National security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday foreign adversaries are taking advantage of protests roiling the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in police custody.
In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” O’Brien said he agreed with Sen. Marco Rubio’s tweet that “at least three” foreign adversaries were stoking violence sparked by the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis, Minn., police custody.
Social media activity from China is “coming straight from the government,” O’Brien said, adding that in Zimbabwe and Iran “there may be Russian activists.”
“There's a difference between us and you,” he said of U.S. enemies, adding: “We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
“Marco Rubio is absolutely correct," O'Brien asserted. "Our foreign advisories will take advantage to sew discord” but the officer charged in the killing of Floyd “will be prosecuted and will get a fair trial, [protesters] are not going to be thrown in jail for peaceful protesting.”
He added that he can’t imagine there won’t be more charges in the Floyd case. Fired officer Derek Chauvin, who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, has been charged with murder and manslaughter. Other officers at the scene have not been charged.
“It’s an absolute outrage,” he said of the case, adding of the other officers: “I can’t imagine that they won’t be charged. To have stood by and allowed that to happen … it shows a lack of humanity.”