Cenk Uygur to Chief of Staff John Kelly: ‘Fascism Began Under Your Watch’

 

U.S. Border agents fired tear gas and pepper spray into crowds of Central American migrants on Sunday, in reaction to rocks and bottles being thrown at them.  Images from this clash included footage of mothers and children running to avoid the noxious gas, the reaction of which has fallen predictably along political lines.

Fox & Friends, for example, has defended the use of gas to disperse the crowds, ostensibly asking “how should border agents react to projectiles being thrown at them?”

From the aggressively progressive side of the debate, enter The Young Turks Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian who put a darker spin on the U.S. border patrol’s actions, suggesting that it may very well be the first step in the more violent treatment of migrants looking to enter the United States.

But as the discussion eventually turned to what Uygur sees as  John Kelly’s failure as Chief of Staff to serve as a check to President Donald Trump.  According to Politico, Kelly and Kirstjen Nielsen brought up the unconstitutionality of moving forward with this order but eventually sided with Trump.

“They resist in the beginning but then they make justifications…” Uygur said in response to Kelly and Nielsen backing Trump.

Kasparian responded by calling Kelly a, “Coward,” and then explained, “you could be fighting for your country right now when it matters the most and he’s not doing it.”

“If a retired general does not understand the gravity of using military troops inside the country or understands it and signs off on it anyway, what happened on your watch?” Uygur said, “John Kelly, the reality is, fascism began under your watch

Early in the conversation, Uygur placed more faith in Trump supporters and brought up how this order could ruin Trump, “If they shoot and kill people at the border and then you got pictures and videos of dead people at the border…that’s the end of him,” relaying doubts over whether or not the country is evil-hearted.

Kasparian didn’t agree and argued Trump supporters just minimize what’s really happening, “These migrants have already been met with violence.”

Watch the clip above courtesy of The Young Turks.

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Colby Hall is the Founding Editor of Mediaite.com. He is also a Peabody Award-winning television producer of non-fiction narrative programming as well as a terrific dancer and preparer of grilled meats.