Fox News Ignored A Trump-Inspired Assault, Then Devotes Days To Baselessly Blaming Democrats For Violence Against Police
Fox News has spent days manufacturing a connection between the Black Lives Matter movement and the murder of a sheriff's deputy in Houston, scrambling to blame the Obama administration and Democrats for violence against police officers. Yet last month, when two Boston men explicitly told police that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump inspired their brutal assault on a homeless Hispanic man, Fox completely ignored the story.
Men Brutally Assault Hispanic Homeless Man, Say They Were Inspired In Part By Donald Trump. Boston police arrested two brothers on August 19 for allegedly attacking a Hispanic homeless man as he slept outside of a train station. The Boston Globe reported that "his face was soaked, apparently with urine, his nose broken, his chest and arms battered." One of the suspects told the police that "it was OK to assault the man because he was Hispanic and homeless," claiming that "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported" (emphasis added):
Police said two brothers from South Boston ambushed the 58-year-old as he slept outside of a Dorchester MBTA stop, and targeted him because he is Hispanic. One of the brothers said he was inspired in part by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
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He told police he was awakened by two men urinating on his face. He said they ripped away his blankets and sleeping bag, and started rummaging through his things.
"Next thing . . . he was getting hit in the face and head," according to the State Police report. "He remembers being punched several times and hit with the metal pole."
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The brothers walked away from the scene laughing, a witness told State Police.
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Police said Scott Leader, 38, told them it was OK to assault the man because he was Hispanic and homeless.
"Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported," he allegedly told the police. [The Boston Globe, 8/19/15]
Fox News Entirely Ignored Trump-Inspired Attack On Hispanic Man. Fox News has not mentioned the attack of the Hispanic man on-air, according to a Media Matters review of Fox's programming. Media Matters searched IQ Media and Lexis Nexis transcripts for mentions of "Boston OR Trump OR Homeless" on Fox News Channel over the last month.
Trump Responded To Attack By Saying His Supporters Are "Very Passionate." Trump initially responded to news of the attack that his rhetoric partially inspired by telling The Boston Globe, "'It would be a shame ... I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again. They are passionate.'" He later tweeted that the "Boston incident is terrible ... I would never condone violence." [Time, 8/21/15]
Yet Fox Has Repeatedly Blamed Democrats For Houston Sheriff's Murder, Inventing Connection To Black Lives Matter
Sheriff: Deputy Killed "Because He Wore A Uniform." Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth was assassinated on August 28 while pumping gas in Houston:
A 30-year-old Houston man was arrested Saturday in the fatal shooting the night before of a sheriff's deputy who was filling the gas tank of his patrol car.
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As Deputy Goforth pumped the gas, the gunman approached from behind and began firing, continuing to shoot after the officer fell to the ground, the authorities said. Investigators have not found any provocation that might have set off the attack.
"We have not been able to extract any details regarding a motive at this point," Sheriff Hickman said. "As far as we know, Deputy Goforth had no previous contact with the suspect. It appears at the outset to be completely unprovoked."
Deputy Goforth "was a target because he wore a uniform," the sheriff said. [The New York Times, 8/29/15]
Fox Contributor Keith Ablow: Obama "Started This" When He "Put A Target On The Backs Of American Police Officers." On the September 1 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered, Andrea Tantaros discussed the deputy sheriff's murder and said that despite Obama offering his condolences to sheriff's widow, previously Obama has had "an anti-cop tone." Contributor Keith Ablow went on to say the widow shouldn't have answered the phone call:
ABLOW: Who takes that call form the president? Instead of saying, 'I'm sorry, aren't you the guy who started this?' This is the president who enflamed racial discord in this country, who put a target on the backs of American police officers. [Fox News, Outnumbered, 9/1/15]
Kimberly Guilfoyle: Idea That Obama Started A War Against Police Is "Backed Up" By Black Lives Matter Protests. On the August 31 edition of Fox News' The Five, co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle talked about the Houston sheriff deputy's murder and agreed with accusations that the Obama administration is to blame for "starting this war against police."
GUILFOYLE: The suspected killer of a sheriff's deputy in Texas appeared in court today for the first time. Shannon Miles has been charged with capital murder and is being held without bond. Prosecutors say Miles shot Darren Goforth in the back of the head Friday night outside of Houston while the deputy was pumping gas. He allegedly fired a total of 15 times. Investigators have not determined the motive, but the sheriff of Harris county is partially blaming the dangerous rhetoric being spewed by anti-police protesters across the country.
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Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee is irate. He accuses the Obama administration of starting this war against police.
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Strong words, but the rhetoric can be backed up by these recent protests, the very divisive and dangerous rhetoric that we're hearing from theses protesters.[Fox News, The Five, 8/31/15]
Sean Hannity: Democrats "Endorsed" The Movement That Inspired Deputy Sheriff's Murder. On the August 31 edition of Fox News' Hannity, Sean Hannity blamed the Black Lives Matter movement for the Houston sheriff deputy's murder and added, "The Democratic party, on Friday, endorsed this movement."[Fox News, Hannity, 8/31/15]
Hannity: Democrats "Have Aligned Themselves With A Radical Group With A Racist Agenda." On September 1, Sean Hannity accused the Black Lives Matter movement of having a "racist agenda" and attempted to attack the DNC by stating it had "aligned themselves" with the group:
HANNITY: On Friday, the Democratic National Committee threw their full support behind the Black Lives Matter movement by passing a resolution that stated in part, quote, 'The DNC joins with Americans across the country in affirming 'Black Lives Matters' and the 'say her name' efforts to make visible the pain of our fellow and sister Americans as they condemn extrajudicial killings of unarmed African American men, women, and children.'
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They have aligned themselves with a radical group with a racist agenda. [Fox News, Hannity, 9/1/15]
Megyn Kelly And Contributor Katie Pavlich: Democrats Are "Trying To Tie Themselves" To A "Group That Promotes The Execution Of Police Officers." On the September 1 edition of Fox News' The Kelly File, contributor Katie Pavlich claimed that Democrats like Obama and DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz are "promoting" the Black Lives Matter movement, a group Pavlich accused of "promot[ing] the execution of police officers." Megyn Kelly added that Democrats are "trying to tie themselves to the movement":
PAVLICH: This is a movement that promotes the execution of police officers. And not only are [Democrats] not condemning it, they're promoting it.
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KELLY: They're trying to tie themselves to the movement. The same movement that's chanting "pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon." And these same people are denouncing, not like ago, the lack of civility in America. [Fox News, The Kelly File, 9/1/15]
Outnumbered Host: With Murder Of Police Officers, "Democrats Have Created A Monster In This Black Lives Matter Situation." On the September 3 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered, co-host and O'Reilly Factor producer Jesse Watters pinned the death of three police officers on the Black Lives Matter movement that "Democrats have created":
JESSE WATTERS: There is a war on cops in this country. It's funny, the liberals care more when a lion is killed as opposed to a cop. Three cops shot dead in just one week. I haven't heard anything publicly from the president. Haven't heard anything publicly from Hillary Clinton. Maybe I missed it. Imagine if Freddie Gray, and Mike Brown, and Trayvon were all killed within one week. You wouldn't hear the end of it. I think Democrats have created a monster in this Black Lives Matter situation. [Fox News, Outnumbered, 9/3/15]
Despite There Being No Evidence Linking Black Lives Matter To The Deputy's Murder
Vox: Fox News Blames "Black Lives Matter For Inciting Violence Against Both Police And Civilians -- Despite The Lack Of Evidence For The Claims." In a September 2 article, Vox blasted Fox personalities such as Bill O'Reilly and Pavlich for pinning violence against police officers on the Black Lives Matter movement without any evidence backing up their claims:
On Tuesday, conservative pundit Katie Pavlich told Fox News's Megyn Kelly that Black Lives Matter is now "a movement that promotes the execution of police officers." The day before, Bill O'Reilly and a Fox & Friends segment suggested Black Lives Matter is "a hate group." And last weekend, a Texas sheriff linked a deputy's death to "out of control" rhetoric from Black Lives Matter.
This criticism of Black Lives Matter, which aims to squash racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and its protests is becoming increasingly standard, with pundits on Fox News and elsewhere blaming Black Lives Matter for inciting violence against both police and civilians -- despite the lack of evidence for the claims.
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Currently, there is also absolutely no established connection between the Black Lives Matter movement and the Harris County deputy's death.
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It's just blind speculation at this point.
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By the sheriff's own admission, there's nothing establishing a motive or linking Black Lives Matter to the shooting. [Vox, 9/2/15]
