doing some marvellous work, and pushing a bill for a long time now to outlaw the chokehold which has been out lawed in and he cant get traction on the bill. I want to go if urt further, all neck restraints. What are you trying to do keeping you knee on a victims neck. Another policeman, a knee in his back and a third with knee across his legs. What r you trying to do . Hes been accused of passing a counterfeit 20 bill, is it worth that for 20 . Congressman, all the points that youre bringing up are right through and fair, but in order for them to happen, for congressman jeffries bill to actually become law, its got to get through the house, which is democratically controlled, then its got to go through the senate which is republican controlled and Mitch Mcconnell has shown hes not interested in much except confirming judges and then the president to sign it. I want to bring in a question from virginia, why are so many republicans unwilling to stand up for the belief withes that led them to politics instead toading to trump and the republican form of government. Its amazing that you have the other half of our american system of two Political Parties thats relatively silent. Whether theyre your republican colleagues arent saying anything about the president and what hes doing, a lot of them, i should say. Yes, a lot of them. I tried to really be how i respond to that and i know that they are torn between what they think the system may want them to do and what they really feel in their heart they should do. And i know thats always a problem when it comes to elected officials. Should you be there to represent or to reflect the thought process in your personal district. And so many of them believe that this president is much more popular in their districts than he demonstrates that he is. The fact of the matter is, we had the senator up in what, nebraska, who just won by a 50 vote percent margin, and he was afraid last year to speak out against this president who he had spoken out against him before. We had here in South Carolina a senator to said when this president was running for office, that he was one of the worst things that ever happened to the Republican Party and all of a sudden now, in the last year or two, saying hes the best thing thats happened to the world in the way he act a and i dont know, they seem to feel that this guy has some mystical powers over the thought process in their districts. I dont know where thats coming from. I dont feel that when i talk to people. I think when you look at the Voting Results here in South Carolina, in the democratic primary, there were people voting in the democratic primary from the suburban voting republican voting districts that never voted before. People are not in tune with this president. And i think that its time for the republicans to understand the voting public feels that this country is more important than any one person to make the country sub serveient to this guy. Lets bring it back to the intro, anyone who knows, you are a product and a child of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s and 1960s. What is your reaction, what is your message to those who are usurping this movement that we see now, to commit acts of violence and looting . Because theres a difference between those who are demonstrating and those who are looting. Well, thanks for asking that question because you know, john lewis and i talked about this a whole lot. I remember back in 1960 john lewis and i first met in october of 1960, we were founding members. Student nonviolent committee known as snic. John and i talked about that a lot we suffered in that movement because of two things, one, there was a group of people who exploited the movement. Number two, there was a group of people who hijacked the movement. When you have these activities going on, everybody that gets involved aint necessarily there with the rea real purpose we have a purpose when we go out to protest. But then there are people who will use that as a shell for cover to do other things, and so, we have to be very careful in this movement, especially the social media all around us, because so much of what we say and do gets weaponized against us and so we know that happened back in 2016, so weve got to make sure that we do not allow ourselves to play the other persons game. And playing sport as well. Not as good a Football Player as i should have been, pretty good baseball player, but one thing i did learn, if playing his or her game on his or her turf, they will win, that i know for sure and we cannot allow anybody to come into this movement, peaceful protest is our game. Silence is their game. Purposeful protest is our game. This looting and rioting, thats their game. We cannot allow ourselves to play their game. So ill say to young people all the time, we should stand together in solidarity for that which we know to be the purpose for our existence and that is to make a better country, a better world for those who must come after us. Breaking out a window will not contribute to that. Setting a fire, throwing stones at police officers, thats destructive behavior which will not contribute to anything that will make this a better country and make a Better Future for our children and grandchildren. So i tell my daughters all the time, just think about what youre doing. And ask your search the question, will this make things better or worse . Well, congressman, thats a good segue it talk about former vicepresident joe biden who is the Presumptive Democratic nominee who is someone hoping to replace President Trump. Hes someone you famously endorsed and everyone credits you and your endorsement just before the South Carolina primary as resurrecting his campaign from defeat, as a lot of people were seeing it then. Do you think vicepresident biden is doing everything he should be doing right now as a candidate, as a leader in the party, and as a statesman . Well, i think hes getting there. The fact of the matter is, you know, youre right, the campaign the really is not its a catch 22. Youve got to raise money in order to run the campaign, but then if youre not running the campaign the way you like to see it run then they wont give the money. So, i think theres the campaign got recharged and then this pandemic hit and then were off joe bidens long suit is what we call retail politics, going out and interacting with people. He got accused of interacting too much, but thats his long suit. Now hes got to hunker down. Cant go out the way he wants to you i think hes getting his legs now bus all after sudden he is now comfortable looking in that camera and connecting with people the way we are connecting here today and i thought he was very effective in his speech on yesterday and hell get much better at that as we go on. And i think that hes going to do the other thing that youre right, he has to get comfortable with that. Joe biden im older than joe, so i know that this business takes a little getting used to. Im loving it. Im really loving it, probably tell. Yes, i can tell. I recognize that, what that means. I said this morning on morning joe that i think that actually President Trump is playing vicepresident bidens game because when vicepresident biden launched his campaign, he focused on charlottesville and he focused on the division that President Trump had had been exploiting and hes talking about the soul of america and weve got all of that happening, all of that happening right now. So, despite not being able to do retail politics and then do you think vicepresident biden in this moment that were in, is he meeting the challenge . Well, a couple of things there are still to come. For instance, hes talked about his program for africanamerican community, lift every voice. I think that has to be fleshed out in such a way that i think is very i think if people would understand instead of the money being appropriated in areas where 20 , the Poverty Level for the has 30 years. Its the census burrow, and communities are 20 of the population and we need to file for the last 10 years, thats not 10 or 20 vote of africanamericans, thats everybody. So joe biden adopted the 102030. I think what hes going to have to do or should do is go out and get people to understand what that means. If youre in kentucky, for instance, youve got to show them how his 102030 program would mean more for kentuckians than what Mitch Mcconnell is doing. Hes got to go up to, for instance, arizona and give people in the Latino Community to understand what it means for their communities. So, i think that hes laid out the programs. Hes not fleshed it out enough because hes not been able to get out there. Thats why i think youll see in the next several weeks, some real enunciations of the programs that he is proposing for the people that lives in these communities. So i think that joe biden is going to a tremendous tone, and the speech yesterday and another speech in philadelphia several years ago. Congressman, were running out of time. We have got six minutes and i want to give you ample time to answer this predictable question. Your early support of vicepresident biden helped him. And youve said that before. And an africanamerican woman, and hes said that hes going to choose a woman, and youre saying that him choosing an africanamerican woman is mott a not a must. Have you talked to the vicepresident biden about his choice of a running mate . Thats what i said, but i said it would be a plus. Its not a must, but it would be a plus. Thats what i believe. Ive said that over and over again. I think that joe biden is going to give the kind of consideration to every woman that is out there that needs to be given. Blacks, browns, and whites. I michelle luhan down in new mexico is an outstanding woman. I understand her name has been put out there. I have mentioned before shes being vetted. I think that kamala harris, and keisha lancebottoms. Karen bass, marsha all outstanding women and i think they will get their proper due, but i think it would be a mistake for us to say what must happen when we have no idea what will show up in the polling, in the vetting. The only thing thats a must in this process at this time is to win. Thats the must. It will be a plus to have an africanamerican woman. It will be a plus to have a latino and it will be a plus to have a woman, but just remember, it will not be the first time, sarah palin turned out not to be a good choice when the vetting took place. We had the same problem with geraldine ferraro. She has an outstanding woman, but when they start doing the vetting of her and didnt do proper vetting of her husband and that turned out to be a problem. So what i want us to do is to let everybody do the vetting, do the polling, and then after all of that is done, then let your heart and head take a look. I think he calls it sympatico. And whether or not the chemistry is there. Take the whole presidency of bill clinton and the vicepresident of al gore. A lot of people say that was a big mistake, both of them, from the standpoint of the country, they dont complement each other, but when they showed up in public, they did complement each other. So what seems obvious, sometimes may not be so when the public looks at it. Right. So a lot has to go into this choice and i dont want us to ever tell anybody what they must do. Lets tell them what they should do. I mean, you did, i mean well, im going to leave that for another time. Let me ask you this question. A lot of people are wondering when this announcement is going to be made . Some people make the argument that vicepresident biden should name his running mate as soon as possible so that the two can hit the ground running ap take the fight to President Trump and vicepresident pence. Others say, drag it out for as long as you can so as to not give the Trump Campaign a target, extra time to go after that running mate. Vicepresident biden, youre talking to him. What do you advise him to do in terms of not who he should select, but when he should make that selection known. One of the things ive learned, here in the south, those are addages i live by. Hays makes waste. And advise him not to be hasty. Lets take our time. Lets do vetting. Lets do the polling and lets this vetting is more than looking into peoples backgrounds. Youve got to vet the choice with a few people you respect around the country and thats probably making sure you get somebody that with incite your base as well as the independent voters out here. So theres more to this vetting than looking at peoples bank accounts. I dont want us to be too hasty with this. Let check out, and get it congressman, my last question, what do you say to africanamerican voters out there if vicepresident bidens running mate is not an africanamerican woman. What do you say to those voters who would be really upset by this decision and might be contemplating either not voting or not doing the work that the party needs to get people out to vote . I will say what ive always said that we have to win this election. This is about electing a president that will be what this country is all about. This is also about getting rid of a president that is just anathema to all of our futures in this country. So i might be disappointed in the choice, but i am certainly not disengaged from this process. The issues at hand is much bigger than race, it is much bigger than gender. This is what this country is paul about. Im very hopeful that the choice will be somebody that all of us can rally around and be proud of, but that the country have rally around and be proud of as well. House majority whip James Clyburn of the great state of South Carolina, thank you for being here for this Washington Post live mobile event and thank you for tuning in for this important discussion. This afternoon at 1 p. M. Eastern, my colleague David Ignatius will speak with the managing director of the International Monetary found hcristina about the response to the global pandemic. On thursday, president ial candidate cory booker will join National Political correspondent john acosta and offer his legislative plan for police reform. Head to Washington Post live. Com to register and learn more about upcoming discussions. Again, im an opinion writer for the Washington Post. See you soon. Today, former Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein testifies before the Senate Judiciary committee on the fisa application process used during the fbi investigation, into possible ties between the Trump Campaign and russian officials. The fbis investigation was took over from robert mueller. Watch beginning on cspan, on demand at cspan. Org. And wherever you are at the cspan radio app. Having lived through a loss of confidence in our institution, a wave of cynicism left us questioning of any who says they are an expert. Its difficult to rise to that challenge. The first reaction is no, nr lying to us, its only in for themselves. And a lot have to take on the advantage that they exist for us and are here for the country. Saturday at noon eastern on in depth. And levines the, great debate and fractured public. Join us with your phone calls, tweets, texts and facebook imagines. Watch on book tv on cspan2. Cspan has unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and Public Policy events. From the president ial primaries, during the impeachment process and now the federal response to the coronavirus. You can watch all of cspans Public Affairs programming on television, online, or listen on our free radio app and be part of the National Conversation through cspans washington daily program. Cspan created by americas Cable Television providers as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider