In one of the stranger things said during Monday night’s U.S. Senate debate between Sen. Joni Ernst and Theresa Greenfield, this exchange likely caused many to scratch their head.
During conversation about law enforcement and minority communities, Sen. Ernst brought up Greenfield’s comment that our “policing” is systemically racist. You can hear Greenfield’s original comment here:
When Ernst began going down that road on Monday, Greenfield immediately objected.
“Let’s stop right there Sen. Ernst. That is a lie. That is a lie,” Greenfield said.
The moderators regained control and then gave each candidate a chance to speak without interrupting.
“Theresa Greenfield has stated that our law enforcement system is systemically racist,” Ernst said. “Meaning that our law enforcement officers are racist. I don’t believe that.”
Greenfield, who just a minute earlier claimed it was a lie, doubled down.
“We have systemic racism in all of our systems, and have for generations, including our policing system,” she said. “But that is not saying that all police officers are racist.”