Joe Walsh: "No evidence" Trayvon Martin case "was about race"

He added that "guys like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson" are "race hustlers" who "get rich on racism"

Published July 23, 2013 7:02PM (EDT)

Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh contended that the Trayvon Martin shooting was not about race, and that the media and "race hustlers" like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson feed the idea. "The FBI, the Justice Department, the prosecution, the defense, the six-person jury, George Zimmerman's neighbors, everybody on record said there's absolutely no evidence this case was about race," Walsh, R-Ill., told The Huffington Post.

"I think the media feeds this," he continued. "I think you've got guys like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, race hustlers, who live and get rich on racism. Racism exists, but my God, so does 17 percent unemployment."


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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George Zimmerman House Republicans Illinois Joe Walsh Racism Trayvon Martin