‘A Great Guy’
Donald Trump began his day on Twitter by praising Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and promoting the right wing extremist’s book before turning to the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.
“A great book by a great guy,†the president wrote, retweeting the anti-LGBT Clarke’s promotion of his book published in February, “highly recommended!â€
The book, “Cops Under Fire: Moving Beyond Hashtags of Race, Crime and Politics for a Better America,†details Clarke’s account on how “we can rise above our current troubles to once again be a truly great people in pursuit of liberty and justice for all.â€Â
Clarke is currently being sued by the family of an intellectually disabled man who died after being locked in a jail cell for seven days without water. Four deaths have been reported in his jail, including that of a newborn baby, after a pregnant woman (who has also filed suit against Clarke) reportedly had a “belly chain†wrapped around her during childbirth.
Clarke’s vehement homophobia is also well-documented, which contributed to the controversy over his self-announced appointment that he had been tapped to join the Trump administration as assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security. He later rescinded following controversy over his allegedly-plagiarized thesis.
Following Trump’s promotion of Clarke, he returned to tweeting about the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. “Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government,†the president wrote from Camp David. “Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued.â€
NBC News reported this morning that Houston, Texas had been hit by catastrophic flooding, and that the situation was dire:
Hundreds of water rescues were underway in Houston early Sunday, officials said, as torrential rain from deadly Hurricane Harvey caused “catastrophic flooding†in the city and across southeast Texas, the National Hurricane Center said.
“This is a life-threatening situation,†said Michael Palmer, lead meteorologist at the Weather Channel.
As responders rushed to save people from flooded homes and stranded cars, the City of Houston said emergency services were “at capacity” and warned residents to “shelter in place” and not to call 911 unless they were in “imminent danger.”
Trump drew criticism for his book promotion during Hurricane Harvey. A few responses below, via Twitter:
Clarke, however, was “honored and humbled,†sending his thanks:
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