April Ryan Claims Civil Rights Leaders 'Outraged' at Trump Police Reform EO Presentation

By Bonchie | 5:00 PM on June 16, 2020

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AP featured image — FILE – In this Dec. 19, 2014 file photo, April Ryan, a veteran White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, appears at a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. Ryan has been hired as a political contributor for CNN. Her CNN hiring was announced on Monday, April 3, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

You can probably file this under “Trump can do nothing right in some people’s eyes.”

CNN’s April Ryan, a activist masquerading as a journalist, reported earlier today that civil rights leaders were “outraged” at Trump’s police reform EO presentation. What was so upsetting?

Apparently, the fact that Ahmaud Arbery’s family would be in attendance.

EXCLUSIVE: #CivilRights leaders are OUTRAGED after a late night Tuesday call where they learned that Lee Merritt (@MeritLaw) & family members of #AhmaudArbery are expected to be on hand at the #WhiteHouse for a photo op during @realDonaldTrump’s #PoliceReform executive order.

— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) June 16, 2020

There are several ways to look at this.

Why would the presence of Arbery’s family be offensive? What has President Trump done that caused any of the harm that came to him? Also, isn’t the fact that Trump is signing this EO proof he does care about the issue? The change Ryan no doubt thinks should happen certainly didn’t happen under Barack Obama. Trump is making a move here Democrats failed to make in the past. Isn’t that praise worthy? Or at least not worthy of condemnation?

Of course, that assumes anything Ryan is saying is even true. While I’m sure she found some people who claim to be a civil rights leaders who said this, it’s hardly dispositive of any grander view. Nor, does such a view make any logical sense. Describing the presentation as a “photo-op” is also just generic partisan politics. Every time a president signs a bill or EO, photos are taken. That’s hardly some nefarious act by Trump.

It should also be asked why anyone who’s outraged would feel the need to remain anonymous. If you are a Trump opponent and speak publicly, that does nothing but help one’s profile and outlook these days. I’m highly skeptical that Ryan had real civil rights leaders saying this but that none of them wanted to be named.

Regardless, the worse aspect of this is the division it continues to sow in an environment where people were open to changes being made. Instead of unifying and solidifying support around practical solutions regarding police reform, people like Ryan (and whoever she’s quoting) are more worried about slapping at Trump than accepting he can do something good.

That’s hardly unusual for the Trump era though.