Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO), who represents Ferguson, Mo., on Saturday said that he doesn’t trust the Ferguson police to conduct a fair investigation into the death of Michael Brown, the black teen who was shot by a police officer.

“I have absolutely no confidence in the Ferguson police, the county prosecutor,” Clay told CREDO’s Ferguson Justice Live. “We know we won’t get a fair shake there.”

The congressman slammed the local police for releasing a video that allegedly shows Brown robbing a convenience store.

“That’s why they did what they did today, was to negatively influence a jury pool in St. Louis County,” Clay said. “Just to assassinate Michael Brown’s character is wrong. He was already assassinated, so now you’re going to assassinate his character? What kind of human being are you? That’s the kind of question I have to ask.”

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) also criticized the Ferguson police for releasing the video, which he called “an attempt to attack his character.”

But Nixon defended County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch and his ability to investigate Brown’s case, despite concerns that McCulloch won’t be objective.

“Well, he’s a seasoned prosecutor that has an opportunity to step up here and do his job,” Nixon said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And also though, when you see a dual investigation going on, and the resources of the Justice Department, an F.B.I. agents out working in the community yet again yesterday, 40 additional officers, I think that having those dual investigations will help guarantee that this gets done in a timely fashion. That it’s done thoroughly, and that it gets justice.”

Clay told CREDO that he’s been talking to President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and members of Congress about the need to make sure the investigation is transparent.

He added that the death of Michael Brown and the situation in Ferguson was “personal.”

“I’m raising a 13-year-old son in this community and he nor anyone else should have to live under a double standard with the law. We have to change the policing in this community,” he said.

He also spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning, calling for a better relationship between the police and African-Americans.

He said that police forces aren’t diverse and lack a “healthy relationship with the African-American community that they are supposed to police.”

“We have to have a national conversation about how police forces should interact with the African-American community,” he said.

Watch Clay’s interview with CREDO:



H/t Huffington Post