Criticizing Black Lives Matter

'The O'Reilly Factor' debates race relations and the Republican Party

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," August 1, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly in the "Personal Story" segment tonight. Column and "Time" magazine entitled an unhinged Republican convention in the nation's greatest task contains a very interesting statements, first that I your humble correspondent in trying to gin up a race war because of my coverage of Black Lives Matter. And second that the G.O.P. itself is now the party of hate.

Joining us now from Boston, the man who wrote the column Joe Klein. All right. Let's take Black Lives Matter first.

JOE KLEIN, TIME MAGAZINE COLUMNIST: Hey, Bill.

O'REILLY: In your research for the column that you wrote, did you find anything that I reported erroneously about Black Lives Matter?

KLEIN: Well, I think that the problem is, look, Bill, I made a similar mistake to the one you made 25 years ago when I said that Spike Lee's movie do the right thing would cause race riots. I agreed with Charles Krauthammer that night. He was trying to restrain you a little bit. You can be as critical as you want of Black Lives Matter. I'm critical of him, too. But to say that they have caused shooting of police officers, I think is a bridge too far.

O'REILLY: But I didn't say it. I didn't say they have caused it.

KLEIN: You were clearly --

O'REILLY: I'll tell you exactly what I said. I said their provocations, their provocations, all right. Lead to a climate that is hateful toward police. I didn't say they caused that. You know that, Joe. You know that because to write a column like this, you have nexus of stuff and the transcripts of our program are available to you. There was no statement of Black Lives Matter caused the mess. Didn't happen.

KLEIN: Well, I remember Charles Krauthammer warning you.

O'REILLY: I'm sorry, Joe. I'm sorry, Joe.

KLEIN: Warning you going too far and you were. I mean, the thing is look, Bill, I have been getting death threats from Black militants since the 1980s because I have been as strong on this issue as you would like to think you are. And the fact is that there is a bright line and you can't go across.

O'REILLY: Well, I didn't go across it, I reported accurately every single time on Black Lives Matter. Now, I have a whole bunch of stuff here about what their leadership has said. I was going it read it to you but I'm not going to read it to you. Because I think you made a mistake in describing me as trying to gin up a race war. Because that is --

KLEIN: You are not going to read it to me, you're not going to read it to me because you know I will agree that the stuff that their leadership had said.

O'REILLY: No. But you said that I'm trying to gin up a race war and that's not true.

KLEIN: Yes.

O'REILLY: That's not true.

KLEIN: Well, I am thrilled that it's not.

O'REILLY: Okay. I'm glad you're thrilled. The second thing now is that GOP as the party of hate. Now, that insults millions of Americans who are registered Republicans, does it not?

KLEIN: Yes. But it also, it also reflects a new reality. I mean, I think that by giving their nomination to Donald Trump who I believe is incompetent to be president.

O'REILLY: Donald Trump -- wait a minute, Joe, Joe. Nobody gave anything to Trump. The Republican Party voted in the primaries. And he won. He won.

KLEIN: Uh-hm. And I believe, I believe that the people who voted in those primaries for Donald Trump were at least helping him along with his message of hate toward immigrants, toward Muslims.

O'REILLY: All right. Give me an example of message of hate. Give me an example so people know what you are talking about. Give me an example of a message of hate.

KLEIN: Well, when he was talking about the Mexican judge, that was certainly a good example. And when he makes this blanket, this blanket accusation about Muslims. Now, Bill, you know, you have actually reported on this. I have spent a lot of time with our troops oversees in Iraq and Afghanistan, I carry water for them. And I have been since 9/11 and in this case Donald Trump, especially with the Gold Star mother, My God, that's disgraceful.

O'REILLY: Well, we will say tomorrow what he has he to say about that. But look, let's take the judge.

KLEIN: I hope so. I'm glad you have him on.

O'REILLY: The judge in the civil suits against Trump University refused to grant summary judgment to throw it out. So Trump said, I believe that he didn't do that, didn't rule my way, Trump's way because he is a Mexican dissent and because I have been tough on the border wall. That might have influenced his thinking. So, do you say that as a hate comment?

KLEIN: I think that it's a comment that does not reflect an adequate knowledge of the United States constitution.

O'REILLY: That might be true. That's his opinion. It's not a hate comment.

KLEIN: And I think that when you call the Mexicans coming across the border, most of whom the vast majority of whom have been very valuable workers here, when you call them rapist and murderers even though that in a very particular senses --

O'REILLY: All right.

(CROSSTALK)

I'll give you the last word.

(LAUGHTER)

KLEIN: I don't need a last word.

O'REILLY: No, I wanted to give you the last word. He said that on my show, okay? One of the first interviews he did. And the context of the diversification was that the smugglers, the human smugglers mug of the illegal alien crossing the southern before are raping and abusing and doing horrendous things to the poor migrants themselves. It wasn't the farmer crossing the Rio Grande is a rapist.

KLEIN: Bill, I'm sure --

O'REILLY: Again, I mean --

(CROSSTALK)

KLEIN: I thought you're going to give me the last word?

O'REILLY: I am. I'm just saying, I wanted to just provide the viewer with my opinion that perspective is needed. Not validating them. Not validating them. Just trying to give perspective. Last word, Joe.

KLEIN: I'm sure that Donald Trump cares the world about those poor immigrants coming across the border. He was backtracking from his stupid comment that he made in his announcement speech when he did the interview with you.

O'REILLY: Maybe. I mean, I can't read his mind. All I want is fairness, Joe. You weren't fair when you said I'm trying to gin up a race war, I'm not. I'm trying to accurately report on this crew. And you know, your opinion on Republicans, you are entitled to that. You're entitled to your opinion but I want to do flash it out a little bit. But I got to say everybody, Klein is a stand-up guy, man, most guys would take their cheap shot, they run away, he didn't and we appreciate it coming.

KLEIN: Not me, man.

O'REILLY: That's right. You are not. You're a stand up.

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