Anti-cop rhetoric from Dems is having an effect on people's lives, Trey Gowdy says
He said the only reason Joe Biden said anything is because 'polls are tightening'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Anti-cop rhetoric from Democrats and the media is having an effect on life in cities across the country, said former House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy.
The ex-congressman from South Carolina and Fox News contributor said Wednesday night on told "Hannity" that it has been unthinkable to see more than $2 billion nationwide in property damage done by left-wing rioters, while activists in Compton, Calif., chanted "we hope you die" after ambushed police officers were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Host Sean Hannity pointed to a remark made by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in which he dismissed the need for local police to have military-type equipment, in that "the last thing you need is an up-armored Humvee coming into a neighborhood ... They become the enemy. They’re supposed to be protecting these people."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In response, Gowdy said the Democrats and the media want people to believe Republican rhetoric leads to violence, while much of the leftist activity is "peaceful protest."
"We've had 10,000 arrests this year connected with the rioters, and $2 billion in property damage, we've got mobs chanting 'we hope you die' to two police officers who are almost executed in the line of work, while you got other folks blocking access to emergency medical care for those deputies — and yet The New York Times and The Washington Post and those on the left want us to believe that these protests are mostly peaceful."
"If $2 billion and 10,000 arrests and chanting 'we hope you die' is mostly peaceful, I hope it doesn't ever get violent."
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Gowdy added that the reason many Democrats refuse to condemn Black Lives Matter and other related activism when it becomes violent is because those protesters are their party's base in a crucial election.
"They are terrified of their base, Sean. It was only when it became apparent that they were losing independent voters, middle-of-the-road voters, because they refuse to acknowledge that the country is on fire, they don't need to alienate their base," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So that's the conundrum they had — do we speak out against this and alienate our base? The only reason that Joe said anything is because the polls are tightening and they are losing on the issue of public safety."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.