Peter King: Hillary 'Off Mark,' Gave 'False Narratives' in Race Speech

Republican Rep. Pete King has slammed Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton’s criticism of race relations as she condemned a criminal justice system that she claims targets black communities.

The New York congressman says the former secretary of state’s remarks “were entirely off the mark” and she “ignored basic truths and perpetuated false narratives based on political correctness and liberal ideology.”

In a speech at New York's Columbia University, Clinton called for an end to “the era of mass incarceration,” and for America "to come to terms with some hard truths about race and justice" in the wake of this week's Baltimore riots.

The former first lady urged police departments throughout the country to use body cameras, and she demanded an end to excessive prison sentences that overburden black communities.

In a statement to the media, King said that in her “critique” of the police and the criminal justice system, Clinton “shamefully” cited the case of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York.

But King said she “ignored” the fact that in Ferguson it is “now indisputable that Michael Brown was a criminal who robbed a convenience store and attacked Police Officer Wilson,” and that Wilson “acted properly” to protect his own life.

“We also know that the cacophony of media stories of ‘hands up’ and ‘don't shoot’ were lies,” King continued. “Why didn't Sec. Clinton use her forum as an opportunity to express her sadness and regret to Officer Wilson and his family for the slanders he endured?”

King also pointed out that in Staten Island Garner was not capriciously arrested for "selling cigarettes on the street," as Clinton claimed. “He was arrested because minority business owners went to the African-American NYPD Chief and demanded Garner be arrested because he was disrupting their businesses.

“The arrest was supervised by an African-American NYPD Sergeant and a Grand Jury exonerated the police. As a New Yorker, why did Sec. Clinton misrepresent the actions of the NYPD?

“Why didn't she take this opportunity to thank the NYPD for the thousands of African-American lives they have saved in the past 25 years and the risks they take each day?”

King also denounced Clinton for saying that police should not spend money on "weapons of war," while ignoring the fact that the military restored order with "weapons of war" when Baltimore basically turned into a war zone on Tuesday night.

“What occurred in Baltimore is a tragedy,” he added. “If a full investigation shows that police acted improperly, they must be prosecuted. But that should not be used by politicians as an excuse to rewrite history or ignore reality.”

He went on to say that if Clinton were being honest about addressing race relations in America, she would commend the progress made in New York City by the policies of former mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, as well as the NYPD.

He said that they reduced the murder rate by 80 percent and provided the good people in inner city neighborhoods such as Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant “the opportunity to revitalize and grow their communities - unlike Baltimore which has a murder rate 8 times higher than New York.”

He concluded by saying, “Race relations are complex and difficult. The issue is serious and demands serious thought. Unfortunately Sec. Clinton missed the opportunity to give us that.”

Here is the full text of his release:

Hillary Clinton's remarks on race relations were entirely off the mark. Rather than "come to terms with some hard truths about race and justice in America," Sec. Clinton ignored basic truths and perpetuated false narratives based on political correctness and liberal ideology.

In her critique of the police and the criminal justice system, Sec. Clinton shamefully cited Ferguson and Staten Island. This is some of what she ignored:

In Ferguson it is now indisputable that Michael Brown was a criminal who robbed a convenience store and attacked Police Officer Wilson; and that Police Officer Wilson acted properly to protect his own life. We also know that the cacophony of media stories of "hands up" and "don't shoot" were lies. Why didn't Sec. Clinton use her forum as an opportunity to express her sadness and regret to Officer Wilson and his family for the slanders he endured?
In Staten Island Eric Garner was not capriciously arrested for "selling cigarettes on the street", as Sec. Clinton claimed. He was arrested because minority business owners went to the African-American NYPD Chief and demanded Garner be arrested because he was disrupting their businesses. The arrest was supervised by an African-American NYPD Sergeant and a Grand Jury exonerated the police. As a New Yorker why did Sec. Clinton misrepresent the actions of the NYPD? Why didn't she take this opportunity to thank the NYPD for the thousands of African-American lives they have saved in the past 25 years and the risks they take each day?

Sec. Clinton also says police should not spend money on "weapons of war" ignoring the fact that there was war in the streets of Baltimore on Tuesday evening and it took the military to restore order with "weapons of war."

What occurred in Baltimore is a tragedy. If a full investigation shows that police acted improperly, they must be prosecuted. But that should not be used by politicians as an excuse to rewrite history or ignore reality.

If Sec. Clinton were being honest about addressing race relations in America, she would have pointed to the progress made in New York City by the policies of Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg and the NYPD which reduced the murder rate by 80% and provided the good people in inner city neighborhoods such as Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant the opportunity to revitalize and grow their communities - unlike Baltimore which has a murder rate 8 times higher than New York.

Race relations are complex and difficult. The issue is serious and demands serious thought. Unfortunately Sec. Clinton missed the opportunity to give us that.