From the March 14 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:
Fox Analyst Calls Trump Rally Protester A “Would-Be Terrorist”
Peter Johnson Jr.: “This Is The Seeds Of Terror In This Country”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
STEVE DOOCY: Peter Johnson Jr. says these are only -- not only disruptors putting [Donald] Trump at risk, but our constitutional rights, as well. Right, Peter?
PETER JOHNSON JR.: Yeah, I never fight with Fox & Friends but I disagree with the characterization of protesters, Steve Doocy. This is an attempted assailant. He likes to be called a protester. Maybe he's a professional protester and it's part of the new variations in America of what the First Amendment really is. The First Amendment does not confer upon you or me or Steve Doocy the right to go to someone's rally and try to disrupt it, or destroy it, or to pull apart posters, or to start fights, or to attempt to commit an assault on a presidential candidate. That was one of the most frightening things that I've seen in my lifetime bar video of a political assassination.
DOOCY: Well, Peter, the guy said he just wanted to grab the mic and say Donald Trump is a racist.
JOHNSON: Okay. But grab the mic. Do you think -- Donald Trump is holding the mic. He has the right to hold the mic under the First Amendment. And so when you take the mic, as MoveOn.org and Black Lives and other organizations send out tweets and send out emails to folks, when you grab that mic, you're tearing the First Amendment. You're saying you don't have a right to speak. The people who are there don't have a right to assembly. Let's chill their right to hear something, let's intimidate them. And I really need to tell you, Steve, because I thought about it and I know it's a harsh thing to say, but this is the seeds of terror in this country. And let me tell you why. Terror means make it impossible to go to the public square. Make people afraid to go to Times Square. Make them afraid to go to train stations. Make them afraid to travel. Make them afraid to go to a Donald Trump rally. Make them afraid to go to any political rally. Make them afraid they might be hurt, they might be arrested, they might be intimidated, they might get sued --
DOOCY: So that guy in Ohio was a terrorist?
JOHNSON: I think he's a would-be terrorist. He's not Al Qaeda, he's not ISIS. Maybe he's got a perverted view of what America should be. Maybe deep in his heart he's a good American that's lost his way. But he was there to commit a crime in the public view. And we don't have a place for that in this society, whether you like Donald Trump, whether you dislike Donald Trump. I've disagreed with Donald Trump many times. I've represented Donald Trump. I'm sure Donald Trump has gotten mad at me for my views in terms of saying he's wrong on something. I've also congratulated him, I think he's doing well. But who are we in this country when we allow MoveOn.org and Bill Ayers to step in to the picture again.
Previously:
Fox Guest: Trump Is “Being Victimized” By Violence At His Events
Sunday Political Talk Shows Condemn Trump For Inciting Violence At His Rallies
Fox's Sean Hannity: “I Don't See Any Violence At Trump Rallies”
Megyn Kelly: Donald Trump's “First Amendment Free Speech Rights Have Been Shut Down”