Rock. Pepper. Spray. Call it Chuck Rocha's variation on Rock. Paper. Scissors.
On Tuesday's CNN This Morning, after a clip rolled of an ICE agent pepper-spraying a protester, Democrat strategist Rocha claimed:
"If there's somebody who's come here and they've done something illegal, sure, they should be deported. But [not] killing people in our streets that are U.S. citizens, point-blank pepper spraying . . . People in America are okay with somebody throwing a rock."
Question for Chuck—What would you rather be hit in the face with: a thrown rock or a shot of pepper spray?
CNN showed only the portion of the incident in which the ICE agent pepper-sprayed the protester. Why didn't CNN let viewers see what preceded the spraying?
As many ICE critics have done, Rocha described Renee Good as "unarmed." While she might not have had a gun, she was at the wheel of a 4,000 lb. Honda Pilot SUV—potentially a very lethal weapon.
Rocha also called ICE agents "thugs that are terrorizing neighborhoods."
So, let's assemble Dem campaign consultant Rocha's slogan for prospective clients:
"ICE agents are thugs--throwing rocks at them is okay!"
That might actually work in a Dem primary. But in a general election in anything but a deep blue district? Not so much.
Even so, Jasmine Crockett might want to hire fellow Texan Chuck and adopt his slogan in her race for a Senate seat from Texas. After all, Crockett recently declared that "Texas is racist." Not necessarily the way to win a majority of hearts and minds in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat senator in 38 years--but ya never know!
Note: Ace strategerist Rocha also claimed: "I haven't seen a protester do anything except voice friendly resistance." Don't get around much, Chuck?
Here's the transcript.
CNN This Morning
1/13/26
6:02 am ETKEITH ELLISON: Law enforcement agencies should be focused on our public safety, but instead, many are dealing with the aftermath of DHS agents' chaos and violence.
AUDIE CORNISH: And that chaos and violence played out Monday near the site where Renee Good was killed. Video shows the moment protesters and ICE clashed. One protester pepper-sprayed point blank. He can later be heard saying, "I need help."
In a statement, the DHS assistant secretary said the protesters were threatening officers and impeding the investigation. She went on to say that all officers were able to safely exit the scene.
. . .
There's a little bit of a conversation right now that says, some people are calling the demonstrators insurgents that somehow need to be dealt with. You have the Fraternal Order of Police saying "We're deeply concerned by the reckless public statements and premature judgments the rush to condemn law enforcement without a full understanding of the facts," talking about this shooting of Renee Goode, but also the idea that ICE is inherently doing something unconstitutional.
How are you guys hearing it in your worlds, you kind of former security people, but Democrats also, who have to deal with images of people throwing rocks and fireworks and fighting ICE?
CHUCK ROCHA: I think what I've been hearing is exactly what Jasmine said. The administration wants us talking about immigration because they don't want us talking about the price of everyday goods, which is affecting people dramatically. What folks don't like are the images they're seeing on their TV. They're all about, if there's somebody who's come here and they've done something illegal, sure, they should be deported. But killing people in our streets that are U.S. citizens, point-blank pepper spraying. It doesn't stop, and it's happening in more and more cities.
And I think this is the pushback you're seeing with the midterms. I think this is the pushback you saw in elections just four months ago in Virginia.
CORNISH: But isn't it going to be a split screen? You're going to see people throwing rocks in protest if that is the kind of channel you're watching.
ROCHA: I think people in America are OK with somebody throwing a rock. They're not OK with somebody getting shot in the face that was unarmed.
. . .
ASHLEY DAVIS: I'm having flashbacks of the defund the police. I mean, it's the same kind of rhetoric that happened. And I just don't think that's a winning argument for Democrats.
ROCHA: I would totally push back on my good friend, Ashley. These guys are thugs. They're masked federal agents that are terrorizing neighborhoods. And I think it's not an equal if, on or that. I haven't seen a protester do anything except voice friendly resistance. Even the woman in the car. I may not be an expert on foreign policy or know what's going on with the White House every day, but I know about evading the police since I was a teenager. And that woman was pulling away. And I just think the American people have had it up to here with people terrorizing neighborhoods.
CORNISH: Yeah, actually, that's going to be a question. One thing with the Black Lives Matter movement is there was often a sense of saying, well, the victim did something wrong. They were somehow, by definition, a criminal. With Renee Good, that's also the attempt here. And it does not seem to be working the same way to say the suburban housewife was a domestic terrorist. And I think that does affect the public view. So there are some key differences here.
