On Thursday, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner challenged network contributor Marie Harf to name a Republican-run city that is currently under siege by rioters during an “Outnumbered” segment.
The discussion began with co-host Dagen McDowell ticking off a list of shootings in Chicago, long a Democratic stronghold, just in the past few days as the panel discussed Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to accept federal assistance in bringing order to chaotic parts of the city, a reversal of her earlier position.
“What if it works in Chicago? What if the police in that city can stop the daily murders?” McDowell said before ticking off a list of shootings and killings during the past few days.
“What if this partnership actually works?” she added, decrying the use by some so-called “peaceful protesters” who “carry Molotov cocktails, metal pipes and hammers — is that where we are in this nation?”
McDowell added that “the blame lies fully on the governors and the mayors of these cities” who “are doing a disservice” to their residents by continuing to allow streets to be taken over and violence to proliferate.
“We should have seen this coming for a decade,” she added, stating that Democrat “sanctuary cities” that nullify federal immigration laws paved the way for the current unrest.
Faulkner brought in Harf, who claimed that it’s not a “binary choice” between caring for residents and law and order. She also said it was “really unfair” to blame the violence on mayors and governors and claim they don’t care for their citizens.
“These are tough situations and a large majority of people on the streets, by the way, are peaceful,” she added, noting that people who are throwing incendiary devices and committing other acts of violence should be “dealt with by law enforcement.”
“The challenge is always trying to figure out the right law enforcement way to that, and President Trump has made very clear that he’s going after Democratic-led cities. He has said that, just plain straight out,” Harf continued.
“And so, it seems to many people that this is a political strategy to show himself as a law-and-order president ahead of a tough election that he is couching in law enforcement activity,” she added.
At that point, Faulkner jumped in.
“So, Marie, is there another Republican-led city that is having the kind of problem we’re having in the Democrat-led city,” Faulkner asked.
“Well look, Democrats have been in charge of the big cities on our country for a long time…”
“It’s a yes-or-no question,” Faulkner interjected. “It’s a yes-or-no question.”
“It’s more complicated,” a frustrated Harf replied. “It’s not binary, Harris.”
“No no, it’s not a choice,” Faulkner again interjected. “Is there a Republican-led city that is having the same type of violence and unrest on its streets the way it is in [a] Democrat-led trail of cities?”
Harf responded that there are many Republican-led parts of the country that are violent.
“Do they look like the streets of Portland and Chicago?” Faulkner asked.
Harf then blamed President Donald Trump.
“The streets of Portland didn’t look like this until President Trump sent in federal troops, they were anonymous…and had them arresting people with no due process in rented vans,” she replied.
“When you have markings, you are not technically anonymous, but we won’t go there,” Faulkner responded.
As to Harf’s point, portions of Chicago have been deadly and violent for decades, with black-on-black violence and shootings predominant over the past several years.
And in Portland, police have been forced to declare riots on several occasions over the nearly 60-straight days of protests — long before the administration sent additional federal agents and officers to protect government property in the city.
Incidents of violence include tearing down statues and burning local landmarks, as well as attacks against Portland police facilities.
