HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Republican challenger David McCormick met Thursday for their first debate in the pivotal race for a swing-state seat, with each candidate repeatedly accusing the other of lying and turning questions about energy, the sale of U.S. Steel and tariffs into personal attacks.
The outcome of the race, one of the nation’s most expensive, could help determine which party controls the narrowly divided Senate.
During the combative nighttime debate, Casey tried to drive home the message that McCormick is a wealthy, carpetbagging ex-hedge fund CEO, while McCormick painted Casey as a weak, do-nothing career politician.
Casey hammered away at investments that McCormick's hedge fund made in Chinese companies, including ones the federal government came to consider part of Beijing’s military and surveillance industrial complex. McCormick hit Casey as willing to vote 99% of the time with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
One of the sharpest exchanges during the 60-minute debate came after Casey and McCormick agreed that they both opposed the sale of U.S. Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel.
McCormick blamed Casey for the iconic, Pittsburgh-based steelmaker canceling a $1.5 billion project for a state-of-the-art improvement to its Mon Valley Works operations after failing to get environmental permits from Allegheny County.
“This is the kind of failure of leadership that’s taking Pennsylvania in the wrong direction,” McCormick said.
“He was in Connecticut when that was going on, let’s be clear about that,” Casey shot back, referring to McCormick's time living in the Northeastern state for 12 years as a hedge fund executive. “So he doesn’t have standing to talk about what should have been done in Pennsylvania.”
McCormick pressed his case, saying, “We lost those jobs because of you. ... You are a weak senator, you're a liberal senator, you're a career politician who wants to have it both ways.”
Casey quickly suggested that McCormick isn't strong or independent enough to defy former President Donald Trump and support a sweeping immigration reform bill that includes hundreds of millions of dollars to hire more customs agents and bolster investigations into fentanyl trafficking.
“Why don’t you show some strength and support the border bill,” Casey told McCormick, referring to Republican opposition that sank it after Trump said the attached immigration measures weren’t tough enough.
On other topics, the candidates agreed on the need for tariffs to protect certain industries, such as steel and aluminum, while not seeing eye to eye on the Senate filibuster.
Casey supported getting rid of the filibuster, saying it is preventing votes on things like women's, voters' and unions' rights, legislation he said McCormick would oppose. Senators should be voting on the “big issues and fulfill the wishes and aspirations of those who voted for us,” he said.
McCormick countered that the filibuster protects moderation.
“We shouldn’t have extremes on either side," McCormick said.
McCormick also said he supports Trump's pledge to carry out a mass deportation of immigrants in the country without permission — prioritizing people with criminal records — and insisted he would protect Social Security and Medicare while backing the extension of tax cuts passed under Trump.
Casey accused McCormick of wanting to extend those cuts to give a break to the same billionaires donating to campaign.
Casey, 64, perhaps Pennsylvania’s best-known politician, is seeking a fourth term and is facing what he calls his toughest reelection challenge yet. A staunch ally of labor unions, former state auditor general and treasurer and Pennsylvania’s longest-serving Senate Democrat, he has campaigned on preserving the middle class, abortion rights, labor rights and voting rights, all of which he says McCormick and Donald Trump pose a threat to.
McCormick, 59, is making his second run for the Senate after losing narrowly to Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022's Republican primary. He is a former hedge fund CEO who served at the highest levels of former President George W. Bush’s administration and sat on Trump's Defense Advisory Board.
The candidates have agreed to another debate, to be held at a Philadelphia TV station Oct. 15.
Both Casey and McCormick were uncontested for their party’s nominations in the primary election.
Also on the Nov. 5 Senate ballot are John Thomas of the Libertarian Party, Leila Hazou of the Green Party and Marty Selker of the Constitution Party. They were not invited to the debate.
Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter.
A car passes signs supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., in Butler, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, listens as Dave McCormick, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, shouts "fight, fight, fight" during a campaign rally at Ed Fry Arena in Indiana, Pa., Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Droke)
Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick waves after speaking with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Erie, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis police officers were convicted Thursday in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, but were acquitted of the harshest charges they faced for a death that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.
Jurors deliberated for about six hours before coming back with the mixed verdict for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.
All were convicted of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating, but Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges. Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury. He was also convicted of a conspiracy to witness tamper charge that the others were acquitted of.
The court remained silent as the verdicts were read.
The judge ordered all three officers to be taken into custody. He planned to hold a hearing Monday to hear from the defense lawyers about releasing them pending sentencing. The witness tampering charges carry possible sentences of up to 20 years in prison. The civil rights charge against Haley carries up to 10 years in prison. They had faced up to life in prison if convicted on the harshest charges.
The verdict marked a partial setback for prosecutors who were unable to land a conviction for civil rights violations for two officers who played an active role in the encounter. Jurors repeatedly watched graphic clips from police video that showed the officers punch and kick Nichols and hit him with a police baton just steps from his home, as the 29-year-old called out for his mother.
In a statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said “Tyre Nichols should be alive today.”
“We hope this prosecution provides some measure of comfort as the law enforcement officers tied to his death have been held accountable,” Clarke said.
Bean and Smith were seen on video wrestling with Nichols and holding his arms, while also hitting him, but the jury was not convinced those actions amounted to civil rights violations. An FBI agent said Smith told him he punched Nichols, but defense lawyers argued Bean and Smith were merely slapping Nichols’ hands away as they tried to put handcuffs on him.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, told The Associated Press outside the courtroom: “A win is a win. They’re all going to jail.”
Five officers were charged in Nichols’ death, but two pleaded guilty and testified against members of their old crime suppression unit.
Prosecutors argued that Nichols was beaten for running from a traffic stop, saying it was part of a common police practice referred to in officer slang as a “street tax” or “run tax. ” They said the officers lied — to a supervisor, to medical professionals attending to Nichols and in required written reports — about the extent of the force they used.
“This has been a long journey for our family," RowVaughn Wells, Nichols' mother, told reporters. "I’m actually in shock right now because I still can’t believe all the stuff that’s going on. But we’re happy that they all have been convicted and they have been arrested.”
Smith's lawyer declined to comment. Attorneys for Bean and Haley did not respond to requests for comment.
Nichols, who was Black, ran from the traffic stop despite being hit with pepper spray and a Taser. The five officers, who were fired after the beating, also are Black.
Some of the most emotional testimony at trial came from one of the officers, Desmond Mills, who took a plea deal in which prosecutors call for up to 15 years in prison. He testified in tears that he was sorry, that he left Nichols’ young son fatherless and that he wishes he stopped the punches. Later, he testified that he went along with a cover-up in hopes that Nichols would survive and the whole thing would “blow over.”
Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating. His son is now 7 years old.
The other officer who reached a deal with prosecutors, Emmitt Martin, testified that Nichols was “helpless” while officers pummeled him, and that afterward the officers understood “they weren’t going to tell on me, and I wasn’t going to tell on them.” Under his plea agreement, prosecutors will suggest a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
Defense attorneys sought to portray Martin as a principal aggressor. Martin testified Nichols was not a threat, yet he acknowledged punching and kicking Nichols in the head.
Mills' lawyer declined to comment. Martin's attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message.
The police video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggles with his injuries. An autopsy report shows he died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and other areas.
With the federal criminal trial complete, other investigations and court action still aren't settled.
The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty, although Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a “patterns and practices” investigation into how Memphis officers use force and conduct arrests, and whether the department in the majority-Black city engages in racially discriminatory policing.
The Justice Department also has a separate review concerning use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units within Memphis police.
Pastor Earle Fisher, a Memphis activist who has long called for investigations of the city's police, said he hopes the probes "provide for us the remedies we so rightly deserve.”
Additionally, Nichols’ mother filed a $550 million lawsuit against the city and its police chief.
Ben Crump and Anthony Romanucci, lawyers for Nichols' family, said the verdicts “bring a measure of accountability for his senseless and tragic death.”
“Our fight for justice for Tyre is far from over,” the lawyers said in a joint statement.
Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press reporter Travis Loller also contributed from Nashville.
Attorney Ben Crump, left, speaks during a news conference with RowVaughn Wells, center, and Rodney Wells, right, parents of Tyre Nichols, outside the federal courthouse after three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering charges in the 2023 fatal beating of their son Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Rodney Wells, right, stepfather of Tyre Nichols, speaks during a news conference with his wife RowVaughn Wells, center, and attorney Ben Crump, left, outside the federal courthouse after three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering charges in the 2023 fatal beating of their son Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Attorney Ben Crump speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse after three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering charges in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
RowVaughn Wells, second from right, mother of Tyre Nichols, speaks during a news conference outside the federal courthouse after three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering charges in the 2023 fatal beating of Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols, leaves the federal courthouse after three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering charges in the 2023 fatal beating of Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Attorney Ben Crump, left, RowVaughn Wells, right, leave the federal courthouse after three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering charges in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Attorney Ben Crump, left, and RowVaughn Wells, second from left, mother of Tyre Nichols, leave the the federal courthouse after three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering charges in the 2023 fatal beating of Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A sign is seen outside the federal courthouse during the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Demetrius Haley, left, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse with his attorney Michael Stengel, right, for the day's proceedings Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tadarrius Bean, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse for the day's proceedings Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Justin Smith, left, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse with his attorney Martin Zummach, right, for the day's proceedings Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tadarrius Bean, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse for the day's proceedings Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Demetrius Haley, left, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse with his attorney Michael Stengel, right, for the day's proceedings Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Justin Smith, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse for the day's proceedings Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
RowVaughn Wells, right, is comforted during a prayer vigil outside the federal courthouse as jury deliberations begin for the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of her son, Tyre Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Family and friends of Tyre Nichols gather for a prayer vigil outside the federal courthouse as jury deliberations begin for the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Jamal Dupree, left, and La'Toya Yizar, right, comfort each other during a prayer vigil outside the federal courthouse as jury deliberations begin for the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of their brother, Tyre Nichols, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Family and friends of Tyre Nichols, pray before entering the federal courthouse for the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Nichols, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Justin Smith, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichol, arrives at the federal courthouse for the day's proceedings on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)
Justin Smith, one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse for the day's proceedings Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tadarrius Bean one of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, arrives at the federal courthouse for the day's proceedings Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Friends and family of Tyre Nichols gather to pray before entering the federal courthouse for the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating Nichols, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
RowVaughn Wells, left, mother of Tyre Nichols, prays with family and friends before entering the federal courthouse for the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 fatal beating of her son Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
