South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared on Fox News Sunday, where he denied systemic racism in the United States. He cited former President Barack Obama’s two terms in office and current Vice President Kamala Harris as proof that “America is not a racist country.”
“Within every society, you have bad actors. The Chauvin trial is a just result.” Graham said, according to the Daily Mail.
The comments come on the heels of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict for the death of George Floyd. Floyd’s death last year sparked nationwide protests and a call for police reform as Black Americans continue to lose their lives at the hands of police officers.
Lawmakers are currently working on a bipartisan bill on police reform. Graham expressed hope that a deal will be reached by May and that the biggest hold-up surrounds getting rid of qualified immunity. Qualified immunity protects police officers from legal repercussions while on the job. Senator Graham suggested that departments be sued instead of individual cops as a solution for making changes to qualified immunity.
On Sunday, Rep. Ilhan Omar responded to Graham’s comments during an appearance on CNN, saying, “Senator Graham basically is trying to tell us that the sky is not blue. It’s as if saying we don’t have poverty issues in this country because we have millionaires and billionaires.”
Lindsey Graham says systemic racism isn't an issue in America because Barack Obama and Kamala Harris were elected pic.twitter.com/PqRdoeWmHW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 25, 2021
