If there were a mercy rule when it came to TV interviews, it would have doubtless been invoked during CNN's State of the Union interview of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel by Jake Tapper.
Israel and his department have been coming under increasing criticism for their handling of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which 17 students and staff were killed by a 19-year-old former student who'd frequently interacted with Israel's deputies, as well as the school's resource officer (a deputy as well), over the last few years. Additionally, the department's initial handling of the shooting, one in which at least FOUR sheriff's deputies never entered the school, all while the shooter freely roamed the halls, firing at will at anyone he could, is turning into a serious matter. The shooter, a clearly disturbed individual, later escaped by mingling with other students as they fled the scene.
In the aftermath, Israel blamed everyone and anything he could find, including what he called a lack of law enforcement resources, for the shooting. But that assertion is seeming increasingly weak as the days go on and more is known about his own department's role in the lead-up to the horrible tragedy.
Tapper -- who last week hosted a CNN town hall dealing with the shooting and in which Israel participated -- wasn't about to let Israel off the hook, either. He peppered the sheriff with questions, including whether he knew about his deputies taking cover behind their cars and never entering the school. Really, the interview became more like a waterboarding session than your run-of-the-mill question-and-answer session, and Jake The Snake wouldn't let Israel establish any sort of exculpatory narrative.
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Israel and his department have been coming under increasing criticism for their handling of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which 17 students and staff were killed by a 19-year-old former student who'd frequently interacted with Israel's deputies, as well as the school's resource officer (a deputy as well), over the last few years. Additionally, the department's initial handling of the shooting, one in which at least FOUR sheriff's deputies never entered the school, all while the shooter freely roamed the halls, firing at will at anyone he could, is turning into a serious matter. The shooter, a clearly disturbed individual, later escaped by mingling with other students as they fled the scene.
In the aftermath, Israel blamed everyone and anything he could find, including what he called a lack of law enforcement resources, for the shooting. But that assertion is seeming increasingly weak as the days go on and more is known about his own department's role in the lead-up to the horrible tragedy.
Tapper -- who last week hosted a CNN town hall dealing with the shooting and in which Israel participated -- wasn't about to let Israel off the hook, either. He peppered the sheriff with questions, including whether he knew about his deputies taking cover behind their cars and never entering the school. Really, the interview became more like a waterboarding session than your run-of-the-mill question-and-answer session, and Jake The Snake wouldn't let Israel establish any sort of exculpatory narrative.
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
