Democrat AG Ellison: International Court Should Investigate US for Racism.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) said he approves of international courts investigating the US justice system to determine if the latter is systemically racist.

Speaking on MSNBC during last Tuesday’s broadcast of  “The ReidOut,” Ellison – the former Democratic Party’s deputy chairman – said, “(I)f we have nothing to hide, we shouldn’t worry about what might be found by the international community.”

“The International Criminal Court is looking at the American criminal justice system and its treatment particularly of African Americans and saying that it might be crimes against humanity,” said MSNBC host Joy Reid while talking with Ellison. She added that “this actually might be something that the international community ought to take a bigger look at in terms of whether there is systemic brutality, even torture, and in short, severe deprivation of physical liberty, persecution, and inhuman acts generally by American law enforcement. Do you agree with that kind of an inquiry?”

Ellison replied in the affirmative, saying, “I think it would be wise for the United States criminal justice system to open itself up.” He claimed that the “international community” has forced America to practice more “racial justice” in the past. “It’s largely believed that the Cold War and Cold War competition is what helped drive some of the Civil Rights movement as the United States was trying to tell the rest of the world and the emerging decolonized world, hey, join us, we’re on the side of democracy,” Ellison said, adding that people from those other countries were able to tell America “(W)ait a minute, I can’t buy a cup of coffee in your country.” This sort of internationally driven change could only improve America, Ellison stated.

“It can only make us better, and I think a little bit of humility toward the rest of the world, understanding the eyes of the world are upon us is important,” Ellison ended.