Republican Ohio Rep. Mike Turner refused to say outright that Trump, his social media platform and Breitbart should not have doxxed and risked the lives of the FBI agents that conducted the search at Mar-A-Lago this week.
Here's Turner's mealy-mouth response to CNN's Brianna Keiler on this Sunday's State of the Union on CNN:
KEILAR: The former president's social media network put out a push alert promoting a story from a conservative outlet that identified the FBI agents involved in this search. And this comes after an armed man tried to enter an FBI office in Cincinnati with an AR-15 assault rifle. He was killed in the process of that.
How is that not encouraging violence against federal law enforcement officers in this climate to identify them?
TURNER: Well, obviously, I don't know who you're referring to on social media.
Let's stop right there. Turner knows exactly who Keilar is referring to, but do go on Congressman.
TURNER: But, resoundingly, the Congress has condemned any violence against -- and members of Congress have condemned, and I did and all of the Republican members of my committee jointly...
Keilar continued to press him, and Turner continued to pretend he either didn't hear her or didn't understand what she was asking him, before lamely turning the conversation back towards Merrick Garland and accusing him of wrongdoing.
KEILAR: Should Trump?
TURNER: ... in a joint press conference, condemned any violence against any law enforcement officers.
KEILAR: Should the former president?
TURNER: ... and, in fact, said that we greatly appreciate -- we greatly appreciate the service of all of our FBI agents, men and women who are serving their nation.
KEILAR: Should the president, former president?
TURNER: I think always everyone should make it very clear that this is not an issue where violence is ever an answer.
I think you should make it very clear this is not something that should rise to the level of violence. This is an issue where, show us the goods, Attorney Garland. You have to follow the law, just as Donald Trump has to follow law. Congress has oversight and the full ability to see these documents. Justify that you went into this man's house for nine hours.
KEILAR: It was the president -- former president's social media network. You asked what it was. It was the former president's social media network.
(CROSSTALK)
TURNER: No, no, no, I said who. I don't know who said that. I don't know -- I -- what I said is, I don't know who said what.
KEILAR: Who said what?
TURNER: And I certainly -- you're saying that someone on social media said that.
I'm telling you what I have said. I'm telling you what members of Congress have said. I'm telling you what my entire...
KEILAR: I'm saying Breitbart reported it. His social media network put it out.
TURNER: My entire Republican committee membership, openly at the beginning of our press conference, demanding, as has bipartisan demands been, show us the goods, Attorney General Garland.
KEILAR: Which is separate from what I'm asking. Which is not what I'm asking, sir.
TURNER: And we did so first -- we did so by first opening and condemning all violence against any law enforcement and by specifically saying, we honor those men and women who serve in the FBI.
We question the leadership, Attorney General Garland, who has raided the home of his boss, President Biden's political rival, who himself has had Donald Trump derail his career on the way to the Supreme Court, where the FBI has a history of unequal application of the law with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, where the FBI has a history before of using bogus information that even "The New York Times" has reported it's bogus, the Russia dossier, to obtain a warrant targeting Donald Trump.
There's a history here that Attorney General Garland has to pass the bar for. He has to justify this. We have the clearance for it. There's a history of us seeing this document -- these documents and information before. Show us the goods.
And at this point, Keilar ended the interview, let him off the hook, and thanked him for his time coming on his show.
Let's hope his Democratic challenger, David Esrati, doesn't do the same. He did go after him for his lame defense of Trump's criminality, but I haven't seen a response from him to this disgusting display by Turner yet.
