UPDATE Tuesday 2:50 pm – OK, I got full audio of the event – the relevant part starting at about 1 hour, 11 minutes in. In the clip originally flagged by American Bridge, it seems clear what Earle-Sears is saying. But in the full audio (you can listen here to the part that American Bridge was referencing) she’s telling a story about going out with a police officer in Norfolk, then asks people in the audience if they were/are in the US Marines, then says:
“You all know that, we always know who our enemy is. And we’ve got huge firepower. And furthermore, we’re coming with all kinds of you know flak jackets, everything; we’ve got grenades even. We’re gonna use them. But you don’t. Your enemies are people who look like yourselves. They are our fellow citizens. And we don’t know what you’re facing. In fact, we just saw where two Minnesotans, they’re lawmakers, and they were shot…And they’re trying to find the perpetrator, even now. So thank you for being there for us…”
So…not sure exactly what Earle-Sears means about “your enemies are people who look like yourselves; they are our fellow citizens” part. But the rest seems to be her talking about the military and/or the police putting themselves in harm’s way…
UPDATE Tuesday 1:30 pm – See below for more on this story from reporter Brad Kutner, who got more of the audio than was initially provided by American Bridge.
UPDATE 8:28 pm – See below for a statement from VA Speaker Don Scott, who says: ““Lt. Governor Earle‑Sears must come forward, denounce her own words, and clarify to Virginians exactly what she meant. Stoking political violence against fellow Americans isn’t just irresponsible – it’s dangerous, unhinged, and runs counter to every value we hold dear as a nation.. ”
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This type of irresponsible, dehumanizing, demonizing rhetoric should NEVER be acceptable, of course. But sad to say, with Winsome Earle-Sears, it’s not surprising, given her long history of outrageous comments on pretty much every topic. In this case, as American Bridge 21st Century says, “In the wake of political violence in Minnesota, Winsome Earle-Sears is advocating for the use of weapons on her own community.” See below for the video, in which Earle-Sears says:
…we always know who our enemy is, and we’ve got huge firepower. And furthermore, we’re coming with all kinds of you know, flak jackets, everything. We’ve got grenades even; we’re going to use them. But you don’t. Your enemies are people who look like yourself. They’re our fellow citizens, and you don’t know what your facing.”
WTF???
P.S. These remarks were delivered by Earle-Sears at this event on Saturday, June 14, which was held from 11:30 am to 1 pm in Suffolk. The Minnesota shootings took place early Saturday morning…
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| Speaker Don Scott Calls on Lt. Governor Earle-Sears to Clarify and Denounce Violent Rhetoric Following Leaked Audio and Minnesota Political Violence |
| Portsmouth, VA – Today, Virginia House Speaker Don Scott called on Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears to take responsibility and immediately clarify her remarks after the release of deeply troubling audio in which she invokes weapons, grenades, and threats against fellow Americans following political violence in Minnesota that left two dead and two others gravely wounded. “At a time when our country so clearly needs to dial down dangerous, hateful rhetoric, Lt. Governor Earle‑Sears instead escalated it – in the wake of horrific political violence in Minnesota, where elected officials and their spouses were gunned down. “Lt. Governor Earle‑Sears must come forward, denounce her own words, and clarify to Virginians exactly what she meant. Stoking political violence against fellow Americans isn’t just irresponsible – it’s dangerous, unhinged, and runs counter to every value we hold dear as a nation.. “We can disagree about policy and politics, but we must never descend to violence, nor cheer it on. We are Virginians. We are Americans. We are neighbors. Violent rhetoric has no place in our Commonwealth, especially from those in our highest offices.” |
