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David Clarke
God, guns, and freedom U.S. Politics |
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Starting arguments over Thanksgiving dinner |
Persons of interest |
David Alexander Clarke Jr. (1956–), also known as "The People's Sheriff" (a title that would make Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson proud) is the former sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He's also the very definition of a DINO, clearly only registered as a Democrat to get his position in the Democrat-leaning Milwaukee, and is the personification of what a wingnut is. He was a regular contributor on Fox News and was once a guest host on Sean Hannity's show, and also hosts his own podcast on TheBlaze.
Prisoner mistreatment
In 2018, three sheriff's officers, who had been under Clarke's supervision, were charged in the death of an inmate who was deprived of water in the Milwaukee County Jail.[1] The jail had long been decried for the abusive treatment of prisoners by staff.[1]
Plane altercation
Clarke was the subject of an FBI investigation after an incident on a plane bound for Milwaukee. Clarke had a minor disagreement with a fellow passenger named Dan Black. Clarke texted one of his officers, asking that the officer detain Black once the plane landed in Milwaukee with the instructions in the message stating "Just a field interview, no arrest unless he becomes an asshole with your guys," Clarke texted, according to the FBI affidavit. Six officers and two police dogs met Black at the plane's exit, Black wrote in an official complaint. The affidavit also reveals that Clarke emailed subordinates asking them to post "memes and messages" including one calling Black a "snowflake" on the official Milwaukee County Sheriff's Facebook page.[2]
List of wingnuttery
Planned Parenthood
Clarke is a vocal critic of Planned Parenthood, believing that it should be renamed "Planned Genocide".[3]
Black Lives Matter
Ironically (or perhaps, not so much so), Clarke is a vocal critic of Black Lives Matter, calling them "Black Lies Matter" and constantly referring to them as a hate group, also referring to BLM as "subhuman creeps". He has urged the Southern Poverty Law Center to label BLM as a hate group, which has drawn ire (rightfully so) from the NAACP. [4]
LGBT Issues
To the surprise of nobody, Clarke is ragingly against LGBT rights[5]. In the wake of the Orlando massacre, Clarke claimed the massacre (namely the gun-control debate surrounding it) was a "distraction"[6]. He also claims that trans people "suffer from mental disorders" and that they live a "freakish" lifestyle[7].
Gun rights
Clarke is a strong advocate of gun rights. He's quite friendly with the NRA (they have frequently donated to his election campaigns), so much so that they paid for him to go to Moscow in 2015.[8]
Suspension of habeas corpus
Clarke called for the suspension of habeas corpus in the United States in a December 2015 appearance on his radio program, where he asserted that there were "hundreds of thousands" or "maybe a million" people who "have pledged allegiance or are supporting ISIS, giving aid and comfort," and stated that "our commander in chief ought to utilize Article I, Section 9 [of the US Constitution]" to imprison them at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp "and hold them indefinitely under a suspension of habeas corpus.[9]
Donald Trump
Clarke is a vociferous supporter of Donald Trump. Following Trump's victory in the 2016 Presidential Election, it was speculated that Clarke would be given a position in his cabinet, possibly as Secretary of Homeland Security.
In May 2017, it was announced that Clarke would serve as Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Partnership and Engagement in the Trump Administration. However, after the backlash caused by this announcement, Clarke rescinded his acceptance of the post a month later.[10]
See also
- Joe Arpaio - His equally insane Southwestern counterpart and fellow Trumpster.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hawkins, Derek (February 13, 2018). "'Profound dehydration': Milwaukee County sheriff's officers charged in death of inmate denied water for a week". The Washington Post.
- ↑ FBI Investigated Sheriff Clarke Over Plane Altercation. The Daily Beast, 29 December 2017.
- ↑ Ford, Matt (May 17, 2017). "Sheriff Clarke Joins the Trump Administration". The Atlantic.
- ↑ 18 August 2017 Economist.com
- ↑ Badash, David (May 17, 2017). "Trump Homeland Security Hires Anti-LGBT Sheriff who Called for 'Rage then Revolt" over Same-Sex Marriage". The New Civil Rights Movement.
- ↑ Duffy, Nick (November 30, 2016). "Trump’s latest Cabinet candidate called Orlando massacre a ‘distraction’ and mocked transgender ‘freaks’". PinkNews.
- ↑ Tani, Maxwell (November 30, 2016). "Top Trump Cabinet candidate claimed trans individuals 'suffer from mental disorders,' live a 'freakish lifestyle'". Business Insider.
- ↑ Schecter, Cliff (December 5, 2016). "How David Clarke Bridges Donald Trump’s Gun Nuts and Vladimir Putin’s Kleptocrats". The Daily Beast.
- ↑ Nichols, John (May 18, 2017). "Sheriff David Clarke Is Determined to Suspend Habeas Corpus and Shred the Bill of Rights: The right-wing extremist’s disregard for the Constitution is well documented, and now he’s reportedly joining Trump’s DHS". The Nation.
- ↑ Abby Phillip, Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke rescinds acceptance of Homeland Security post. The Washington Post, 17 June 2017.