Radio Recap – A Weekend of Turmoil for the United States

A weekend of turmoil for America is spilling into the work week.

On today’s Jay Sekulow Live we discussed the weekend of turmoil that has struck the United States. Former New York City Mayor – America’s Mayor – Rudy Giuliani joined us on the show to talk about it.

You’ve started to see these riots that have occurred across the country spurned on by agitators from groups like Antifa and others that have turned from peaceful protests during the day into riots by night. Sometimes you’d see an entirely different group of people start showing up as the sun began to set in cities across the country. At first it took darkness to fall before violence, conflict, and looting began. Other times it didn’t even take that.

It has been a different time in the country because I think this has certainly crossed over to where it doesn’t really matter where you live. Even if you live in rural areas it is happening not too far away. There have been threats to say that they’re going to take this to suburbs, and in some cases much smaller towns rather than just these hubs where the news is focused on and covering.

Even the White House almost looked like it was going to be overrun. This is a very dangerous situation that is happening across the country at a time where cities recently had empty streets. Just days ago, for example it looked like there was no one in New York, if you saw the images related to COVID-19. There are a lot of people, who are still stuck at home because of COVID-19. While there wasn’t anywhere to go, you started to see these movements happen almost in an instant. It started all across the country. It didn’t really matter what city you were in.

My dad, Jay Sekulow made the following point:

Look, I have defended free speech protests before the Supreme Court of the United States. I have defended, as you know, civil disobedience where people go on private property but I’ve never defended nor would I defend the intentional destruction of personal property.

When you see the people on the street holding the signs and chanting, that’s free speech. When you see people taking bricks or Molotov cocktails and destroying buildings, that’s called crime.

I think we have to be really clear as to what we’re dealing with here. That is criminal activity.

Now the death, by that police officer, is inexcusable. He’ll get his day in court; but just looking at the evidence, it looks like murder to me.

I will tell you this, the protests are fine when they are civil. When they become violent, that’s not protected by the 1st Amendment.

Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a very good friend and colleague, joined us on the show. He said the following:

Probably the worst thing that happened, that made this really blow up, is the incompetent mayor in Minneapolis giving up a police station. Once they take a police station, they are really empowered . . . . Symbolism is important.

What happened in Minneapolis, what the police did to George Floyd, has rightly been condemned from everyone who’s looked at it. It’s clearly looks like murder, and has been widely condemned as such. There should have been a public conversation about that with the peaceful protesters. Instead we’re talking about riots and mayhem across America.

The full broadcast is complete with much more discussion with Mayor Giuliani, my dad, ACLJ Director of Policy Harry Hutchison, ACLJ Senior Military Analyst Wes Smith, ACLJ Senior Counsel Andy Ekonomou, and myself.

Watch the full broadcast below.