Democrats’ rhetoric is causing a great deal of the unrest going on in Los Angeles, David Clarke, the conservative former Milwaukee sheriff, told Newsmax on Sunday.
“They’re egging these people on,” Clarke said on Newsmax’s “Sunday Report.” “They’re egging these people on. They’re encouraging them. Even their silence is encouraging them. It’s their dog whistle to say yeah, keep it up.”
The same thing was seen during the George Floyd riots of 2020, said Clarke.
“The Democrat Party, the Democrat officials, they could lead in this thing and they’re not. They are standing silent while this rioting goes on. This is a shameful period in the United States of America,” he said.
Clarke added that in his opinion, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is not doing enough to stop the violent clashes between protesters and federal immigration officials, and President Donald Trump was right to send in the National Guard.
“I’m experienced in counter-rioting operations,” Clarke said. “I had to handle a riot in 2016. I ended it in one night with effective tactics. You have to make sure that the people on the front lines have the resources and the authority. You have to make it clear you are allowed to use reasonable force to overcome this sort of resistance. And that’s why you need quick, decisive action.”
He added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are not experienced in urban rioting, so they will need the help of police and the National Guard.
“You can’t call in the National Guard just to oppose,” he said. “You have to give them clear orders to get this thing over with, get things under control, and protect life and property.”
Former Sheriff Mark Lamb of Arizona’s Pinal County, also on Sunday’s show, said California Gov. Gavin Newsom isn’t doing what’s necessary.
“This is about strong leadership,” he said. “This is how you quell riots like this, and they’re not doing it, so now President Trump is sending the National Guard in to stop them.”
The problem also stems from sanctuary states where local law enforcement officials are told they can’t work with ICE on deportations, said Lamb.
“This also goes back to things like Tim Walz and Congressman [Dan] Goldman when they call ICE the Gestapo,” he said. “This emboldens these people to think that it’s OK for them to go out and behave like this towards our federal law enforcement. So good on President Trump for taking matters into his own hands. This is a failure by Newsom and a failure by Mayor Bass.”
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