During an appearance on CBS News’ Face the Nation this Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence once again was confronted with the question of whether or not Black lives matter, and once again he refused to answer the question, saying that the American people “don’t need to chose between supporting law enforcement and supporting our African-American neighbors.”
Host John Dickerson told Pence that one thing protesters want to hear political leaders say is “Black Lives Matter.”
“You won’t say that,” Dickerson said. “Why?”
“All my life, I’ve been inspired by the example of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,” Pence replied. “When I was in Congress, I traveled to his home church in Montgomery with Congressman John Lewis. I walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday.”
“I cherish the progress that we have made for African-Americans throughout our history,” Pence continued. “And I’ve aspired throughout my career to be a part of that ongoing work. It’s really a heart issue for me. And as a pro-life Americans, I also believe that all lives matter, born and the unborn.”
Pence then went on to criticize BLM for the ‘defund the police’ slogan that’s been disseminated by various activists and Twitter figures, calling it a “political agenda of the radical left.”
“Leave that out of it,” Dickerson interjected. “Just the phrase.”
Pence replied the Black Lives Matter movement “would tear down monuments, that would press a radical left agenda and support calls for the kind of violence that has beset the very communities that they’ve said they are advocating for.”
“I’ve literally met with African-American leaders who made it clear to us they want law and order, they want peace in our streets,” Pence added.
“So, you won’t say Black lives matter?” Dickerson asked.
“John, I really believe that all lives matter,” Pence repeated. “That’s where the heart of the American people lies.”
Pence similarly dodged the same question during an interview last Friday with a Philadelphia ABC affiliate. Pence was asked repeatedly if he’ll say the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” and each time he refused, at one point even saying “all lives matter.”
Watch the video from Sunday below:
[RawStory]
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