Sinclair defends segment justifying use of tear gas at border as ‘commentary’

Sinclair Broadcast Group on Wednesday defended a segment it aired on its local networks this week justifying U.S. Border Patrol agents’ use of tear gas at the U.S.-Mexico border as “commentary.”

“The opinions expressed in this segment do not reflect the views of Sinclair Broadcast Group,” Sinclair wrote on Twitter. “When Boris’s [Epshteyn] segments are aired on our stations, they are labeled clearly as commentary.” 

When Boris’s segments are aired on our stations, they are labeled clearly as commentary. We also offer our stations reporting from the Beltway and beyond that are not partisan or bias in any way.

— Sinclair Broadcast Group (@WeAreSinclair) November 28, 2018

In the clip, former Trump aide-turned-political-commentator Boris Epshteyn claims that the incident at the border was an “attempted invasion,” adding that border agents were forced to use tear gas after being “attacked.”

{mosads}“Dozens of migrants attacked U.S. border enforcement by throwing rocks and bottles,” Epshteyn said. “Ultimately, American authorities had to use tear gas to stop the attacks.”

Epshteyn also took aim at Democrats’ reaction to border agents’ use of tear gas, saying that much of the party’s base appear to “believe it is wrong to defend our country and abide by the rule of law.”

“The fact of the matter is that this is an attempted invasion of our country, period,” he said. “Our border must remain intact and secure.”

Sinclair aired the segment amid heightening tensions as the so-called migrant caravan of thousands of Central Americans reached the southern border.

Hundreds of migrants attempted to cross the border in Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday, ultimately leading U.S. agents to deploy tear gas after some tried to breach a border fence.

The incident followed after the U.S. suspended pedestrian crossings at the San Ysidro port of entry in California. 

Sinclair, on numerous occasions, has aired segments on its 193 local news networks defending President Trump and his administration.

This summer, the network aired a segment in which Epshteyn criticized backlash over Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, which resulted in thousands of families being separated at the border. 

“Let’s be honest: While some of the concern is real, a lot of it is politically driven by the liberals in politics and the media,” he said.