'This is who America is': Bakari Sellers launches epic rant on the racist Buffalo shooter

Appearing with CNN host Jim Sciutto on the Monday following the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York by an 18-year-old white man targeting Black Americans, contributor Bakari Sellers went on an extended rant that focused on what he called "this country's original sin."

"I want to quote a tweet from former number three in the [GOP] leadership, Liz Cheney," host Sciutto prompted. "She tweeted: 'The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism and antisemitism. History has taught us what begins with words ends in far worse. GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them."

Sciutto then asked if "in the barest political terms, are Republicans unlikely to confront this because it works for them at the ballot box?"

"The answer to that question is, yes," Sellers replied before adding, "But Jim, we have to look a lot deeper than this. One, this is not an issue of both sides. This is not an issue of, well, this is just political talk. This is not just one theory or another. No, we're talking about racism. We're talking about this country's original sin."

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"What happens in the tragedy in this is that it's a cycle," he continued. "This is who America is. We have this racist attack, we had outrage, we had thoughts and prayers, political back and forth, and then we have an entire cycle where it happens over and over and over again -- and nobody does anything about it."

"The problem that we have now, Jim, is that we have people like George Wallace," he elaborated by referencing the one-time face of segregation and before drawing a direct line from the former Alabama governor to Fox News personality Tucker Carlson. "The difference is George Wallace now has a Brooks Brothers suit and a prime-time TV show. They're able to espouse this nonsense. They're able to espouse this racism."

"This gentleman [the shooter] had 'n*ggers' on the barrel of his gun as he killed the best of us," he continued. "He killed the ladies who sit in the front row of the church and they wear the big hats. When we walk up to them and hug them, they smell like Chanel No. 5, and you'll smell like that all day long, and they give you the pieces of candy and pop you on your hand when you're talking too loud."

"He killed the best of us all because of the color of their skin," he added. "And so Republicans are going to make this any other issue. But until Republicans, face it, this country -- and let's be extremely clear -- white folk in this country combat racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, bigotry -- until we have that conversation, nothing else matters."

Watch below:

CNN 05 16 2022 09 09 00youtu.be