‘Facts Refute Your Point’: Harold Ford Hits Back Hard on Fox News at Narrative Democrats Caused Spike in Crime

Co-host of The Five, Harold Ford, worked overtime on Tuesday in a segment about crime on Fox News’s top-rated program, rebutting his fellow co-hosts for tearing into the Democratic Party for the rise of crime in New York City and across the country.

The conversation began with Greg Gutfeld and Martha MacCallum agreeing that New York City today looks like “Gotham gone awry” in a Batman movie, before a look at various reports of crime and gun violence across the country.

“Okay, well, we talk about crime. We’re always in this kind of like area where we never can really punch through. How do we not make this a left versus right thing anymore? Is that impossible? Is it always now just going to be a political battle? Or is there a way where people like you and people like all of us can meet together? Or is that just never going to happen?” Gutfeld then asked Ford.

“It has to. First of all, all the stories that have been raised, our hearts go out to and our condolences go out to pretty much, you never wanted that story. Never thought you’d be visiting your kids at school and that would happen,” Ford began referencing an earlier discussion of a father shot in a hotel lobby while visiting his kid at college.

“I think when you think about serious people dealing with serious issues, some people can be serious, but their ideas are simply not serious. Cori Bush is, I don’t know her. I assume because she’s an elected member of Congress, she’s serious, but she is completely and stunningly unserious when it comes to talking about crime,” Ford continued, adding:

Just like, I think some in Congress who are on the fringe of the Republican Party are unserious when they talk about not funding Ukraine in their fight against Russia.

Two, this is not a red or blue problem we have. This is a national problem. We have in eight of the states, Judge, where the highest crime rates are. They’re all led by Republican governors

Judge Jeanine Pirro tried to jump in at that point, but Ford held the floor.

“I’d just love to finish my point. I know there have been four, already points here, but they could come out much like this governor’s race in New York between Mrs. Hochul and Mr. Zeldin. There’s an argument being made that Ms. Hochul is not doing her part to fight crime,” Ford added, continuing:

If you’re telling me the governors of Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, and South Carolina are unable to do more, I’d say you’re wrong. But I step back, Judge. I stand down, unlike many who do this. And your question presupposes this. This is not a red or blue problem.

Republicans do a good job of talking about stopping crime rather than actually stopping it.

“If you’re in power, there should be the same kind of coalition that Greg offered this question, the frame he offered, when can we come together?” Ford continued, becoming animated on the topic.

“Why can’t mayors and DAs? Why don’t we hire more cops and prosecutors? Why don’t we build more jails? I’ve been as outspoken and I know a lot of Democrats as in fact, my best friends are Democrat. None of them are ‘defund the police.’ There’s all of them want more jails, more prosecutors, more cops,” Ford roared, adding:

They want an end to cashless bail, there has to be a way to come together to deal with this. And I understand there’s a there’s some advantage and there’s some, you know, there’s a political partizanship advantage and blaming one party the other.

But the facts belie the point. Republican-led states have high crime rates and high murder rate just like Democrats do.

“You can nod your head all you want, and I don’t mind you nodding it, but the facts refute your point,” Ford then said to Pirro.

“We should come together and try to solve the problem, period. Because I don’t want to when I go to college, my kids go to college, I don’t want to go that weekend and have to worry about being shot or for that matter, any parent. Okay, shot or killed,” he concluded.

“Why did Governor Hochul not come out and address it? It happened in her state. She’s running for office. They are devoted to the ideology of power, irrespective of the consequences,” Pirro replied, adding:

In every one of those cases, a mayor, a congressman, a governor could react. But they are, they are so power hungry. Behind the scenes, I’ll say I hate it. None of us want to be the victim of a crime.

But until we make them accountable, until we put people in office, we’re going to say, no more cashless bail. No more bail. If someone is going to be a danger to the community, that’s the only time we’re going to be safe.

“I agree. But the governors of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, and South Carolina are Republican, I don’t say this is a Republican crime problem. I’d say it’s a national problem. And Greg, you had to question the right way,” Ford shot back.

“Not every state constitutionally can fire a D.A. In Pennsylvania, the governor today can fire the D.A., Larry Krasner in Philadelphia,” jumped in Jesse Watters.

“This is a national problem. That’s all I am saying. It’s a national problem,” Ford concluded.

“You know what else is a national problem? Getting to the break. That’s why I sit here. That transition,” interjected Gutfeld, making a joke and ending the segment.

Watch the full clip above via Fox News