Journalist Tells Tucker Carlson ‘Ridiculous’ Reason BLM ‘Mob,’ Legacy TV Station Drove Her Out

Minneapolis journalist Liz Collin told Daily Caller News Foundation co-founder Tucker Carlson Wednesday that she felt the Black Lives Matter (BLM) “mob” and her station drove her out of her job after it became well known she was married to a police officer.

Collin had been a reporter at CBS-owned WCCO-TV during the 2020 riots that followed George Floyd’s death. She left her position in January 2022 after nearly 14 years. While discussing the matter on “The Tucker Carlson Show,” Carlson asked why she believed she was punished for her husband’s career.

“Yeah, it was ridiculous. I finished out my contract and then eventually left. But I would go — ” Collin said.

“But why were you not allowed to do newscasts after?” Carlson asked.

In January 2021, Collin’s husband, former Minneapolis Police Officers Federation President Bob Kroll, retired after activists demanded he resign for comments calling George Floyd a “violent criminal” and describing the riots as a “terrorist movement,” according to FOX9.

Collin said her relationship with Kroll was known to her station and added she “never reported” on police union matters, recognizing it as a conflict of interest.

“At first I understood that I obviously can’t report on this story. There’s a conflict of interest, and I’d never reported on police union issues in Minneapolis,” Collin said. “We were married for a few years by the time this even happened. But all of a sudden it became like we were in this hidden marriage, as if I was supposed to start every newscast by talking about who my husband is.”

“Can you imagine in this world why this even matters? But then it appeared my name started appearing, every story that I did, no matter what, it would be just a reminder. Liz Collin is married to Bob Kroll,” Collin said. “Literally, this would be printed in stories on our website. This is just completely, absolutely insane.”

Shortly after Floyd’s death, Minneapolis became the epicenter of the 2020 riots, leading to many buildings being burned down and businesses looted. The violence lasted for three days. (RELATED: Los Angeles ICE Riots Cost City $20 Million — And Counting)

Some legacy media outlets downplayed the destruction in Minneapolis, with NBC reportedly banning the word “riots” during coverage.

WATCH:

A  Star Tribune report later said nearly 150 buildings were set on fire, and more than 400 restaurants and retail stores were damaged — leaving over 1,500 locations affected and the city facing millions in property damage.

Carlson asked if the station told her that she was “no longer allowed to do” her job because of her husband’s position on the police force.

“Well, at first it just drags on for weeks. Weeks turned to months,” Collin said. “I was still allowed to report on a few things, but I was no longer allowed to report on state government, city government, anything to do with policing. I would have to get permission before I would even be able to call someone in law enforcement.

“This has been my career. I have a lot of good sources, and I’ve reported on a lot of these issues long before I was even married to Bob,” Collin added. “But all of a sudden, everything became an issue. [I] will say that my husband appeared onstage with President Trump. This was back in 2019 when he was running for reelection. And that really became an issue with the station as well.”

Collin went on to describe how BLM later protested against both her and her husband, even gathering outside her home at one point.

“They showed up to the station. They held a protest demanding that I be fired for being married to a cop. Then they showed up at our home four different times. We had protests that summer of 2020. One sponsored by Black Lives Matter,” Collin said. “They showed up with pinata effigies of myself and my husband and beat us in our driveway.”

At the time of the incident in August 2020, over 100 BLM activists showed up at Collin’s home demanding that both Kroll and Collin be fired from their positions, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.

“Welcome to South Africa. That’s crazy. And you had a child at home?” Carlson asked.

“We were not home that weekend,” Collin said. “But, yes, my child discovered this on YouTube years after it happened. I thought I would keep it from him. But you can’t do that, I guess, in this digital world we live in.”

CBS did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. 

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