A CNN panel discussion on Monday went off the rails after Democratic strategist Keith Boykin accused GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of lying about crime being up under the Biden administration.
After playing a clip of Donald Trump saying at a recent rally that all it takes to end crime is “one rough hour” of policing, Newsnight host Abby Phillip asked Donalds if Trump was “suggesting that cops can do whatever they want for a day and that will actually solve the problem?”
“No, he’s not,” Donalds answered. “And even the clip you just played was five seconds out of, for Donald Trump, an hour speech. I think a lot of times people say, ‘Oh well, he said this.’ For five seconds? Yes, he says things that are unscripted, he goes off the cuff. He’s not serious. There’s no policy behind that.”
Boykin pushed back, saying that “Donald Trump has a history of saying inflammatory things. It’s not just those five seconds, congressman, and you know that.”
“I wish at some point, congressman, you would at least have the courage to stand up to your dear leader and tell him when he’s doing is wrong,” Boykin added.
“Are we going to talk about the rhetoric directed at Donald Trump?” Donalds shot back. “Because we do realize he’s been tried to kill twice now.”
“We have to acknowledge the reality going on in every city in America,” Donalds added. “Because the reality in America is that crime is massively up.”
“Crime is not massively up!” Boykin yelled. “That’s a lie! You are lying congressman! You are lying!”
As Phillip tried to calm things down, Boykin snapped, “Abby, why do you let this man lie on national television like this? That’s not right. You are a liar, congressman.”
“If you would just let me talk, I will explain exactly what you want me to explain,” Phillip said.
Phillip explained that the FBI had released data Monday “showing that crime is down this year for the first six months of the year.”
Despite the evidence Donalds continued to insist that crime has increased “since the pandemic to this current point.”
