CNN’s Don Lemon broke down into a laughing fit at the end of a segment that examined the latest charges of racism leveled against far right Congressman Steve King (R-IA) and his rebuttal, in which King echoed many of the same talking points of the white nationalist movement.

“He doesn’t even know he’s being racist,” Lemon said of King’s response to an angry constituent who had accused the nine-term Congressman of trafficking in racism.

“If we presume that every culture is equal and has an equal amount to contribute to our civilization,” King said. “We’re devaluing the contributions of the people who laid the foundation for America and that’s our Founding Fathers. We need to hang onto those principles and restore them and refurbish the pillars of American Exceptionalism.”

Lemon’s guest, comedian W. Kamau Bell, pulled no punches in his reply. “I appreciate Steve King giving us a working definition of white supremacy. It’s like, yep, that’s exactly what it is, being afraid of other cultures, yep, and feeling like you have to be better no matter what. That’s the working definition of white supremacy.”

“He’s saying that’s not racist when he’s saying something racist coming out of his mouth,” Lemon added, amused by the sheer irony of King’s comment.

“The thing is,” Bell pointed out, “you don’t get to determine if you’re being racist yourself, that’s for others to determine.”

To add more context to the discussion, Lemon then played a supercut of King’s long history of making remarks about “culture” that many others, including his fellow Republicans in Congress, have found racist and offensive. After the clip finished, Lemon began to ask for a comment from Bell, who instead just dropped his head onto the desk in clear frustration and refused to speak.

Lemon then lost it in a giggling fit.

When the pair finally composed themselves, Bell again did not equivocate: “Yes. All that was racist. Next question.”

 

Watch the video above, via CNN.

from Mediaite http://bit.ly/2wAItFb