Fox News’ Jesse Watters blamed Democratic policies for Jordan Neely’s death in Thursday’s edition of “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
Watters said that Neely’s death was a “senseless tragedy.” He added that it was a “delicate and complicated situation” due to the lack of video footage leading up to the chokehold and Neely’s lengthy criminal record.
“Even though it was an accident, New York’s medical examiner ruled it a homicide, and we’re still waiting on the toxicology report. The NYPD took the Marine in for questioning and released him without any charges. Yet, this is a delicate and complicated situation,” Watters said. (RELATED: ‘How Is That Not A Crime?’: Joy Reid Blames Subway Passengers For Not Helping Jordan Neely)
“There’s no video leading up to the chokehold,” Watters added. “The homeless man who died, Jordan Neely, had a long rap sheet, to say the least. He’s been arrested 40 times. There was an active warrant on him for a felony assault … when he died. He was a schizophrenic, drug addict Michael Jackson impersonator who performed for tips.”
Watters claimed that with a cop on the subway, Neely “probably wouldn’t be dead.” He said that Democrats “defunded and demoralized the police” which contributed to Neely’s death. He argued that Democrats’ actions have pushed civilians to engage in such situations themselves.
“Men are having to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves and innocent civilians. Women are whispering to me all day that they’re glad a man took action instead of sitting there and staring at his phone, pretending nothing’s going down,” Watters said. “They’re happy someone’s protecting them.”
The Fox News host argued that Democrats are not genuine in their outrage over Neely’s death and are instead just looking to shift blame.
“The Democrats don’t care about him. They care about blaming somebody else. But they’re running out of people to blame. Democrats control New York. The city council, the mayor’s office, the D.A.’s office, every congressional seat around here — governor’s mansion, both senators — there has to be accountability. But it’s not just the Democrats. Every individual needs to take ownership of their actions.”