Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and radio host Charlamagne Tha God on Tuesday joined forces to fact-check former CNN commentator Angela Rye on qualified immunity for police.
Qualified immunity shields police officers from civil lawsuits unless they infringe upon “clearly established” rights. While guest-hosting “The Breakfast Club,” Rye appeared to challenge Donalds’ assertion that qualified immunity is irrelevant when an officer violates the U.S. Constitution, prompting the congressman and Charlamagne to correct her stance.
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“When you violate a constitutional right, qualified immunity doesn’t apply to you, and that’s what I’m talking about,” Donalds said. “It does not, Angela, don’t do that. It does not.”
Rye, who was guest-hosting virtually, appeared to be shaking her head at Donalds’ assertion.
“I thought that was the definition of qualified immunity,” Charlamagne said.
“If you carry yourself outside of the confines of your training and the protocols of that department, qualified immunity doesn’t apply to you. It does not,” Donalds said.
Rye called Donalds’ statement “not true” and “patently false,” but the congressman responded it is “patently true.”
Charlamagne then appeared to read a definition of qualified immunity, stating, “Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects government officials from civil lawsuits when they perform their jobs unless they clearly violate a constitutional right.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. And what is a violation of that right is when they’re outside the norms of their training and the protocols of that department of that agency,” Donalds responded.
Following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May 2020, Democrats attempted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement. House lawmakers passed the legislation in March 2021, but failed in the Senate, partly because of the qualified immunity removal, according to CNN.
Former President Donald Trump, while in office, would not consider signing any police reform legislation that contained modifications to qualified immunity for police officers, former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed in June 2020. Trump has campaigned for reelection in 2024 on providing stronger immunity for police officers.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM)
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