Tapper: Why Aren't Progressives Calling Out the Women's March?

Cortney O'Brien | July 18, 2017 7:05 PM

UPDATE: Women's March organizer Linda Sarsour has responded to Tapper, looping him in with her "alt-right" attackers.

.@jaketapper joins the ranks of the alt-right to target me online. Welcome to the party.
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) July 18, 2017

***Original Post***

The Women's March, part of the "Resistance" that has emerged in the era of President Trump, has a knack for championing convicted cop killers. The group, which recently went on a 17-mile march in Washington, D.C. against the NRA, declared its love for Assata Shakur on Twitter.

Shakur, also known as Joanne Deborah Chesimard, is currently on the FBI's Most Wanted list for murdering a New Jersey police officer in 1977. She escaped prison two years later and is now hiding in Cuba. What a perfect person to celebrate!

Happy birthday to the revolutionary #AssataShakur! Today's #SignOfResistance, in Assata's honor, is by @Meloniousfunk. pic.twitter.com/V66au1dRnl
— Women's March (@womensmarch) July 16, 2017

Condemning cop killers is something upon which I hope both Republicans and Democrats can find consensus. Why, then, CNN's Jake Tapper wondered, aren't any progressives speaking out against the march?

Shakur is a cop-killer fugitive in Cuba. This, ugly sentiments from @lsarsour & @dykemarchchi ...Any progressives out there condemning this? https://t.co/rXnHLgE2hR
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 18, 2017

When a social media user challenged Tapper to suggest that most people believe Chesimard to be innocent, he replied with a simple, "nope," and let this FBI document do the talking.

Nevertheless, the Women's March activists are doubling down on their praise of Chesimard. Sophie Ellman-Golan, who serves as the deputy head of socials and outreach for the group, responded to Tapper's tweet with a sarcastic message that read, "Right, because the FBI has a history of being really fair to well-known Black activists." The Women's March Twitter account also defended its initial tweet celebrating Shakur's birthday by sending out a 20-tweet explainer, as documented by the Free Beacon.

Social media users who didn't buy the Women's March's explanation thanked Tapper for exposing the group's radicalism.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Tapper in his outrage. "Unbelievable that anyone would idolize a cop killer. Chesimard belongs in jail, & #Cuba should return her to the US so she can face justice," he tweeted.

Hopefully some of his Democratic colleagues will echo his calls.

Oh, and it's always worth mentioning that Women's March organizer Linda Sarsour once called for jihad against President Trump.