MAGA White House adviser Robert O’Brien expressed “outrage” over the killing of George Floyd, but said he still doesn’t believe there is “systemic racism” in law enforcement.
In an interview with ABC News, O’Brien said Tou Thau, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane – the other three officers involved in Floyd’s public lynching by Derek Chauvin – should be charged. It is an opinion already expressed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and protestors across the country.
“It’s an absolute outrage. And I want to know where the investigation is going with those officers. What were they thinking? I mean just as human beings, putting aside being first-responders and police officers,” O’Brien told ABC News.
“I can’t imagine that they won’t be charged. I don’t want to prejudge anything, but what we saw was horrific and to have stood by and allowed that to happen … that just shows a lack of humanity,” he continued.
Despite his statements, O’Brien said he didn’t believe most cops were bad, nor was there systemic racism, according to the New York Post.
“No, I don’t think there’s systemic racism. I think 99.9 percent of our law enforcement are great Americans,” O’Brien told CNN in a separate interview. “Many of them are African American, Hispanic, Asian, they’re working in the toughest neighborhoods; they’ve got the hardest jobs to do in this country and I think they’re amazing great Americans and they’re my heroes.”
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The officers who are racist need to be removed, O’Brien added.
“There are some bad cops that are racist and there are cops that maybe don’t have the right training; and there are some that are just bad cops and they need to be rooted out,” O’Brien said. “There’s a few bad apples that are giving law enforcement a terrible name and there’s no doubt that there are some racist police. I think they’re the minority.”
O’Brien said he was “proud of the way law enforcement” is “protecting” citizens and “handling the situation with restraint.” In the same breath he added, “We do have to get rid of those, like the dirty cop that killed George Floyd, we need to get rid of those people.”
Social media users challenged O’Brien’s sincerity, saying the Trump Administration’s actions speak louder than its words.
“In the interview he placed blame everywhere, but took no responsibility and did not share a plan to make a difference. This is a major problem with the current administration. They stir the chaos, deflect, & do nothing to help the people,” responded Twitter user Kim Vensel.
“They deserve an acting award. Anyone who doesn’t think that it’s all a set up hasn’t been watching,” another user responded.
