Elisabeth Hasselbeck Gets Burned on Social Media for Sandra Bland Remarks About Cigarettes as Weapons

“I’m sure, someone has, in the history of this land, used a cigarette against a police officer,” Hassleback said about Bland’s controversial traffic stop on “Fox & Friends”

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“Fox & Friends” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck weighed in on the Sandra Bland controversy on Monday, and social media wasn’t happy with what she had to say.

“I’m sure, someone has, in the history of this land, used a cigarette against a police officer, maybe chucked it at him, pushed it at him,” Hassleback said, suggesting that the arresting police officer was justified in asking Bland to put out her cigarette in the recently released dashcam video of the arrest.

“Is she trying to justify murder?” wrote Twitter user @quaymorris, referencing the fact that Bland’s death is being handled in the manner of a murder investigation, though initial reports suggest suicide.

Other users agreed that Hasselbeck’s comment blew the threat out of proportion. “Did Fox News think Sandra Bland could absorb the energy of her cigarette and hurl a fireball at the cop?” wrote @owillis.

Hasselbeck took to Twitter on Tuesday to defend herself. “I NEVER suggested Sandra Bland could have used a cigarette as a weapon. I asked whether it was wise to ask her to put it out,” she wrote, adding the hashtag #StopTheLies.

Bland’s body was found hanging in a Texas jail cell three days after she was arrested on July 10 for allegedly assaulting a police officer during a traffic stop. Dashcam video of the arrest released last week showed Texas state trooper Brian Encinia pulling Bland from her vehicle and threatening to tase her.

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