A Cleveland detective who also serves as president of his local Police Patrolmen's Association issued some scathing criticisms at President Obama in the aftermath of the Baton Rouge police shootings, saying the White House chief absolutely has "blood on his hands" for triggering violence against cops with his inflammatory race-baiting rhetoric.
He also roped in Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, saying that state's executive ought to be similarly ashamed.
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"It's absolutely insane that we have a president of the United States and a governor of Minnesota making the statements they made less than one day after the police-involved shootings," said Steve Loomis, during a televised discussion with Harris Faulkner of Fox News. "And those police-involved shootings, make no mistake, are what absolutely have triggered this rash of senseless murders of law-enforcement officers across this country. It's reprehensible. And the president of the United States has blood on his hands that will not be able to come washed off."
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Loomis was speaking of remarks both Obama and Dayton offered just a day after the police shooting of Philando Castile, whose dying moments were captured on cell phone video by his girlfriend, and then posted to Facebook Live.
Before any investigation had been conducted or concluded, Obama said, in part: "When incidents like this occur, there's a big chunk of our citizenry that feels as if, because of the color of their skin, they are not being treated the same, and that hurts, and that should trouble all of us. This is not just a black issue, not just a Hispanic issue. This is an American issue that we all should care about."
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Dayton's comments were even blunter.
"Would this have happened if the driver were white, if the passengers were white? I don't think it would have," he said, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Shortly after, five police officers were shot and killed, and another seven injured, in a targeted shooting in Dallas.
Loomis also faulted the media for furthering a rhetoric against police that just wasn't true.
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"How the hell did we ever become the bad guys in this country? I cannot imagine how we got here," he said, the Hill reported. "It's the irresponsible reporting of the media. And the irresponsible statements of people that are credible like the president of the United States."
Loomis slammed Obama for "pushing a false narrative" against police that helped fuel the anger in black communities.