Fox News star Sean Hannity surprised many liberal detractors when he emerged as an unexpected critic of the Minneapolis police for their actions in the Memorial Day death of George Floyd.
Hannity has condemned rioting and looting, but also spent significant time his popular Fox show last week replaying video of a Minneapolis officer who knelt on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd, who had been taken into custody on suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill
“The tape, to me, is devastating,” Hannity said on his radio show Thursday. “I watch it, I get angrier every time.”
Fox News colleagues Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham did much of the same. Their coverage focused on the violent riots and looting that erupted following Floyd’s death.
Hannity, who says he trains in the martial arts, decried the “breathtaking” lack of training by the Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck and the lack of action to stop him by other officers.
“We believe in the presumption of innocence,” Hannity said. “But I can also say, looking at the videotape, the videotape doesn’t lie. And putting somebody’s knee on somebody else’s neck is extraordinarily hurtful and dangerous.”
Two of Hannity’s regular guests who comment on law enforcement matters, Dan Bongino and former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, were even stronger in their condemnation of the Minneapolis police.
“This was an abuse of use and force,” Kerik said. “It was … a killing of someone that should not have died.”
Ingraham showed he Floyd video on a corner of the screen before introducing another live report by Tobin. She noted that an auto parts store where a fire was set was part of the same company set ablaze following demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri.
“We don’t need any more chaos,” she said. “We need answers and we need justice.”
Carlson didn’t show the Floyd video but aired a report by Mike Tobin showing angry demonstrators. Carlson condemned CNN for calling people throwing rocks “protesters” instead of “rioters.”
“Democracy cannot exist when people are rioting,” Carlson said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article