Megyn Kelly gave an interview to TVNewser who asked her about her comments which have caused such a stir on Bill O'Reilly's show that the pepper spray used on the UC Davis protesters is "a food product, essentially." Kelly's explanation for the comment boils down to claiming she was taken out of context and that if anyone watches the full clip, they won't believe she was trying to diminish what happened to the students.
Megyn Kelly Explains her Description of Pepper Spray as ‘A Food Product, Essentially’:
Discussing the weekend pepper spray incident at UC Davis, Kelly began by explaining what pepper spray is. “It’s a derivative of actual pepper. It’s a food product, essentially,” said Kelly.
That was enough of a headline for Kelly to be pilloried on blogs and news sites. The comment even got the Taiwanese animation treatment.
Today, Kelly explains it this way: “[O'Reilly] wanted me to tell him what is in pepper spray, so I told him what the active ingredient is. That’s all I meant to convey… not that I meant it’s a snack!”
Kelly, who has carried around pepper spray herself “for years” didn’t expect the blow-back that came with the comments. “I think what happened was people didn’t watch the whole segment and assumed I was diminishing it. In no way did I mean to diminish what was happening.” [...]
“I think it would be clear if you watch the four minutes of TV,” Kelly tells TVNewser.
I posted the entire segment here at Video Cafe which can be seen again above and she and O'Reilly spent the better part of the segment doing exactly what Kelly denied here, downplaying the effects of the pepper spray and justifying its use on the students.
Change.org has a petition out now for those upset with Kelly's statements on the air you can sign here -- Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly: Eat or drink a full dose of pepper spray on national television.
