Dr. Ben Carson defended his past comparison of the United States to Nazi Germany in an appearance on CNN's "Crossfire" on Wednesday.
Carson's liberal counterpart for the night, former Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, brought up the subject, saying, "The good doctor here compared our country to Nazi Germany, and that's the kind of rhetoric that is divisive and really tears our country apart."
Carson responded, "What I said is that most of the people in Nazi Germany did not believe in what Hitler was doing. But did they speak up? Did they say anything? Making the analogy that that can happen anywhere where people don't speak up, particularly when they disagree with what's going on."
Carson originally made the comparison to
Breitbart TV in early March when he said political correctness is stifling free speech.
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When Carson reiterated that point on "Crossfire," Strickland objected.
"No one is being shut up in America," he said. "You are on Fox News. You write books. Newt [Gringrich] talks. Stephanie [Cutter] talks. I talk."
Gingrich and Cutter are "Crossfire" co-hosts.
Strickland said Carson was being contradictory for saying Americans live in "a Gestapo age" while his current best-selling book is titled "America the Beautiful."
"Well, did you read the book?" Carson asked.
Strickland said he had not.
"I rest my case," Carson replied.
In his book, Carson discusses what he says are the good and bad qualities of America and offers his ideas on how to get the country back on track.
Carson has used the
"Gestapo" comparison before, telling Newsmax in February that the IRS used Gestapo tactics against him when he criticized President Barack Obama's policies during the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013.
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