Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) blamed former President Donald Trump for the 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina by a white supremacist who has since been sentenced to death for murdering nine African-Americans during the attack.
Clyburn made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” while discussing President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to the state.
“Is it fair to tie in any way what happened at the Emanuel AME Church to Donald Trump?” Tapper asked Clyburn “Donald Trump had barely launched his campaign when that attack happened.”
“I think it is very clear that Donald Trump’s utterances way back before Charlottesville or at the time of Charlottesville ties him to what happened at Mother Emanuel,” Clyburn claimed. “The fact of the matter is, that young man went into that church’s basement, joined with those worshipers in Bible study, and murdered them.”
“And he said at the time that he was attempting to create a race war. But the people of Charleston, South Carolina, the families of the affected victims all came together to get beyond hate and reach out to help continue this pursuit of a more perfect union,” he continued. “Donald Trump looked at those people in Charlottesville and said that there were good people on both sides. And those people were uttering things like, ‘Jews will not replace us.’ That is a religion. The AME Church Emanuel, that is religion. And Donald Trump has said things in support of those activities that ties him closely to what happened at Mother Emanuel.”
WATCH:
WILD: A historically illiterate Democrat Rep. Jim Clyburn says Donald Trump — who wouldn't become president for another 18 months — is to blame for the horrific 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston… pic.twitter.com/wlD4MWzXtI
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 7, 2024