Appearing on Cuomo Prime Time with host Chris Cuomo Wednesday, CNN's Don Lemon called the Wisconsin Republican lawmakers' objection to Colin Kaepernick's name on a Black History Month resolution "B.S." Lemon also criticized former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who was included in the resolution) for "weapons of mass destruction" and accused President Donald Trump of twisting Kaepernick's protest narrative.

African-American lawmakers in the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly earlier this week attacked "white privilege" when Republicans objected to the inclusion of Kaepernick's name on the list.

As I wrote yesterday, many in the media played the race card and obsessed over the fact that all the Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature are white.

Cuomo began the discussion on the controversy with Lemon by praising Kaepernick for a $25,000 donation to a Wisconsin educational effort, "The Republican lawmakers see his name, refuse to let the bill pass until his name is removed. ... They take him off and replace him with other African-Americans, black former politicians that I guess they liked more."

Lemon responded by saying the Republicans wanted former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, "a great woman of color," on the list. "But she was also part of the weapons of mass destruction. You can always find something in someone's past that can disqualify them from certain things."



Cuomo interjected that Republicans don't like what defines Kaepernick to the public. Lemon said the actions of the Republicans in Wisconsin amount to ignorance. "I just think it's B.S. Whatever you want to call it, if you want to call it white privilege, that is your business. I think it's ignorance. And I think it's cherry picking about who you think is a good person and if they're doing what you think is right. We all know what right is, right? I think everyone knows in the back of their minds, deep in their heart, what Colin Kaepernick did was courageous and heroic."

Lemon also complained that the NFL continues to allow men who have been arrested for crimes to play, but won't let Kaepernick back in the league. He also accused President Donald Trump of twisting Kaepernick's protest narrative.

Here's the transcript of the Cuomo-Lemon conversation. Click "expand" to read more.