Article courtesy of The Washington Free Beacon, written by David Rutz.
Fox News host Megyn Kelly and activist and MSNBC personality Al Sharpton had a heated exchange Wednesday about the Department of Justice’s findings in the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson.
Kelly interviewed Sharpton at his National Action Network event in New York City, and she repeatedly challenged him about his rhetoric about the racially charged case.
Police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Brown, a black teenager, in 2014 and claimed self-defense. Witnesses claimed that Brown had his hands up and was not a threat to Wilson, but a grand jury did not indict Wilson for any crime, leading to riots and a renewed debate about police conduct toward African Americans.
The Department of Justice investigation ultimately found Wilson did not violate Brown’s civil rights, and it also found no evidence to disprove Wilson’s belief that his life was in danger that evening.
Sharpton, however, maintained that witnesses told him they saw different, and he had no reason to apologize for his charged language about Wilson’s guilt.
“I stated what I believe,” Sharpton said. “I’m an opinion guy.”
But, Kelly said, that opinion had proven to be wrong, and she asked if he bore responsibility for Wilson’s current low circumstances, given the notoriety he’s faced since the shooting.
“You don’t talk to all the witnesses,” Kelly said. “The DOJ does. They get people in there, and it can be a crime to lie to an FBI agent. It’s not a crime to lie to Reverend Al.”
Sharpton told Kelly to “calm down.” Kelly bristled.
“Watch it with ‘calm down,’” Kelly said. “Ask Bill O’Reilly about that. I had to lecture him on that one himself.”