In a heated exchange on Fox & Friends Monday, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade confronted Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) over Vice President Kamala Harris’s reluctance to address crime, particularly her refusal to comment on a tough-on-crime ballot initiative in California during her recent voting.

Kilmeade started by highlighting Harris’s silence on Proposition 36, a California measure aimed at cracking down on shoplifting, drug trafficking, and other serious offenses. “Senator, how do you feel about Axios calling her the ‘no comment’ candidate on this issue and Prop 36 out in California?” Kilmeade asked pointedly, pressing Murphy to explain Harris’s avoidance of the topic.

Murphy deflected, pivoting to Harris’s record on immigration and touting her support for a bipartisan border security bill he co-sponsored with Republican Senator James Lankford. “Kamala Harris has endorsed a very specific, detailed piece of legislation…that would dramatically increase investment on the border,” Murphy said, avoiding a direct response on crime. He criticized Trump for blocking the bill, which Murphy claimed would fix flaws in the asylum system.

Kilmeade, however, didn’t let Murphy sidestep the issue, pressing him on why Harris refused to back a ballot measure cracking down on crime. “This is pretty specific,” Kilmeade argued. “They’re going to be tougher on crime, make shoplifting a felony, increase penalties for drug charges. If she’s serious about being tough on crime, why not take a stand?”

Murphy attempted to defend Harris’s stance, saying she was focused on national issues, not state ballot measures. He then claimed that crime had actually dropped under Biden, insisting that Trump’s presidency ended with higher crime rates. “Crime shot up when Donald Trump was president,” Murphy said, provoking Kilmeade’s skepticism.

“Do you really think you have a strong argument there from the party that gave us ‘defund the police’? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Kilmeade fired back, challenging Murphy’s assertion. Murphy doubled down, arguing that “urban gun homicides have come down in this country by 20%” and insisted mass shootings were down from last year.

Kilmeade quickly countered, referencing FBI data showing an overall increase in crime rates and challenging Murphy’s interpretation of the statistics. Murphy’s insistence that Harris and Biden have a better record on crime fell flat as Kilmeade highlighted Harris’s evasion of a key issue in her home state.

“Senator, the truth is, Harris had an opportunity to show she’s serious about fighting crime by backing a ballot measure that pushes back on easy-on-crime policies—and she chose to say nothing,” Kilmeade said in closing, holding Harris’s silence as evidence of weak leadership on crime.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)