Fox News host Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Trump Uses White House as Campaign Background The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Sights and sounds from GOP convention night 1 Parscale: ‘Can not believe I have to watch the convention on CNN’ to Fox News shifts away MORE Wednesday saw fierce backlash online after saying it was not surprising that the youth accused of shooting dead two Protestants in Kenosha, Wis., took matters into their own hands because “no one else” was in order in the city. would maintain.
“So what does that amount to? We are not sure. A court will decide whether what you just saw qualifies as self-defense. “As of tonight, we really have no more details,” Carlson said on his show Wednesday. We do know why it all happened. Kenosha is embroiled in anarchy as the authorities responsible for the city leave it. People in charge, from the governor of Wisconsin, refused to enforce the law. They stood back and watched as Kenosha burned. ‘
“So we’re really surprised that looting and arson turned into murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with guns decided they had to keep order like no one else? Anyone could see what happened in Kenosha. It was. crazy by the hour, ”he continued.
Carlson refers to Kyle Rittenhouse, who was charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday in Antioch, Ill.
Tucker Carlson: “So we’re really surprised that looting and arson turned to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with guns decided they had to maintain order like no one else would.” pic.twitter.com/5Mm4L4Qejv
– Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 27, 2020
On Tuesday, Rittenhouse appeared with his rifle after the third night of Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, by police. The teenager, who traveled from Antioch to Kenosha to attend the protests, is thought to have shot and killed two people and injured another.
The Carlson segment immediately took to writing on social media, including from Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley
Michael (Mike) Bruce Quigley Hillicon Valley: Three arrested in Twitter hack | Trump pushes for TikTok | House approves 0M for election safety Home transport funding package includes 0M for traffic safety upgrades 2020 Global Tiger Day comes with good news, but Congress still has work to do MORE (Siik.), who called on the GOP and President Trump to condemn “the remarks of Tucker Carlson and the disturbing rise in white nationalist violence” immediately and without error. “
Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times Magazine reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on the 1619 project, said on Twitter that Carlson “just justified murder. “
A Fox News spokesman responded to a question from The Hill by pointing to the full transcript of Carlson’s comments and a tweet the host posted Wednesday night repeating the points on his show, suggesting the actions of local leaders led to the alleged acts of violence by Rittenhouse.
Conservative voices also came to Carlson’s defense, as did the son of President Donald Trump Jr., who accused the media of the commentator’s words.
“The left-wing media deliberately twists Tucker Carlson’s words to smear him. He never endorsed ‘vigilant justice,'” Trump Jr. tweeted.
White House and Trump campaign officials sought to distance themselves from Rittenhouse’s alleged actions after it was reported that the teenager had attended a Trump rally and shared rhetoric for pro-law enforcement.
“President Trump
Donald John The Memo: Trump Uses Convention to Focus on Major States Conway Hots Trump as ‘Women’s Champion’ Former ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ Star Trace Adkins Sings at GOP Congress MORE condemns violence in all its forms and believes that we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness, ‘White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. “This is why he is urging democratic governors to call on the National Guard and federal law enforcement to increase their local commitment to law.”
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement that Rittenhouse “had nothing to do with our campaign and we fully support our fantastic legal action for their swift action in this case.”
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