Geraldo pushes co-hosts to limit, says Fox News doesn’t deserve ratings if network doesn’t blame cops
April 17, 2021 | Vivek SaxenaGeraldo Rivera tried on Friday to shame his co-hosts on Fox News’ “The Five†for not being cognizant enough of the “anguish†surrounding the deaths of criminal suspects at the hands of police, but his fellow co-hosts weren’t having his “namby pamby stuff.â€
A segment on the shooting of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old suspect who’d run from police after allegedly firing some sort of gun at a passing vehicle, began with co-host Jesse Watters urging the public to consider “both sides.â€
“There’s been 97 deaths in the line of duty already this year for police officers — two officers stabbed to death, 13 officers killed by a vehicle, 15 killed by gunfire, four killed by assault,†he said.
Fellow co-host Sean Duffy agreed, adding that the deaths of suspects like Toledo and Daunte Wright could have all been avoided had the suspects not resisted arrest and placed the cops in a situation where they had feared for their lives.
But Rivera didn’t seem to entirely appreciate this willingness to acknowledge the experience of the cops who’re tasked with risking their lives daily to protect the public.
Listen to how he responded below:
First up to respond to Rivera’s emotional plea was Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who, prior to becoming a TV personality, spent the bulk of her adult life prosecuting criminals on behalf of their victims.
“Geraldo, the problem is that … these police officers make a split-second decision, kill or be killed. He saw a gun. In less than a second, he made a shot. Now afterwards, we found out that Adam Toledo had gunshot residue on his hand. That tells me that he was shooting,†she said.
“So stop with the namby-pamby stuff. What we’ve got to understand is that there’s a war on the streets, and if you cared about the cops who go out every day and risk their lives, you’ve got to give them the right to defend themselves when they’re confronted with a gun,†she added.
She added that critics like Rivera are focused on the wrong things. While Toledo’s death was tragic, he was a “criminal†— not a victim. The true victims, she suggested, are the people suspects like Toledo victimize.
“He is a criminal. This is a war. This is not the time to feel sorry for anybody. Stay off the streets and stay out of the gangs and put the guns down, and you won’t have this problem,†she said.
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https://www.bizpacreview.com/2021/04/17/the-five-hosts-jump-after-geraldo-says-fox-news-doesnt-deserve-ratings-if-network-doesnt-blame-cops-1061163/