‘We Had A Black President, Black Millionaires’: Leo Terrell Unleashes On Reparations Advocates

Fox News contributor Leo Terrell unleashed on reparations advocates Monday, arguing the payment proposals are illegal and counterproductive.

Terrell joined America Reports when host John Roberts asked his opinion about California’s potential reparations plan, which is expected to cost millions. Grounds for eligibility include those who can prove their lineage traces back to an enslaved or black person who lived in the U.S. before 1900, according to NBC News.

“Reparations are illegal and should not occur,” Terrell said. “There’s no legal justification for it in the state that was never a slave state. And this reparations committee, John, they want compensation for red lining, bad policing. I don’t think that has anything to do with slavery. This was a political gimmick on the part of Gavin Newsom and an attempt to keep black voters within the Democratic Party.”

“You say it has nothing to do with slavery, but slavery was the ground work for decades upon decades of racism that still goes on in this country today,” Roberts said. “Could it not be said that reparations for racism are essentially falling out of slavery?” (RELATED: LYMAN: Here’s Why Your ‘We Deserve Reparations’ Argument Is BS)

“I would submit to you, John, that it would be very difficult for anyone living in this country today to show that they are a direct individual harmed by slavery. I don’t think that exists. I think what is happening between, John, you have the 13th Amendment, you have the Civil Rights Act, you have black Americans thriving in every aspect of our society. By the way we had a black president, we have black millionaires, black billionaires. This is nothing more than a political gimmick on the part of Gavin Newsom that really developed out of the summer of 2020 riots when it was politically advantageous to promote this reparations argument.”

“There are blacks in the nation that are thriving, no question about that, but there are plenty who are trapped in the cycle of poverty they see no way out of,” Roberts argued.

“Excellent point. And let me give you the response. Democratic cities, Democratic unions, poor schools, lawlessness in Democratic cities. John, the craziness about this is the people who are complaining about systemic racism, which in my opinion does not exist, they are in control of the system. Chicago, L.A., New York … they are controlled by black people and yet you have the highest problem of crime, lawlessness and poor schools. Explain that to me.”

The California Reparations Task Force is slated to introduce its report June 29 to the California Assembly, according to NBC News. In early May the task force voted in favor of approving $800 billion in recommendations.