TPM | A Ferguson, Mo. official was having none of Fox News host Sean
Hannity's attempt to "educate" her on police brutality Wednesday night.
Hannity kicked off an interview with Democratic committeewoman
Patricia Bynes by pointing out that she was not present when black
teenager Michael Brown, who was unarmed, was shot by a white police
officer on Aug. 9.
"You were not there. So you don't know if this case is about police brutality, do you?" he asked.
"No, I do know that this case is about police brutality," Bynes said.
"We're talking about excessive force here. There is no way that a young
man that is unarmed should have two shots in his head. That's a little
excessive. That's what we mean when we say police brutality--"
"Let me educate you, committeewoman," Hannity cut in.
"No, I don't need your kind of education," Bynes shot back.
"Let me educate you about the legal system in America," the Fox host
continued over Bynes. "You can try to talk over me, but let me tell you
in our system of justice a person is innocent until proven guilty."
The rest of their roughly four minute exchange followed the same
pattern of interruptions, with Bynes complaining that Hannity had cut
her microphone off at one point because she challenged him.
She then rolled her eyes when Hannity insisted she can't be sure whether Brown's shooting constituted police brutality.
"Legally let me educate you again," Hannity said later. "If [Brown]
was charging at the police officer, the police officer, by law, that
would be defined as justifiable use of force. You're aware of that,
right, committeewoman?"
"I'm very much aware of that," Bynes responded. "But there's no way
an unarmed man should have two shots in his head and four in his body.
So you keep wanting to talk over the facts, but I think you need the
education here."
