Appearing on Cuomo Prime Time with host Chris Cuomo Wednesday, CNN's Don Lemon called the Wisconsin Republican lawmakers' objection to Colin Kaepernick's name on a Black History Month resolution "B.S." Lemon also criticized former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who was included in the resolution) for "weapons of mass destruction" and accused President Donald Trump of twisting Kaepernick's protest narrative.
African-American lawmakers in the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly earlier this week attacked "white privilege" when Republicans objected to the inclusion of Kaepernick's name on the list.
As I wrote yesterday, many in the media played the race card and obsessed over the fact that all the Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature are white.
Cuomo began the discussion on the controversy with Lemon by praising Kaepernick for a $25,000 donation to a Wisconsin educational effort, "The Republican lawmakers see his name, refuse to let the bill pass until his name is removed. ... They take him off and replace him with other African-Americans, black former politicians that I guess they liked more."
Lemon responded by saying the Republicans wanted former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, "a great woman of color," on the list. "But she was also part of the weapons of mass destruction. You can always find something in someone's past that can disqualify them from certain things."
Cuomo interjected that Republicans don't like what defines Kaepernick to the public. Lemon said the actions of the Republicans in Wisconsin amount to ignorance. "I just think it's B.S. Whatever you want to call it, if you want to call it white privilege, that is your business. I think it's ignorance. And I think it's cherry picking about who you think is a good person and if they're doing what you think is right. We all know what right is, right? I think everyone knows in the back of their minds, deep in their heart, what Colin Kaepernick did was courageous and heroic."
Lemon also complained that the NFL continues to allow men who have been arrested for crimes to play, but won't let Kaepernick back in the league. He also accused President Donald Trump of twisting Kaepernick's protest narrative.
Here's the transcript of the Cuomo-Lemon conversation. Click "expand" to read more.
CHRIS CUOMO: Listen to this. Wisconsin lawmakers wanted to mark black history month by writing a resolution and in it they wanted to honor the state's most notable black Americans. People like former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice, Reggie Jackson but they also had Colin Kaepernick on there. You know him. He took a knee during the national anthem and gave $25,000 to a local educational effort there. The Republican lawmakers see his name, refuse to let the bill pass until his name was removed. Let's bring in D. Lemon. The black caucus is like wait a minute, these are our names. The party does a vote, 61-34. They take him off and replace him with other African-Americans, black former politicians that I guess they liked more.
DON LEMON: Well, boy, I feel a certain way about this. There are so many things that you can pull people on and yank people off. They want to honor Condoleezza rice, a great woman of color. But she was also part of the weapons of mass destruction. You can always find something in someone's past that can disqualify them from certain things.
CUOMO: Arguably though what they don't like about Kaepernick is what defines him to the public.
LEMON: Yes.
So I have to give a hat to max Kellerman over at ESPN. I don't know if you saw that. Watching live. And he made the point that I have been making all along. There are people who are professional athletes, we're talking about the NFL now, who have committed crimes, who have beaten people, women on camera domestic violence. They are getting and have gotten second and third chances.
And this guy -- he broke no law. He was doing what is a right to all Americans, to peacefully protest. And yet and still, he is suffering the consequences of that after he broke no laws, and he's trying to help out the very community that he's trying to bring attention to. I don't understand it.
I think they're wrong. I think they should put him back on there. Just because you don't like it, that's your problem. But everyone has something in their past that people don't it doesn't make you any less of a great American, and I think Colin Kaepernick is a great American and should be honored for his efforts whether you agree with what he did or not.
CUOMO: One of the black lawmakers said this is white privilege on display of these guys -- like we had to go to get the approval the white man for which of our own race we could honor.
LEMON: Look, I don't know about it. I just think it's ignorance. I just think it's B.S. Whatever you want to call it, if you want to call it white privilege, that is your business. I think it's ignorance. And I think it's cherry picking about who you think is a good person and if they're doing what you think is right. We all know what right is, right? I think everyone knows in the back of their minds, deep in their heart, what Colin Kaepernick did was courageous and heroic. The narrative has been twisted unfortunately by the president of the United States, but I think people know. He stood up for what he believed in, and he's walking the walk right now.
