King: ‘Is It Unfair’ to Ask Presidential Candidates to Take a Stance on Confederate Flag?

KING: “Is this a gotcha question? If you are the president of the United States, and you saw the president of the United States, this president has had to come out many times after mass shootings. His Republican predecessor, George W. Bush did sometimes after big events, mass shooting, 9/11. Your job as president is to lead the country when there's something big before the country. This is something big before the country. Is it unfair to ask somebody who wants to hold the nuclear football, who wants to get the bully pulpit, what is your position? You can say, if I lived in South Carolina, I would not support it. I don't but I hope this is where they go. What's wrong with that? Who are you afraid of?”
KNOX: “Yes, you are right. I mean basically, it’s a generous point. How would the country change and how would it change if you were president, sir or ma'am. It's time for politicians to retire the term gotcha question. What they mean is it's an uncomfortable question that I would prefer not to answer. And you are seeing a lot of these folks focusing on the mechanism, which is, you know, no one is saying that if you become president you will issue an executive order that will ban the Confederate flag, that's not the issue here. The point is are your personal values, are those consistent with flying that flag on state property next to the capitol? I don't think it's a gotcha question at all.”
KING: “If you are a leadership figure to somebody who might live in that state, yes, this is a decision for South Carolina to make and a number of Republican politicians have said give us a little space, we hope to finally get here. This has been a tough process over years. Give us space. But it is perfectly a fair question for someone running for president. What do you think? What would you do? What is your advice to your supporters in South Carolina? Perfectly fair question.”