Ari Fleischer: “I don't know what the difference is between the Confederacy and CHOP, other than slavery”
Fleischer: “They are both secessionist movements”
Published
Citation From the July 2, 2020, edition of Fox News' Outnumbered
ARI FLEISCHER (FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY): [Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan] never should have allowed CHOP to get set up in the first place. It was naive and dangerous right from the word go. You know, I was born in New York city, raised in the New York suburbs, and anybody from this area knows in the ‘60s and ‘70s how fast something beautiful can go down the drain. And that's why public officials' first responsibility is public safety. And when in Minneapolis you let the 3rd Precinct get overrun, in Seattle when you let this CHOP get set up, you have abandoned public safety and the consequences are direct results of those decisions. Mayhem, anarchy will be the order.
And frankly, you know, at a time when we are debating Confederate statues, I don't know what the difference is between the Confederacy and CHOP, other than slavery. The fact is they are both secessionist movements, and what happened in Seattle should be condemned as secessionism. It's the illegitimate grandchild of sanctuary cities, and this is why public order, public safety always have to come first.