Ari Melber Plays Old Footage of Fox News Hosts Telling People to Comply with Police: ‘Trump Was Given Months to Comply’ Before FBI Raid
Ari Melber turned back the clock on Wednesday and showed clips of Fox News hosts advising people to comply with police, and juxtaposed these with Donald Trump ignoring law enforcement’s directives ordering him to return official government documents.
Last week, the FBI executed a search warrant at the former president’s estate at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. The agency removed several boxes of official materials – some of which were allegedly classified – that Trump was supposed to turn over to the National Archives upon leaving office.
The search generated outrage among conservatives, including those on Fox News.
Melber noted remarks by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who said the Department of Justice had tried to get the documents before conducting the search of Trump’s residence.
“We know the attorney general said they had already tried less intrusive means and then only went in because Trump was not complying,” the MSNBC host said before airing a clip of Garland saying just that. “And Garland was basically telling Trump in public that Trump brought the search on himself by – all that time – refusing to comply. He had well over a year to return the material in general. He had many weeks after it was subpoenaed. He didn’t comply at all.”
Melber pointed to the outrage on the right over the raid.
“That is striking because remember, it is conservatives and many Trump allies who have been so quick to lecture you and Americans everywhere whenever this has come up in the past how, if law enforcement asks you to do just about anything, then you have to go ahead and just comply,” Melber said.
The host aired clips showing Fox News host Sean Hannity and former Fox News hosts Eric Bolling and Kimberly Guilfoyle telling people to comply with commands from law enforcement.
“Just comply, please,” said Guilfoyle.
“If, in fact, a police officer gives you a command, ‘Please exit the car,’ you should say, ‘Yes, officer,'” Hannity stated.
“Bad decisions by a cop, but those decisions wouldn’t have been made if the perp didn’t run away,” Bolling said in another snippet.
“Yeah, just comply,” Melber mimicked. “This frequent conservative claim goes well beyond complying with lawful police requests. I mean, listen to what we just heard. The demand is comply first, fully, no matter what. ‘Yes, officer.’ Make any objections that may come up presumably later. And had this logic, this argument, this talking point has come from conservatives over and over.”
Watch above via MSNBC.
