John Kasich Calls on Democrats to ‘Deeply’ Condemn Violent Protesters: ‘Absolutely Imperative For Joe Biden’

Former Ohio governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate John Kasich — who endorsed 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden last week at the DNC — called on the Democratic Party and Biden to “deeply” condemn violent protesters in Kenosha on CNN, Wednesday.

During an interview with CNN anchor Jim Sciutto, Kasich said “it is absolutely imperative for Joe Biden” to condemn the violent protesters, citing civil rights activist Martin Luther King’s opposition to violence.

“Violence has no place,” he declared. “Martin Luther King took the beatings, the gassings, the jailings, and said, ‘We will not respond with violence,’ and I believe that it is absolutely essential for the Democrats to say, ‘While we support protesters, this violence is abhorrent and actually sets back the ability to get change.'”

“Now we don’t know the full story in Wisconsin, there’s this news that’s coming out about perhaps a vigilante, and what we know is that there are people who show up at these protests who are there to design to disrupt and give everybody a bad name, but they have to be called out, Jim,” Kasich continued. “Joe Biden needs to be very, very strong on the fact that while protesters are okay — they’re a positive thing, they’re America — this violence needs to be deeply condemned and deeply condemned now! Sooner rather than later in my opinion.”

He concluded, “This is a terrible thing that’s happening in our country, and there’s no excuse and no reason for anybody to look the other way when it comes to these violent acts, and I just hold up somebody like Martin Luther King who said, ‘If you return violence for violence, you lose,’ and I agree with him.”

Watch above via CNN.