Haley Campaign Press Release - DeSantis Trying to Rewrite History on George Floyd

Ron DeSantis is lying—AGAIN—about Nikki Haley's record on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Haley has repeatedly criticized the BLM movement and the riots and violence that erupted in our cities.

But wait... Ron DeSantis denounced George Floyd's murder and expressed his outrage in 2020.

RON DeSANTIS

DeSantis denounced Floyd's murder.

• On June 1, 2020, DeSantis tweeted: "Florida has zero tolerance for violence, rioting & looting. George Floyd's murder was appalling & the MN perpetrators need to be brought to justice, but this cannot be used as a pretext for violence in our communities."
• On June 3, 2020, DeSantis said: "When I saw the video of that cop murdering George Floyd, I was just absolutely appalled by what I saw. But I immediately asked folks at FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) and others, 'How in the hell could you get away with even doing that tactic?' And sure enough, [in the] State of Florida, you do not put knee on a neck like that. That is not good training. I think, we're going to see whether this cop, I think he had a lot of complaints, he's maybe had a lot of problems. But why would you even go that route, and obviously to do it for such a length of time, totally, totally inappropriate... I think everyone agrees that's totally intolerable what happened."
• DeSantis also noted that Derek Chauvin had a number of complaints against him: "Was there a breakdown in that police department from not holding him accountable?"

NIKKI HALEY

Haley repeatedly criticized the BLM movement.

• The violence we have seen in Seattle, Chicago, and NYC over the weekend is exactly why the Defund The Police movement would be disastrous for so many families and communities. If anything, these police depts need more resources, not less. #PoliceReformNotElimination (Twitter, 6/22/20)
• Why is no one talking about the black owned businesses that are being looted, or black seniors whose prescriptions can't be filled because their local drug store was burned to the ground, or black police officers who are being attacked and harassed by mobs. (Twitter, 6/25/20)
• What makes America special, and separates us from other countries, is the rule of law. It allows us our quality of life and our freedom. Getting rid of the police won't give us results. Defunding the police will create lawless chaos, like we see in Venezuela. (Twitter, 7/9/20)
• You will arrest kids for chalking pro-life messages but not people rioting and causing lawlessness? (Twitter, 8/3/20)
• For the AP to no longer use the word "riots" isn't journalism — it's propaganda. And it ignores and insults the entrepreneurs whose stores have been burned, the families whose neighborhoods have been shattered, and every American who knows our country is better than this. (Twitter, 10/8/21)
• Democrats stand for riots and lawlessness. They've spent the past year demonizing the police, demanding open borders, and turning a blind eye to illegal immigration. Now America is dealing with a violent crime wave and the worst border crisis in decades. (Twitter, 7/2/21)

As governor, Haley brought South Carolinians together during two difficult crises and prevented riots.

• When Walter Scott was shot and killed in April 2015 by a white police officer, Haley held her state together and passed the first body camera bill in the country.
  • Haley: "In South Carolina we did things differently. After the horrendous death of Walter Scott, we didn't have violence. As a state, we came together, black and white, Republican and Democrat. We communicated constantly – with religious leaders, with political leaders, with community leaders. We saw the need for justice and immediately brought charges against the offending officer. But we went further than that. Two months, to the day, after the shooting of Walter Scott, our Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a body camera bill. A few days later, Mr. Scott's family stood with me when I signed the bill into law."
• In June 2015, when a white supremacist killed nine black South Carolinians while they were praying at church, Haley focused on uniting her state and preventing the riots that had engulfed other states in similar situations.
• Haley brought both sides together to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state grounds.

Haley is outspoken about her belief that "America is not racist."

• The Hill: Haley criticizes US 'self-loathing': America is not a racist country
• Daily Mail: Obama cynically attacked me after I dared to say America is NOT racist. But if Democrats get their way, black and brown kids will think they're inferior and have no place in our country
• Politico: Nikki Haley: It is a 'lie' that America is racist