Clyburn hits at Bill O’Reilly, slavery in campaign email

S.C. Congressman Jim Clyburn is targeting Fox News host Bill O'Reilly over his comments on slavery in a fundraising email.

An email from “Team Clyburn” on Thursday entitled “You cannot defend slavery, ever” asked supporters of the Sixth District congressman to go to a special website to “denounce” O’Reilly.

First Lady Michelle Obama mentioned she lives in “a house that was built by slaves” – i.e., the White House – while speaking at the Democratic National Convention two weeks ago.

“I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves,” Obama said. “And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.”

In recapping Obama’s speech on his Fox News program, O’Reilly added that the slaves who worked to construct the president’s home “were well fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government,” sparking outrage some those who thought he was defending the use of slave labor.

Clyburn’s email says O’Reilly “tried to justify our nation’s dark history” as he “fired back” at the first lady.

“As a former history teacher... Jim is outraged by Bill O’Reilly’s offensive remarks,” it reads. “Bill O’Reilly’s defense of slavery is racist to the core.”

The email then directs readers to a Clyburn for Congress page to express their disapproval, by signing up their name, email address and ZIP code with the campaign site.

This isn’t the first time Clyburn and O’Reilly have clashed. In June, O’Reilly said on air that “I just want to slap him” over the congressman’s push for gun control after the Orlando nightclub shooting. That led the Congressional Black Caucus to call for an apology.