Less than 24 hours after the highly contentious interview between CNN’s Don Lemon and Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, CNN Host Erin Burnett demanded to know if Donald Trump agreed with him. “He’s [Sheriff David Clark] going to be speaking tonight. He blames black lives matter for these tragedies against police. Does Donald Trump condone that,” Burnett asked to a Trump supporter on her OutFront panel.
Her question was to the Andy Dean who was the lone Trump supporter on the panel. “Well I’ll tell you first you’re talking about David Clarke. He’s an excellent police officer. And he is right that black lives matter, their rhetoric is completely out of control,” Dean responded.
But Bakari Sellers, a Hillary Clinton supporter, was not having it. “And this is the problem, because David Clarke, Donald Trump, Michael they have no solutions. They have absolutely no solutions,” he exclaimed. Sellers also claimed that Trump and Clarke are doing little to bring people together, and only driving them apart:
We're at a moment in the country where, Donald Trump, David Clarke, all of these speakers on a night where we're talking about make America safe again, need to be bringing this country together. This type of language where you hint around, it's almost McCarthy-ite. Where you’re talking about Barack Obama, somehow, condoning the slaughter of these police officers.
Bernett let her guest go off on Clarke and Trump, even aiding Sellers’ argument. Before shifting away, she managed to get in one last push for Trump to condemn Clarke, “he has an opportunity at this event and tonight, others speaking for him, but to speak to everyone.” She also got in one last dig in on Clarke, “Not just to police, to everyone.”
Transcript below:
CNN
Erin Burnett OutFront
July 18, 2016
7:22:23 PM EasternERIN BURNETT: He’s [Sheriff David Clarke] going to be speaking tonight. He blames black lives matter for these tragedies against police. Does Donald Trump condone that?
ANDY DEAN: Well I’ll tell you first you’re talking about David Clarke. He’s an excellent police officer. And he is right that black lives matter, their rhetoric is completely out of control. And what we're seeing from the White House is some sort of moral equivalent between black lives matter and our police officers. And what Donald Trump wants the American public to know is that African-Americans are not under attack.
In effect, African-Americans make up an equivalent amount of our police forces in America. They’re approximately 13 percent, black population United States, and approximately 13 percent of the police force. David Clarke is an excellent example of that and one of the tragic victims in Baton Rouge was a wonderful African-American officer. So, it’s this breakdown of law and order that Donald Trump is going to talk about and, what I think, Barack Obama with his, I think, couch language a moral equivalency with BLM and our police officers, which is flat out unacceptable.
BAKARI SELLERS: That’s absurd. I mean. You see, this is what we’re talking about. We're at a moment in the country where, Donald Trump, David Clarke, all of these speakers on a night where we're talking about make America safe again, need to be bringing this country together. This type of language where you hint around, it's almost McCarthy-ite. Where you’re talking about Barack Obama, somehow, condoning the slaughter of these police officers; is the same language that Donald Trump used to say that, somehow, Barack Obama condoned when we had some Islamic terrorists in this country. And that’s not the case. And I know you want— I know you have to chime in.
BURNETT: no, no. I’m just chiming in so I can tell people what you're referring to. Donald Trump today saying, “I watched the president but sometimes the words are okay. But you look at the body language and there's something going on.” That's what you're referring to.
SELLER: Exactly. And this is the problem, because David Clarke, Donald Trump, Michael they have no solutions. They have absolutely no solutions. So, yes they want to make it an attack on black lives matter, but what we know is that we had two young men, two African-American men who came and committed a heinous act. A tragedy in this country that should not have happened, that were definitely mentally disturbed, but they do not speak for the majority of African-Americans who feel a very specific pain, who are victimized on a daily basis.
DEAN: Correct, we agree.
SELLERS: I’m not done yet! I’m not done yet! I’m not done yet! But I’m not done!
DEAN: And neither did the two horrible cops speak for the police force.
SELLERS: I’m not done yet! And that’s my point exactly. Cause if you're going to sit here and say that the officer who choked Eric Gardner or the officers who shot Tamir Rice,--and the list goes on and on and on— do not speak for law enforcement, then these men do not speak for me and many others who just want justice. The fact of the matter is Donald Trump, until he realizes that African-Americans in this community, in this country have this very specific pain and are victimized the same way that law enforcement feel today. Because I pray for Philando Castile and Alton Sterling the same way I pray for those officers in Baton Rouge and Dallas.
DEAN: Well we agree on that.
BURNETT: Well, I hope that Donald Trump, David Chalian, will capture the passion and the emotion, that Bakari has. Because he has an opportunity at this event and tonight, others speaking for him, but to speak to everyone. Not just to police, to everyone.
