White House Slammed For Offering Condolences Over OJ Simpson’s Death

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OJ Simpson
Photo Credit: Gerald Johnson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The White House is being blasted for offering condolences to the family of O.J. Simpson after his passing, but failing to mention the victims from his murder trial.

Infamous former football star and O.J. Simpson died at the age of 76 on Wednesday, after losing his battle with cancer. His family announced the former football player’s death on social media on Thursday morning.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” they wrote.

“During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”

The White House awkwardly commented on Simpson’s passing during a press conference when asked about it by a reporter.

“So I’ll say this, our thoughts are with, uh, are with his families during this difficult time, obviously with his family and loved ones,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre remarked.

“And I’ll say this, I know that they have asked for some privacy, and so we’re going to respect that. I’ll just leave it there.”

Her response was criticized by political commentators, including Outkick’s Clay Travis. “KJP gave White House condolences to OJ Simpson’s family. Zero mention of the two people he murdered or their families,” he captioned a video of her response.

Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk had a similar reaction to how Jean-Pierre spoke about the death of the former running back.

“Since the Biden Administration won’t say it, allow me to offer my condolences to the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman that their killer was never held properly accountable,” he tweeted.

“And congratulations to OJ Simpson’s cancer for winning the battle against a hardened murderer,” Kirk added.

The internet seemed to have very little sympathy for Simpson after his passing and overwhelmingly believes that he will burn for his actions, which they conveyed through a series of memes and gifs they shared on Thursday.

Simpson was an outstanding athlete who won the 1968 Heisman Trophy before being drafted to the Buffalo Bills in 1969, where he would go on to become the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1973.

Despite his achievements in the NFL, the former running back was most well known for being charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994.

Brown Simpson and Goldman were found stabbed to death on the property of her Brentwood, California condo on June 12, 1994.

Simpson became a suspect when police discovered a glove that had blood stains on it hidden on his property.

Despite originally agreeing to turn himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department, he fled in a low-speed police chase in a 1993 Ford Bronco. His former teammate Al Cowlings was the SUV’s driver, but claimed that Simpson held a gun to his head to compel him to help him attempt to getaway.

Simpson’s eleven month trial became a national spectacle, which made celebrities out of the lawyers on both sides of the bench.

Prosecutors Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden, and William Hodgman alleged that the former San Francisco 49ers star had a history of domestic violence directed at his ex-wife, which ultimately led to her murder.

While his defense lawyers, dubbed the “Dream Team,” consisting of Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, and Robert Kardashian, the father of Kim Kardashian, argued that the LAPD’s legacy of racism and subpar DNA collection protocols had compromised the investigation.

The bloody glove, which was the most compelling evidence against Simpson, due to being covered in DNA belonging to Brown Simpson and Goldman, seemingly solidified the defense’s case.

When Darden asked Simpson to put the glove on his hand in front of jurors, he visibly struggled to put the leather glove on over the latex gloves he was wearing to preserve the evidence.

During the closing arguments of what was dubbed the “trial of the century,” Cochran famously told jurors that “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

When Simpson was ultimately acquitted of the murders, the jury’s verdict was viewed by around 100 million people in the United States.

The trial become the inspiration for FX’s “American Crime Story” in 2016, which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. as Simpson, and earned him an Emmy for the role.

Though he was acquitted of murder, a Santa Monica jury found Simpson liable for Goldman’s death, along with the battery Goldman and Brown Simpson in 1997. He was ordered to pay an astonishing $33,500,000 to both of their families.

In the new millennium, he turned to a life a of crime and was charged with armed robbery in 2007. He was found guilty and sentence to 33 years in prison the following year, but was paroled in 2017.

The panelists of ABC’s “The View” reacted to Simpson’s death, which they learned of just prior to walking on stage.

“I remember feeling a great sense of injustice happened; it’s one of the reasons I became a prosecutor,” co-host Sunny Hostin said. “For me the tragedy was the injustice.”

Fellow panelist Joy Behar questioned “which part” and Hostin explained that the she meant “the criminal trial,” where he was “not found guilty.”

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said she hopes Simpson’s death “gives some peace to the family of the victims.”

“I agree it was a miscarriage of justice. I hope it helps them to find peace,” she added.

 

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