Wednesday, Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson opened his show with a rebuke of Fulton County, GA District Attorney Paul Howard’s handling of charges leveled against former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe, the suspect in Rayshard Brooks’ death.
Carlson contradicted Howard’s description of the events in a press conference held earlier in the day and warned Howard’s descriptions of the events could result in more division.
The Fox News host also warned succumbing to “pressure from the mob” would not stop police brutality.
“[T] hey’re going to tell us this was a racially motivated killing, and maybe they can prove that it was, we’re always open-minded,” Carlson said. “But at this point, we very much doubt it. There is zero evidence of that so far. In the absence of evidence, Paul Howard should not say things like this at press conferences. It makes people hate each other. It tears the country apart, which is the last thing we need right now. Atlanta’s police department is 58% black. That’s a higher percentage of black people than the City of Atlanta itself. To explain how systemic racism is responsible for the shooting and speak slowly so we can understand.”
“Cops in Atlanta know exactly what’s going on and what’s likely to happen next,” he continued. “There are reports tonight that many of them have walked off the job at the beginning of their shift. No doubt, many will retire from the force and leave. The Police Chief has already quit. Who would want to enforce the law in a political environment like this? You make less than a plumber. Everybody hates you. You could very easily get killed. You try to defend yourself, and they charge you with murder. No way. No normal person would want that job. So, who is going to take the job? Going forward, we are going to get a lot of very bad people becoming police officers. And that’s one of the many things ironies here.”
“Pressure from the mob will not stop police brutality. It will almost certainly increase police brutality as the worst kind of people become police, because who else would want it?” Carlson added.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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