(Maire Clayton, Headline USA) MSNBC host Al Sharpton expressed anger Monday over U.S. Marine Daniel Penny attending the Army-Navy football game with President-elect Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Vance extended the invitation to Penny after he was found not guilty in a New York City manslaughter trial.
Sharpton appeared with Joy Reid on The Reid Out and attacked the move.
“It is amazing to me that you would have someone that choked to death an unarmed man who had mental problems and act as though he’s some kind of hero,” he said. “The clear message is that you are now giving legitimacy to vigilanteism, and it could make others feel that they can take the law into their own hand.”
Sharpton tried to use the race card and claim it would be different if Penny was not white.
“It ought to be insult to all Americans beyond race,” he said. “If the race was the other way around, would the reaction be the same?”
He claimed Trump was sending a message with the invite.
“You have to ask yourself, is that not a purposeful signal?” he continued. “This is the same Donald Trump that claimed black men were going to vote for him but look at what he did to a homeless black man, what Penny did to a homeless black man with mental problems.”
Sharpton then went after Vance in his unhinged rant and said Vance views black people “as animals.”
After Penny accepted the invitation, Vance expressed he was happy he would be joining.
“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance wrote. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.”
The soon to be vice president later posted images on social media of Penny attending the football game with American flag emojis.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/7JKYtIxOLn
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 15, 2024
