CNN anchor Don Lemon and Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke had a heated on-air exchange Sunday night over the targeting of police officers in America.
Social media lit up after the interview, which at times, turned into a shouting match. Clarke was on Lemon’s show to comment on the shooting deaths Sunday of three police officers in Baton Rouge. The conversation turned decidedly pointed when Clarke challenged Lemon’s reporting and said that President Obama lied when he spoke about police shootings in Dallas and the ones in Baton Rouge. He then moved the discussion toward the Black Lives Matter movement and the intentions of the people who participate in protests under its banner.
The protest movement began after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., nearly two years ago, and has continued through today, with protests other police-involved shootings of black men.
"I've been watching this for two years. I've predicted this," Clarke said. "This anti-police rhetoric sweeping the country has turned out some hateful things inside of people that are now playing themselves out on the American police officer." Clarke blamed the movement for “anti-cop sentiment,” and suggested that Lemon didn’t help calm the rhetoric.
Clarke, who has nearly 30 years of experience in policing, is the sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
Clarke is scheduled to speak Monday at the Republican National Convention. The theme for the night is “Making America Safe Again.”
Watch the exchange between Lemon and Clarke below.
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