The Rev. Al Sharpton slammed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) for dancing with Jamie Foxx in the Hamptons over the weekend, while protests and police activity in Ferguson, Missouri, escalated.
The potential 2016 candidate was attending a fundraiser. Also present and taking his turn on the stage was Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Sharpton told MSNBC's Tamron Hall on Monday that he thinks possible presidential candidates have a responsibility to speak out about the situation in Ferguson.
"This is now a national, central issue, and anyone running for president needs to come up with a formula, or, in my opinion, they forfeit their right to be taken seriously," he said. "I'm amazed that we're not hearing from leading candidates ... Chris Christie or Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton. I land in New York this morning, and I see Chris Christie dancing with Jamie Foxx."
While Christie and McCain busted moves on Saturday night, police unleashed tear gas on protesters in Ferguson. Amid the mayhem, a man was wounded by gunshots. This came after Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) declared a state of emergency and instituted a midnight curfew.
Other potential presidential candidates have weighed in on the violence, which began after the deadly shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a police officer on Aug. 9. Last week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wrote an op-ed denouncing the "militarization of law enforcement," a key facet of the situation in Ferguson and a growing trend nationally. Paul has also advocated for reforms to the criminal justice system.
On Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote a Facebook post urging law enforcement to "examine carefully what happened to ensure that justice is served" and condemning the arrests of The Huffington Post's Ryan Reilly and The Washington Post's Wesley Lowery.
Watch Sharpton's comments above.
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