Wall Street Journal
columnist Jason Riley has ripped into President Barack Obama for conferring legitimacy upon controversial civil rights activist Al Sharpton.
Reacting to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who charged Sharpton with anti-police incitement, Riley said that Sharpton had become a "star in the Democratic Party,"
The Daily Caller reported.
Appearing Monday night on Fox News Channel's Special Report, Riley bemoaned that despite Sharpton's reckless actions "over the past three decades," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has opened his door to Sharpton.
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"It's not just Bill de Blasio. Bill de Blasio could turn around and say Al Sharpton is welcome at the White House, why are you blaming me for using him as an adviser?" Riley said.
"This starts with the president of the United States legitimizing the Al Sharptons of the world who, again, have made a name for themselves bashing cops and blaming whites in general for all that ails the black community," he said.
He told guest host Ed Henry that Sharpton delivers no benefits to the African-American poor he professes to champion, the Caller reported.
Riley, who is black, is the political diary editor at the Journal and a member of its editorial board.
He is the author of
"Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed."
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