The Richard Nixon Foundation criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson after the Democrat blamed the mayor for crime in his city about the man who served in the White House 40 years ago.
Johnson, 48, sparked a backlash following the July 4 holiday weekend — when 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured in shootings in Chicago — after citing Nixon as a “root cause” of the crime wave.
“Sadly, the killing of black people has been accepted in this country for too long,” he said at a news conference. “Sixty years ago we had the opportunity to get to the root causes, and people made fun of President Johnson. And we ended up with Richard Nixon.”
In response, Jim Byron, president and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation, said: Fox News that Johnson was “passing the blame, in this case ridiculously and gratuitously.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sparked a backlash after blaming former President Richard Nixon as a “root cause” of a bloodbath in his city over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
At least 109 people were shot, 19 of them fatally, as violence gripped Chicago last weekend
Byron dismissed Johnson’s characterization of the ousted president in his response, saying that Nixon was a “champion of civil rights as vice president and as president.”
He said “the record is clear” and asserted that “unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about Richard Nixon.”
‘But perceptions from years ago are now being reconsidered as we see a renewed interest in studying and understanding his life and legacy in their entirety.
“What’s happening in Chicago is heartbreaking, and I imagine the people of Chicago want leaders who will take responsibility and work together to solve problems instead of trying to shift blame, in this case ridiculously and gratuitously.”
The foundation added that its response to Johnson’s press conference earned it $1 million. views in Xas he joined a chorus of conservative voices criticizing the Chicago mayor’s comments.
The Richard Nixon Foundation’s chief executive called the former president a “champion of civil rights” as he said Johnson was “passing the blame, in this case ridiculously and gratuitously.”
The foundation’s tweet listed several of Nixon’s civil rights accomplishments, including moves to further desegregate schools, increase civil rights funding and channel support to black-owned businesses.
“Mayor Johnson’s reference to President Nixon is gratuitous and the facts are not on his side in his characterization of Richard Nixon and the Nixon administration’s civil rights record,” he added.
The Chicago Police Department said at least 109 people are known to have been shot, 19 of them fatally, in a weekend of horrific gun violence across the city over the Fourth of July holiday.
The killing spree spanned 74 separate incidents, including a horrific family murder in which an 8-year-old boy was killed along with two relatives, while two other children, ages 5 and 7, were injured in the same shooting.
Eight people were also shot dead in a mass shooting in the city’s Little Italy neighborhood.
By comparison, in 2023, 11 people were killed and 62 injured over the July 4 holiday weekend.
Officers and bystanders are pictured on a street where a horrific murder saw an 8-year-old boy killed along with two family members, while two other children, aged 5 and 7, were injured in the same shooting.
Eight people were also shot in a mass shooting in the city’s Little Italy neighborhood, and Chicago officials vowed to bring justice to the victims following the weekend bloodshed.
Johnson said he asked for more resources from the federal government to help fight crime, but raised questions when he explained that the “root cause” of the violence began a long time ago.
“What we have experienced over the weekend is unacceptable and we did not get here overnight. And everyone knows that. We are going to tell the full story of what happened,” he said.
In addition to seemingly blaming Nixon for the crime wave, Johnson, who has notably supported the “Defund the Police” movement, also said his office and the city’s police department would crack down on those responsible.
“It’s a choice. The choice to kill. The choice to kill women, the choice to kill children, the choice to kill the elderly. These are choices that the attackers made and calculated,” Johnson said.
“We are holding each individual accountable for the pain and torment they have caused in this city.”
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