Pete Hegseth Cites Pre-Giuliani Squeegee Men to Argue ‘Culture of Crime’ Bigger Problem Than Guns
Fox and Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth cited the pervasiveness of New York City squeegee men before the crackdown on crime from former Mayor Rudy Giuliani when arguing that it is a “culture of crime” the U.S. is facing, rather than a gun problem.
On Saturday, Fox News invited on Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Shea Sanna, who was highly critical of LA County District Attorney George Gascon recently sentencing a 16-year-old to five months in a youth camp for hitting a woman and her child with his car. Sanna compared the youth camp to a YMCA summer camp and suggested the teen should have been charged with attempted murder.
Fox and Friends hosts Hegseth, Will Cain, and Carley Shimkus used the case to argue larger cities like LA are not cracking down enough on crime. Hegseth said “woke DAs” are prioritizing criminals over victims, arguing this is a bigger issue than guns, which are being hotly debated in the wake of multiple mass shootings, including the Uvalde shooting late last month.
Cain added Democrats are using crime to feed one of their “pet projects” in gun control, citing a plethora of crimes not involving guns like burglary in places like Chicago:
In some of those cities, for what it’s worth, gun shooting is actually down. The point is, we have a crime problem. It’s not particularly or exclusively a gun problem. But it will be used by Democrats now to position their politics to focus on one of their pet projects which is gun control in an attempt to convince you they are now focusing on crime.
Hegseth said the LA driver is getting a “free pass” and the only way to rehabilitate someone is through “hard time.” He cited the time of “squeegee men” in New York and argued we are living in such a period now:
It’s a great point, and we have a culture of crime around it, a permissiveness. Vagrancy you could add to the list. Homelessness. It’s basically like New York City before Giuliani. The squeegee men. The idea that anything goes. So when you see someone mowing down a mother and a child and they get five months at a summer camp, that’s not rehabilitation. That’s a free pass …. you want to rehabilitate somebody, you give them hard time and say, “you better rethink your life before you get back into the real world.”
Gascon has defended his decision on punishment in the vehicular crime, calling it an “appropriate resolution” in the case and pointing out that neither the mother or her child were seriously injured.
However, the mother involved in the accident also released a statement to Fox News and accused Gascon of not valuing her life or her child’s. She was identified only as Rachel.
“George Gascon doesn’t value my life or the life of my child, or any other victim out there, and would rather reward the monsters like [the suspect] by demonstrating to them that their actions have no consequences,” she said.
Watch above via Fox News.
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