“The way I describe profile is you talk about all the things that I’ve done, things I want to do, and along with some tough questions. But not only tough questions.”
California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra had a tense start to an interview with KTLA after he questioned whether the segment would be a “profile piece” or a “gotcha piece.”
The former California attorney general and former US Health and Human Services secretary sat down with KTLA reporter Annie Rose Ramos to discuss issues in the governor’s race. Before Ramos began asking questions, Becerra appeared to seek clarification about the nature of the interview, asking, “By the way, this is a profile piece, this is not a gotcha piece, right?”
“Well, look, I think these questions are fair. It’s in order to learn about you as a candidate,” Ramos responded.
Becerra then replied, “So long as it’s about the profile,” before Ramos attempted to begin the interview.
“The way I describe profile is you talk about all the things that I’ve done, things I want to do, and along with some tough questions. But not only tough questions,” Becerra continued.
The awkward exchange then shifted to policy issues facing California voters, including homelessness, gas prices, and affordability.
At one point in the interview, Ramos questioned Becerra about his tenure as HHS secretary. She referenced a New York Times investigation that found the health department couldn’t find roughly 85,000 children it had released.
“That’s not accurate. What you just read is not accurate,” Becerra claimed. “First, that’s what I’ll say, because it was never the case that we could not find kids. You’re essentially, I don’t know if you got those talking points, from Donald Trump.”
Ramos clarified that the number came from The New York Times, to which Becerra responded, “That’s not what the New York Times article said. The New York Times said that individuals, the children and their sponsors, did not respond to calls. They didn’t say we couldn’t find kids.”
“Working overnight in slaughterhouses, replacing roofs, operating machineries and factories children as young as 14 years old,” Ramos noted.
“That part occurred after these children had left the care of Department of Health and Human Services,” Becerra responded.
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