CNN hosts Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo blasted Republicans for not mentioning the Illinois teenager who allegedly shot and killed two people during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, though Republicans have decried civil unrest for months.
Following Vice President Mike Pence’s keynote address on the third night of the Republican National Convention, the network hosts issued a slew of criticisms for Republicans as violent riots in Kenosha continue. At one point, Lemon raised his voice while appearing to chide a producer for asking them to conclude the segment.
“Don’t say this is Don Lemon, Chris Cuomo, liberal media. We said with former vice president Joe Biden that he should speak out about the violence that’s happening on the streets, that he must do it, that it was an issue for Democrats and the possibility of his election, and also, just in general, he should speak out about violence and about what he wanted to do when it comes to reforming police and also the violence in our country,” Lemon began. “So don’t say it is the liberal media doing that, pointing out what Republicans are not talking about.”
“Whoever is going to lead has to deal with this, Don,” Cuomo said in agreement.
“Republicans have to talk about it, and they have to talk about these vigilantes. And they have to talk about these groups who go in and start this violence and break windows,” Lemon continued, afterward rebuking a producer for asking them to end their commentary. “We’re going to wrap, relax! We’re going to get to the commercial. We’ve got until 3 a.m., please!”
“They have got to address it because there are people coming in from these groups. White guys. Coming in from these groups, starting unrest, promoting violence, in places where they shouldn’t. They are a big part of the problem, as well. And so, you’ve got to talk about it, and you’ve got to own up to it. And stop saying, ‘Well, It’s no wonder that a young person would take a gun and want to defend or whatever.’ That is bullshit. That is ridiculous. Seventeen years old. It’s illegal. It’s not his community. And no one should be a vigilante out there, taking lives. Stay home,” Lemon said.
Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, is in police custody and has been charged in connection with the shooting that killed two people and injured another person.
Unrest has erupted across the country since the death of George Floyd in May, and Republicans have consistently criticized the violence, looting, and vandalism that have accompanied the demonstrations. In June, President Trump threatened to send the military into cities that fail to quell violence. Democratic state and local leaders since then have repeatedly resisted assistance from federal agents. In a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the president speculated that the governing strategies of left-wing mayors and politicians may hurt their electoral chances.
“Now I may be wrong, but it’s probably better for us to just watch that disaster,” Trump said, referring to Capitol Hill Organized Protest, formerly known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, in downtown Seattle. “Let people see what radical left Democrats will do to our country.”
Protests and violence that broke out in Kenosha, a Wisconsin city of roughly 100,000 residents, have been rising ever since viral video emerged of Jacob Blake being shot several times by police at close range during an arrest on Sunday. The Wisconsin Department of Justice, with the help of the United States Justice Department, is investigating the shooting.
