Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris drops out of Criminal Justice Forum event

Columbia, SC (WOLO)— Just hours after President Donald Trump spoke at Benedict College, and received the Bipartisan Justice Award, one of his Democratic rivals drops out of a weekend forum.

According to The Kamala Harris For The People Campaign, she plans to hosts her own event Saturday to discuss criminal justice reform.

The campaign says Harris refuses to participate in the 2019 Second Step Presidential Justice Forum after seeing that “Trump Is Awarded Despite Decades of Shameful Actions on Justice Issues” and claims is also upset students were excluded from participating.

The Kamala Harris For The People Campaign says instead the California Senator will discuss criminal justice reform at an open event with students and the broader community in Columbia Saturday October 26th at 2PM.

The campaign quotes Harris saying,

“As the only candidate who attended an HBCU, I know the importance that these spaces hold for young Black Americans,” said Harris. “Today, when it became clear Donald Trump would receive an award after decades of celebrating mass incarceration, pushing the death penalty for innocent Black Americans, rolling back police accountability measures and racist behavior that puts people’s lives at risk, and then learned all but ten Benedict students are excluded from participating, I cannot in good faith be complicit in papering over his record. Instead, I’ll host students from all campuses as well as the broader Columbia community to come and discuss this critical issue that I’ve worked on for my entire career. “

Senator Harris also took to twitter to voice her disdain tweeting,

The only details given as of Friday night were that she will now host a Criminal Justice Roundtable event with Bakari Sellers at 2PM. A location for the event has not yet been announced.

Stay with ABC Columbia News for updates.