ABC chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz apparently felt like being extremely morbid Sunday morning. Between insinuating something terrible by saying President Trump wanted “combat troops” in D.C. and then downplaying recent attacks and murders against police officers, she was doing a bang-up job. Luckily, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf was on ABC’s This Week and rebuked the fill-in host.
In answering a question where Raddatz feared how officers were listening to what Trump and others were saying, Wolf expertly explained:
We want to let peaceful protesters provide that environment for them to exercise their First Amendment. But at the end of the day, this is about law and order. This is a country built on law and order, and we're going to address those protesters that are destroying businesses, that are targeting law enforcement officers.
But even though a Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputy was killed and two others were injured in an ambush the previous night, Raddatz indignantly declared: “There have not been too many examples in the last few days.”
Adding: “Now look, law enforcement is a difficult job, and there were senseless acts of violence against some officers. Certainly establishments as well, but these protests were prompted because of the violent death of George Floyd, by police officers.”
Raddatz then bombarded Wolf with video clips of police getting rough with crowds (no mention of the police officers who have been dancing with peaceful protesters) and demanded he answer for it.
“Let me first say that the outrage that Americans are feeling today about the death of George Floyd is very real, it's very legitimate, and we need to address that. And I think the President has been very clear about that,” Wolf responded. He also agreed that “there are individuals in every profession that are perhaps criminals, that are perhaps abusing their authority, and we need to address that.”
But before he could finish his thought, Raddatz interrupted and told him to stick to the images she showed. Wolf countered by reminding Raddatz that a DHS officer was recently assassinated while responding to a protest (click “expand”):
WOLF: Let me just say -- yeah. Let me just say that for DHS this hits home. We had a fellow protective officer last Friday over a week ago targeted and assassinated, shot in the head as he was responding to a protest. So, this hits very close to home for the Department of Homeland Security.
So, when we talk about attacks on law enforcement, it's not an abstract idea. We are seeing them being targeted, and we need to make sure that the violence that's going on in cities across America, and again, it's diminished. I acknowledge that. It does not continue, and so that's a real concern that law enforcement who are sent out there and do their job every day, protecting the American people every day, they have a right to do their job and to go home back to their families safe.
But Raddatz was unconcerned with that loss of life. She condescendingly noted that “those are indeed terrible examples,” but insisted he only speak about she wanted him too. “Do those [images] disturb you? These are public servants who are trained to supposedly meet protesters, not beat them up,” she chided.
Back in reality, there were many examples of police getting targeted with life-threatening attacks. Last week, Fox News published a list of numerous examples of police officers around the country under siege. One NYPD officer was stabbed in the neck and the case was being investigated as an act of terrorism.
Raddatz really flashed her animosity toward police earlier in the show, when she repeatedly pressed Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on whether or not she was going to remove street graffiti that demanded they “defund the police” (click "expand"):
RADDATZ: The Black Lives Matter D.C. organization called it a “performative gesture,” and now they’ve added the words: “defund the police,” which they say they fear you will now remove. Is that right?
(…)
RADDATZ: But will you take out the part that says defund police?
BOWSER: Well, it's not a part of the mural, and we certainly encourage expression, but we are using the city streets for city art.
RADDATZ: In other words, that will go away. You will paint over that?
ABC seemed intent on beating down police and urging lawlessness.
The transcript is below click "expand" to read:
ABC’s This Week
June 7, 2020
9:07:58 a.m. Eastern(…)
MARTHA RADDATZ: You've also responded to President Trump. In part, you mentioned this by honoring the Black Lives Matter movement with this pavement mural and a street sign along the blocks leading up to the White House. The Black Lives Matter D.C. organization called it a “performative gesture,” and now they’ve added the words: “defund the police,” which they say they fear you will now remove. Is that right?
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D-D.C.): We certainly are very proud of the D.C. mural that we commissioned in our Department of Public Works and local artists installed. It is an affirmative piece of art, a centering piece of art where people from around the globe have called us and thanked us for acknowledging black humanity and black lives in the most important city in the world, and we are very proud of that art.
RADDATZ: But will you take out the part that says defund police?
BOWSER: Well, it's not a part of the mural, and we certainly encourage expression, but we are using the city streets for city art.
RADDATZ: In other words, that will go away. You will paint over that?
BOWSER: I actually haven't even had an opportunity to review it, Martha, but we -- the response that we've gotten from people about the Black Lives Matter -- Black Lives Matter mural has just been incredible.
RADDATZ: Okay. Thanks very much for joining us this morning, Mayor.
(…)
9:12:31 a.m. Eastern
CHAD WOLF (Acting DHS secretary): We want to let peaceful protesters provide that environment for them to exercise their First Amendment. But at the end of the day, this is about law and order. This is a country built on law and order, and we're going to address those protesters that are destroying businesses, that are targeting law enforcement officers. We can't have that go on day after day.
RADDATZ: There have not been too many examples in the last few days. Now look, law enforcement is a difficult job, and there were senseless acts of violence against some officers. Certainly establishments as well, but these protests were prompted because of the violent death of George Floyd, by police officers, and there's now fresh outrage because of the way some of those protesters have been treated by law enforcement. I want to show you just a few examples.
[Video plays]
RADDATZ: What is your reaction to that, Mr. Secretary?
WOLF: Let me first say that the outrage that Americans are feeling today about the death of George Floyd is very real, it's very legitimate, and we need to address that. And I think the President has been very clear about that.
We need to make sure that those that are responsible are held accountable, brought to justice and we are doing just that, and I think you have seen the justice system move very quickly on that front. All those police officers have been arrested and charges have been filed. So I think we need to state that first and foremost.
But again, what we see across the board, by and large, is law enforcement doing their job. Yes, there are individuals in every profession that are perhaps criminals, that are perhaps abusing their authority, and we need to address that. And again, we’ve been very--
RADDATZ: But how do you address that when you look at those images?
WOLF: Let me just say -- yeah. Let me just say that for DHS this hits home. We had a fellow protective officer last Friday over a week ago targeted and assassinated, shot in the head as he was responding to a protest. So, this hits very close to home for the Department of Homeland Security.
So, when we talk about attacks on law enforcement, it's not an abstract idea. We are seeing them being targeted, and we need to make sure that the violence that's going on in cities across America, and again, it's diminished. I acknowledge that. It does not continue, and so that's a real concern that law enforcement who are sent out there and do their job every day, protecting the American people every day, they have a right to do their job and to go home back to their families safe.
RADDATZ: Mr. Secretary, those are indeed terrible examples, but I want to go back to the examples I showed you. Do those disturb you? These are public servants who are trained to supposedly meet protesters, not beat them up.
WOLF: Absolutely. So again, as I indicated. I think you have -- you need to make sure that all law enforcement is acting correctly, doing their jobs correctly, and when they are not, they need to be held accountable.
So, some of the images that you showed as well as others, we need to make sure we investigate. And again, if the evidence shows they did not do their job correctly, they did not do the way they were trained to do, we need to hold them accountable. That's what we're doing in the George Floyd case.
Again, the President has directed the Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation there. So, there's a number of steps we're doing. We'll continue to do that. I think we can always do better. We can do more, but again, we need to also focus -- while we're focusing on some of the police, we also need to focus on what has occurred over the last week in cities across America: burning churches, defacing monuments. We cannot let that go on, and I think as we talk about what the police is doing, we also need to talk about what they're up against every day as well.
(…)
