It should come as no surprise that frequent defender of left-wing rioters Chris Cuomo would object to laws punishing rioters.
As Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots spread across the country last year and continue still, the CNN host raged against Republican leaders taking measures to curb them. Cuomo began by smearing Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, by putting racist words in his mouth he never said, simply because the Republican signed an anti-riot bill into law that Cuomo didn't like:
CUOMO: The Florida governor signed a so-called anti-riot bill. That sounds good. The danger that he's calling out is so urgent he says the law has to go into effect immediately. The governor himself said, you know what the threat is? Black people, making their voices heard!
[plays clip]
RON DESANTIS: That's something that can potentially happen where you basically have justice meted out because the jury is scared of what a mob may do.
The CNN chyron on screen maliciously misled viewers: "Wave of states considering anti-protest bills."
From there, Cuomo’s rant turned into an anti-GOP free-for-all. He blasted Republicans attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci’s ever-changing coronavirus goalposts by equating it to election security laws and anti-riot bills:
Just last week we saw this same political party attack Dr. Fauci over the infringement of liberties. Yet you don't hear a word from any of them when a state actually restricts liberty, the right to vote or in this case the right to protest.
He added, “In Florida, it is now against the law to just be at a protest where something violent happens. Check it. Okay. Not an exaggeration,” he complained.
As is typical, Cuomo focused solely on the January 6 violence from some Trump supporters storming the Capitol building in D.C. to somehow argue these anti-riot bills were hypocritical. Of course, no mention from Cuomo of Black Lives Matter protesters storming of the Oklahoma Capitol building just two days ago. Or left-wing rioters setting a federal courthouse blaze at the end of January.
The hypocritical host continued downplaying violence from the left:
Odd that the same people who ignored the insurrection, the same people who say we don't need tougher hate crime laws or common sense gun restrictions because there are already statutes that make things like assault illegal. But now they feel they need to create two new crimes.
Just like the fact-free banner on screen, Cuomo was short on details as he blasted these anti-riot bills as extreme:
A bill in Indiana wants to make sure no one follows in the footsteps of John Lewis. Being a part of good trouble, like what we saw at the Edmund Pettus bridge, that would prohibit you from holding any state employment. In Minnesota, protesting would mean putting at risk your education, food to feed your family or even your home.
What these laws actually do is prohibit those convicted of rioting from getting government benefits and government jobs from the state. How novel. But it sounds much meaner, how Cuomo put it, right?
Cuomo ended his overwrought tirade by claiming Republicans were the ones trying to tear our society apart:
“This is not subtle. It is not a coincidence, and it is not a misunderstanding. This is another attempt to carve America into us and them,” he seethed.
As you can see from our archive, Cuomo has been a frequent activist defending left-wing violence:
Night of Lies: Fredo Excuses Riots, Defends Media, Blames Trump for Division
Cuomo, Lemon Argue Our Riots Were Cooler Than Yours and ‘Justified’
Cuomo Justifies Antifa Violence Saying Left Has 'Morality' On Their Side
CNN's Cuomo Justifies Antifa Violence Again: 'True' to a 'Good Cause'
CNN protecting rioters was paid for by sponsor Farmers Insurance. Contact them at the Conservatives Fight Back page here.
Read the transcript below:
Cuomo Prime Time
4/22/2021
CHRIS CUOMO: Bolo, be on the look out. There is a wave of laws sold as increasing safety. Do they? The Florida governor signed a so-called anti-riot bill. That sounds good. The danger that he's calling out is so urgent he says the law has to go into effect immediately. The governor himself said, you know what the threat is? Black people making their voices heard.
GOV. RON DESANTIS: That's something that can potentially happen where you basically have justice meted out because the jury is scared of what a mob may do.
CUOMO: Oh, yeah, and that's how he explains the George Floyd murder verdict. Is he looking for love from the fringe echoing a Fox fallacy that's as obvious as what jurors identified in 9 minutes 29 seconds of video? No. It's a political power move, part of more than 75 anti-protest bills in 32 states just since January. That's more than double what we've seen ever in a year. Just last week we saw this same political party attack Dr. Fauci over the infringement of liberties. Yet you don't hear a word from any of them when a state actually restricts liberty, the right to vote or in this case the right to protest. In Florida, it is now against the law to just be at a protest where something violent happens. Check it. Okay. Not an exaggeration. Yet in the articulation of the reality of the threat DeSantis sees, he never mentioned this. You know, the actual riot that we watched unfold on January 6. “They burned down their own communities.” They hunted us at the Capitol! It was an insurrection. It was an act of terror. They attacked the cradle of our democracy hunting our members of Congress. Odd that the same people who ignored the insurrection, the same people who say we don't need tougher hate crime laws or common sense gun restrictions because there are already statutes that make things like assault illegal. But now they feel they need to create two new crimes. A felony called aggravated rioting which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years. And so-called mob intimidation. That's a misdemeanor, but anyone charged with it can be rounded up and by law must be denied bail until their first court appearance. Bail. You know, what some members of the proud boys and oath keepers were granted after the worst act of domestic terror in a generation. Look, everything you need to know about these laws can be found in what and who they are designed to protect. Oklahoma just followed Florida's lead. Iowa is also considering a bill to do this. Grant civil immunity to protect drivers who run over protesters. You know, like that white nationalist did in Charlottesville. Can you believe that somebody wants to protect your ability to have to pay for this? A bill in Indiana wants to make sure no one follows in the footsteps of John Lewis. Being a part of good trouble, like what we saw at the Edmund Pettus bridge, that would prohibit you from holding any state employment. In Minnesota, protesting would mean putting at risk your education, food to feed your family or even your home. Yet in Florida they made darn sure to protect confederate statues, calling them so-called historic property. This is not subtle. It is not a coincidence, and it is not a misunderstanding. This is another attempt to carve America into us and them.
