CBS Host Corrects Chris Christie Over His Claims That #BlackLivesMatter Wants Cops Dead
Unpopular New Jersey Governor and bumbling GOP Presidential candidate Chris Christie appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday morning in an effort to breathe some life into his nearly dead campaign. The smoothie sipping loud-talker hit on a number of topics, most of which revolved around how much he thinks President Obama sucks and how shitty Hillary Clinton is. At one point during Christie’s rantings, host John Dickerson had to correct him on a popular myth pushed by Fox News and conservative media regarding the Black Lives Matter movement.
In an effort to promote Obama as some kind of lawless race hustler, Christie patted himself on the back about the crime rates in New Jersey while stating that violence is rising elsewhere because the President doesn’t support the police. He then claimed that POTUS does stand behind BLM, who want to see cops murdered. Dickerson hit back at Christie, informing him that no leaders in the movement have ever promoted violence of any kind against law enforcement. Of course, Christie stood by his statement, saying that members have been heard using inflammatory rhetoric. (Likely referring to the “pigs in the blanket” chant this summer, a fave of the right.)
Below is from the transcript of the show:
CHRISTIE: And they are. And you have seen it in a city like Camden, where, in the last three years, after we replaced the police department there, John, and backed them up completely, all the political folks, murder rate is down 61 percent in the last three years in Camden.
Yet you see murder is up 19 percent in Chicago and up 11 percent in New York, and the murder of a police officer. The problem is this. There’s lawlessness in this country. The president encourages this lawlessness. He encourages it.
DICKERSON: Encourages it how?
CHRISTIE: Oh, by his own rhetoric. He does not support the police. He doesn’t back up the police. He justifies Black Lives Matter. I mean…
DICKERSON: But Black Lives Matter shouldn’t be justified at all?
CHRISTIE: Listen, I don’t believe that that movement should be justified when they’re calling for the murder of police officers, no.
DICKERSON: But they’re not calling for the murder of police officers.
CHRISTIE: Sure, they are. Sure, they are. They have been chanting in the streets for the murder of police officers.
DICKERSON: Well, individuals have, but the Black Lives Matter is about…
CHRISTIE: Well, but, listen, you know, John, that’s what the movement is creating. And the president of the United States is justifying that, but not only that. He hasn’t backed up police officers from the minute he’s gotten into office.
And we could cite instance after instance. And there’s a lawlessness about most sanctuary cities. We should not have sanctuary cities in this country. The president countenances that. That type of lawlessness sets a tone. And then when you have liberal mayors like Bill de Blasio in New York, who are basically tying one hand behind the back of police officers, and then we have folks — murder rate up 11 percent, police officers in New York City being murdered, let me tell you very clearly.
I will be a president who will back up law enforcement, back up the police officers, because I was a law enforcement officer. I know how hard these jobs are. And they need to be backed up.
When there are bad cops, they need to be prosecuted, like there are bad lawyers and bad doctors and bad engineers. They all need to be prosecuted when they do something wrong. But our police officers are putting their lives on the line every day. Let’s back them up, so we can end the real violence in this country, which is happening in the streets of our cities all across this country.
While one can say that Dickerson could have been a little more forceful with Christie in correcting his lie, he at least made sure to specifically point out that nobody in a leadership or public role with the activist group has called for the murder of cops. That is a lot more than we see on many of the Sunday show and cable news gabfests. (I’m looking at you, Chuck Todd.)
In general, many of the hosts out there just want to use their shows as showcases for high-profile politicians to spout their talking points without any pushback. They know asking tough questions can potentially cut off their access and leave them without ‘name’ guests, so they take the ‘unbiased’ approach and just set them up with softball questions meant to allow them the chance to push their agendas or campaigns. Therefore, it is always refreshing when someone goes against this common practice.
Below is video of the segment, courtesy of CBS News:
