A U.S. Senator is accusing LeBron James of promoting extreme violence in America — the NBA superstar’s controversial “You’re Next” post was a hot button issue Wednesday in a Senate hearing.
Sen. John Kennedy called out LeBron during the hearing on domestic violence extremism, referencing his infamous tweet about the cop who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio.
As you know … LeBron published and then deleted the tweet last month, but not before explaining that he meant the officer should be prosecuted like Derek Chauvin. His explanation fell on many deaf ears, as he’s catching heat from politicians, like Sen. Tom Cotton, former President Trump … and now Kennedy.
The Senator from Louisiana asked the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, if LeBron’s post “contributes to domestic violence in America.” Mayorkas balked at the wording of the question, but eventually gave Kennedy an answer.
Columbus Police Department
LeBron’s tweet came on the heels of a violent incident outside a home in his native Ohio. Body cam footage showed Bryant in a physical altercation, and it appears she was trying to lunge with a knife at another girl. The officer shown in LeBron’s post pulled his gun and fired 4 shots, killing Bryant.
Sen. Kennedy’s beef seems to be LeBron’s words promoted violence against police before all the facts of the case came out. Kennedy said, “All we had at the time was the video, and we had nothing else.”
For what it’s worth, LeBron has made it clear he was not suggesting violence against the officer, but wanted him brought to justice for the shooting.