Fox’s Wallace confronts Klobuchar on controversial conviction of 16-year-old as prosecutor

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a 2020 White House hopeful, declined to say Sunday whether the case of an African-American man her office put in prison during her time as a prosecutor should be re-opened with the revelation that the conviction relied on questionable evidence.

Host Chris Wallace asked Klobuchar on “Fox News Sunday” about the 2003 conviction of Myon Burrell in the shooting death of Tyesha Edward. No gun or fingerprints were found in the case and the prosecution’s key witness offered contradictory testimony. An Associated Press investigation also found that police relied on the word of jailhouse informants who were offered reduced sentences and have since recanted, and that another, currently-incarcerated man has confessed to the murder.

“It was a tragic case, it was a big deal within the African-American community and our focus was on bringing the people to justice and doing justice for [Edward’s] family,” Klobuchar said.

“We know it was a bad case, the question is whether this young man did it,” Wallace responded.

Sen Amy Klobuchar responds to new evidence in a murder case she prosecuted years ago as well as to criticism that her tough-on-crime record is alienating some black voters. #FNS #FoxNews pic.twitter.com/fz9D2sKV4K

— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) February 2, 2020

“My view as someone that has worked with the innocent project for years, if there is new evidence it must come forward,” Klobuchar said.

“Did you know about the fact that there was this questionable evidence?” Wallace asked, to which Klobuchar responded: “I didn’t know about this new evidence until I saw this report.”

Wallace also asked Klobuchar about calls by Black Lives Matter and the Minneapolis NAACP for her to suspend her presidential campaign in light of the revelations and already tepid primary support among African Americans, a key demographic in the Democratic primaries.

“It’s on me to go across the country and make the case for my agenda, which is very strong when it comes to the African-American community,” Klobuchar said, also touting her support among African Americans in Minnesota and among the state’s Somali-American community, specifically.