McAuliffe grilled to define critical race theory after saying it 'doesn't exist' in VA, calls it 'dog whistle'

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McAuliffe says parents shouldn't choose their children's curriculum

The panel on 'The Five' reacts

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe was grilled by a local Virginia TV station on critical race theory, which he insisted did not exist in his state while also refusing to define what it is. 

During a roundtable discussion with WAVY News 10, McAuliffe was asked by anchor Anita Blanton how he defines CRT, something he said he had answered "very clearly" in the past. 

"It's not taught in Virginia and it's never been taught in Virginia," McAuliffe said on Thursday. "And as I've said this a lot, it's a dog whistle. It's racial, it's division and it's used by Glenn Youngkin and others, it's the same thing with Trump and the border wall, to divide people. We should not be dividing people in school."

"So how do you define it?" Blanton asked again. 

"Anita, it's not taught here in Virginia," McAuliffe reiterated. 

MCAULIFFE SAYS HE DOESN'T BELIEVE PARENTS SHOULD TELL SCHOOLS WHAT TO TEACH

"But how do you define it?" she pressed.

"It doesn't matter," McAuliffe dismissed her question. "It's not taught here in Virginia so I'm not going to spend my time – I'm not even spending my time because the school board and everyone else has come out and said it's not taught. It's racist. It's a dog whistle."

"But if we don't have a definition, how can we say it's racist?" Blanton challenged the former governor. "I just want a definition from you."

McAuliffe tripled down on the assertion that CRT is not taught in Virginia and went on to say it "really bothers" him that the subject has been "stirring parents up to create divisions."

He also took a swipe at Blanton's inquiry, saying it's "wasting precious viewers' time."

Blanton went on to ask McAuliffe if there was anything he would not want to be taught in public schools "as it relates to race and history," which he said he'd "leave to the school boards and the state board of education." He later touted his record as governor on education. 

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At last month's debate, McAuliffe made headlines during an exchange with his GOP rival, who went after the former governor for vetoing a bill that would have allowed parents to be informed about materials provided in Virginia schools after citing examples of books featuring pedophilia and other sexually explicit content.

"I'm not going to allow parents to come into schools and actually take books out, make their own decision," McAuliffe defended the veto. "Yeah, I stopped the bill that – I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."

Education has been a top issue in the tight race for Virginia's governor being closely watched across the country and is widely seen as a bellwether for the upcoming 2022 midterms.