Last night on The Kelly File, talk show host Megyn Kelly ripped into Rep. Al Green (D-TX), who was among several lawmakers who took to the House floor to make the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture on Monday.
Utilized by those protesting the Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict Missouri police officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, the gesture symbolizes how people are “fed up” with police violence in the U.S.
“This is a movement that will not dissipate,” Rep. Green said Monday evening.
“It’s a rallying cry of people all across America who are fed up with police violence,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) explained.
“In community, after community, after community, fed up with police violence in Ferguson, in Brooklyn, in Cleveland, in Oakland, in cities and counties and rural communities all across America.”
After playing a clip of Monday’s meeting, Kelly asked whether Green agrees with the sentiment that the decision by the grand jury not to indict Officer Wilson “underscores an unwritten rule that black lives have no value, and that you may kill black men in this country without consequence.”
A member of the Congressional Black Caucus which issued that statement following the decision’s announcement, Green stood by that opinion.
Kelly went on to focus on the actual evidence presented to the grand jury. She argued that the evidence itself is being largely ignored.
“One of the problems in this case is that the actual evidence that was being presented to said grand jury is being largely ignored by these protestors who we’re seeing with the ‘hands up, don’t shoot.’”
Green interjected, “That’s not true.”
To illustrate her point, Kelly explained how protesters continue to use the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture despite how the gesture itself was not a part of the evidence. Kelly read testimony from African American witnesses who said that Brown charged at Officer Wilson rather than putting up his hands in surrender.
“That was the evidence that the grand jury heard,” said Kelly.
“That was not all of the evidence that the grand jury heard,” Green replied.
“That’s enough, sir, to say there is no probable cause to charge somebody,” Kelly fired back.
Green argued the contrary and accused Kelly of being one-sided:
"You're supposed to be fair and balanced."
Kelly then took on Green over claims that the grand jury’s failure to indict Officer Wilson serves as an issue of race:
“How is it about race when every witness who testified Michael Brown was charging that cop was African American?”
“Well because African Americans can make mistakes, too,” Green said.
Completely taken aback, Kelly asked, “All of ‘em? All six of ‘em?”
Watch what he says next.
H/T Fox News