Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat against Republican J.D. Vance, faced backlash online Wednesday over past remarks that he made about the U.S. Justice System.
In the controversial remarks, Ryan calls the U.S. Justice System “racist,” claiming that it was “the new Jim Crow.”
“I believe the current criminal justice system is racist,” Ryan said. “I believe in my heart it’s the new Jim Crow.”
Even more shocking about Ryan’s remarks was the fact that they were made in the summer of 2019, a year before Black Lives Matter protests and riots rocked the nation following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Ryan’s remarks generated a wide range of responses from former U.S. officials, political figures, and media personalities.
Vance responded, “Hey @TimRyan care to comment?”
“Yikes!!!” Donald Trump Jr. responded. “We already knew that Two-Faced Tim Ryan was a flip-flopping fraud, but now he’s been exposed as a leftwing anti-police radical.”
Richard Grenell, the former Acting Director of National Intelligence, also weighed in, writing on Twitter: “I hope every police officer in Ohio and their family members see what @TimRyan said in 2019.”
“He joined the mob’s attacks on law enforcement!” Grenell added. “Disgraceful.”
WATCH:
Ohio Senate candidate @TimRyan is out with a new ad today about his supposed support of law enforcement, but here's what Ryan had to say back in 2019:
“I believe the current criminal justice system is racist. I believe in my heart it’s the new Jim Crow.”#OHSen pic.twitter.com/x4hbg0PTPb
— Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) June 15, 2022
Other notable responses included:
- Andrew Surabian, political strategist: “In addition to the below, just last year @TimRyan literally voted AGAINST a motion in the House to condemn calls to ‘defund’, ‘disband’, or ‘abolish’ the police…He’s a total fraud.”
- Steve Cortes, media personality: “Wow. Tim Ryan tries to fool Ohioans into believing that he’s some moderate. In reality, Ryan is a Washington establishment radical who spews anti-cop propaganda.”
- Kaelan Dorr, Marketing and Global Engagement at GETTR: “Big yikes! People won’t be gaslit this easily by a flip-flopping fraud and far-left radical!”
- Cliff Sims, former White House official: “Why vote for a Lib pretending to be @JDVance1 when you could just vote for @JDVance1 ? Weird campaign strategy, @TimRyan.”
- Steven Cheung, former White House official: “Tim Ryan is a fraud and a phony. The voters of Ohio can’t trust this charlatan who will do and say anything— including outright lying— to deceive the public.”
- Ryan James Girdusky, political consultant: “Tim Ryan would handcuff every single police officer from doing their job. He supported the BLM riots as they destroyed people’s lives. “