Fox Regular David Clarke Disregards Obama’s Comments On The Shooting Of Dallas Police Officers To Claim President “Fuels This Sort Of Anger”

Written by Dina Radtke

Published

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke appeared on Fox News’ Fox & Friends to smear President Obama’s response to the shooting of police officers during a Dallas protest against police brutality, claiming that Obama “says nothing about condolences” and calling the president “the cop-hater in chief.” But Obama gave a speech earlier in the day in which he grieved for the police officers lost in the shooting and said there ‘“was no possible justification’ for such a ‘vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement,’” according to The New York Times. He also said he wanted to “‘focus on the victims and their families,’” CNN reported. From the July 8 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends:

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): When you’ve looked at the video of, in particular, that one shooter, he’s down on the street level and he’s hiding behind a column and he executes a police officer in cold blood. You’re an expert -- as you analyze that, what can you tell about that person who’s doing the shooting?

SHERIFF DAVID CLARKE: Well, I don’t know what -- what can you say? I mean, this is horror, just beyond belief for the American law enforcement officer. I want to know, though, have we heard from the cop-hater in chief Barack Obama yet on this? Did we hear from Mrs. Bill Clinton, who threw up the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter yesterday? They exploited the situations, two situations one in Louisiana, one in Minnesota. Horrible situations, no doubt, but again, especially the commander in chief opens his mouth, and he sticks his foot in it. He starts exploiting things that just don't exist. He has no evidence or data or research to support any disparate treatment by the American police officer. And that's the thing I'm talking about. This is the stuff -- he didn't cause this, but you know what? He fuels this sort of anger, this misplaced anger, about things going on that were thousands of miles away. This stuff didn't happen anywhere near Dallas. I don't even know why they're --

ABBY HUNTSMAN (CO-HOST): Sheriff, this hits close to home for you. What are the emotions that you feel waking up this morning, and where are we at in society? Are we experiencing a war on cops?

CLARKE: Yeah. Thanks. You know, I said that now going on almost two years ago, the war had been declared on the American police officer -- probably said it on your program -- after the two of New York's finest were gunned down in their cruiser by an individual who claimed to be making amends for Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Some people thought that that was a little over the top when I said war had been declared, war had been declared. But the American police officer knows it has. This is just another ugly chapter in that war.

[...]

DOOCY: Sure. You mentioned the president of the United States. We did carry his comments live from Europe about two and a half hours ago. He did say it was too early, we don't know all the facts but he did mention --

CLARKE: Oh, that’s interesting.

DOOCY: He did mention when people are armed with powerful weapons, which clearly is a political component that he tried to inject into it. Let me ask you this. What does it say, though, given the fact that one of the, the fellow who was cornered and shot himself rather than be taken alive said, “The end is coming,” and he's going to try to hurt as many cops as he possibly can.

CLARKE: I don’t know what to say to some stupid comment like that. He probably did society a benefit by ending it the way that he did. But going back to President Obama, it's kind of interesting that he said the facts aren't in. He usually is popping off at the mouth before he’s been briefed or before he knows any of the facts. You know, like he did yesterday without any foundation, he talked about racism and disparate treatment and people of color, all this nonsense. Like I said, he's armed with powerful words, and he uses those words irresponsibly. It fuels this sort of anger towards the American police officer. I wish he'd knock it off.

CLAYTON MORRIS (CO-HOST): We have other black leaders like Reverend Jesse Jackson, overnight, right after these attacks, on a London radio show saying that Donald Trump and the rise of ultraconservative groups are to blame for this rhetoric in this country and the violence that we’re seeing. What do you say to Reverend Jackson this morning?

CLARKE: I say nothing to Reverend Jackson. Reverend Jackson’s another one of these blowhards whose time’s passed, and he's still trying to stay relevant and so he talks like that. But I'll tell you right now, nobody in the country that’s running for president right now, and there’s only two people left, has stood behind and beside the American law enforcement officer like Donald Trump. I cannot wait for January 20, I believe, 2017, when President Obama leaves the White House for the last time, and my hope -- I pray that Donald J. Trump becomes the next commander in chief, because we need a president who’s going to stand beside us and support us all across the country -- unambiguously, by the way -- and we know we’re not gonna get that out of Mrs. Bill Clinton. I think the saddest day for law enforcement will be if she were to become president of the United States.

DOOCY: Sheriff, you mention Donald Trump. He did send out a tweet in this past hour. It reads: “Prayers and condolences to all of the families who are so thoroughly devastated by the horrors we are all watching take place in our country.”

CLARKE: That's what I'm talking about. Yesterday what we got from President Obama was -- and this is -- some aspects this is the right thing to do. He said my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two people who were caught in those tragic situations in Louisiana and Minnesota. But he says nothing today, he's waiting for facts to emerge. He says nothing about condolences, and he won't visit or call any of those families either.