Hoping to win over Trump-loving white voters, James Craig blasts U.N. probe of systemic racism

Retired Detroit Police Chief James Craig, pivoting to his new role as an aspiring Republican politician, said on Fox News on Wednesday that it’s “absolutely wrong” for the United Nations to investigate systemic racism in the U.S.

Craig also said on Tucker Carlson Tonight that he plans to make an “important announcement for Michigan’s future” on the Fox News show next week.

Carlson, a conservative provocateur, responded, “If you’re going to announce for governor, we’ll be very excited.”

As Craig prepares to win over Trump-loving white voters, which he’ll need to win a Republican primary for governor, he slammed Secretary of State Antony Blinken for inviting the U.N. on Tuesday to investigate “the scourge of racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia.”

“We don’t need this,” Craig told Carlson. “It’s divisive, and it really benefits the status quo and the liberal elite. That’s exactly what it does.”

Craig suggested he should “do the investigation” into systemic racism.

In 2017, Craig was criticized for quickly dismissing an internal investigation that found racism in the police department.

In 2019, the “Call ‘Em Out Coalition,” a group of Black activists, issued Craig a “Sambo Award” for allowing the police department to become increasingly white under his leadership.

Also in 2019, Craig accused U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of being racist for saying that Detroit's artificial intelligence surveillance system had a bias against Black people. Tlaib was vindicated when two Black men were wrongfully arrested in Detroit due to the computer system].

While delivering his first political speech on July 6, Craig said he voted twice for President Donald Trump and insisted government handouts contributed to systemic poverty in Black communities.

Craig has yet to address the baseless conspiracy theories about widespread election fraud in the 2020 election.

Michigan Democratic Party spokeswoman Rodericka Applewhaite on Thursday blasted Craig for pledging to make his political announcement on Fox News.

“Flocking to a media safe space – with anchors like Tucker Carlson that never press him to answer any questions to define where he stands on the issues – could have only been thought up by the pack of insider consultants that are already driving James Craig’s political campaign,” Applewhaite said in a written statement. “A real leader would use an announcement this big as an opportunity to make the case directly to Michiganders that they have what it takes and are genuinely interested in improving their lives. Luckily, our working families already have one. Governor Whitmer has put Michigan back to work and delivered one of the strongest economic comebacks in the country. No amount of cable appearances can undo those gains.”

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