-
Aug 24, 2005 8:13 pm US/Central
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Jackson Reacts, Calls On FCC To Fine Televangelist
Robertson Apologized For Assassination Comments
by Mike Parker
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Televangelist Pat Robertson's "700 Club" call for the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is creating waves in Chicago. On Wednesday, Venezuela's consul general joined Rev. Jesse Jackson to call on President Bush and Secretary of State Rice to disavow Robertson's harangue.
"It's immoral and should be condemned," said Venezuelan Consul General Martin Sanchez.
Jackson said if the Federal Communications Commission could issue big dollar fines for Janet Jackson's so called "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl, the agency could do it again.
"The FCC must have some standard on the advocacy of violence," Jackson said.
Did Robertson, in fact, advocate murder? On Wednesday's broadcast he denied it.
"I didn't say assassination. I said take him out. That could include kidnapping," Robertson said.
In Tuesday's show, Robertson said: "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it."
"Rev. Pat Robertson feels the heat of such a round of condemnation, there's this attempt to manipulate backward and do some kind of moon walk or electric slide using different language," Jackson said.
On Wednesday, Robertson issued a written statement apologizing for his remarks. "Is it right to call for assassination? No. And I apologize for that statement," the statement said.
Robertson has said some provocative things in the past, including charges that activist judges in the U.S. are more dangerous than terrorists and that a nuclear bomb should be set off at the U.S. state department.
He never retracted those comments.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)