Perino Breaks Down Over ‘Bail Reform’ Tragedy: ‘Don’t Think I’ve Ever Cried On TV’

Fox News host Dana Perino broke down in tears Thursday while speaking with a domestic violence survivor from Illinois whose 18-month-old son was shot to death by her estranged husband after he returned from jail without having to post bail.

Cassandra Tanner Miller has become an advocate for stronger bond conditions as Illinois and other Democrat-run states push to weaken such conditions under the pretense of “social justice” efforts.

Tanner was home with her 9-year-old daughter, Camryn, and son Colton when the children’s stepfather, Christopher Michael Miller, broke into the home on Sept. 21, 2019, Fox News reported.

Miller was released from jail on something called an “I-bond,” which allows a person to leave jail without paying any bail as long they promise to return to court for their hearing.

Fox News details what happened next:

“Are you all ready to die?” asked Tanner, who was supposed to be in court at the time.

Her daughter, who attempted to protect her younger brother, was bitten, strangled, and nearly tossed off the second-floor railing.

Although Tanner and her daughter were able to escape while Miller was reloading a gun, Tanner’s 18-month-old was shot 10 times in the head and killed.

After speaking to the mother, Perino broke into tears over the tragedy (video below).

“You’re a survivor and a mother,” Perino told Tanner, becoming emotional. “Thank you for sharing your story and I hope the governor is listening.”

“Trace, I don’t think I’ve ever cried on TV,” Perino said to her co-anchor Trace Gallagher. “That was really hard.”

Perino noted that Tanner’s story is unfortunately replicated across the country. “And I understand that there is concern that cash bail has hurt segments of the population, that minorities are hurt more, but we also have to think about these victims,” she urged.

Tanner recently met with Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in hopes to dissuade him from signing HB 3653, though the governor ignored her warning and signed the bill.

“He absolutely let me down,” the mother said. “I made a plea to him prior to him signing this bill and to hold off and to actually think about victims. … He completely failed the entire domestic violence community.”

The Illinois Republican Party has called HB 3653 “an outgrowth of the ‘defund police’ movement.”

“With the ending of cash bail, HB 3653 mandates the immediate release of persons arrested for burglary, arson, and kidnapping onto our streets while they await trial,” a statement from the Republican groups said.

“It is no surprise that in a recent statewide poll of law enforcement, 66% of police officer will now consider retiring early. Standing firmly behind the thin blue line, Illinois Republicans are appalled at the signing of this bill representing an all out attack on both public safety and the brave men and women who provide it.”

BREAKING: PRITZKER SIGNS ANTI-POLICE BILL #twill

If this makes you angry, join the movement to end JB’s reign in 2022 at >> https://t.co/pDoEOWrO0h pic.twitter.com/LiGMCkE5Ra

— IL Republican Party (@ILGOP) February 22, 2021

As noted by Fox News, Pritzker has defended the bill as “a substantial step toward dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities, our state, and our nation and brings us closer to true safety, true fairness, and true justice.”

WATCH:

“Trace, I don’t think I’ve ever cried on TV. That was really hard.”@DanaPerino became emotional after an interview with a survivor of domestic violence. Cassandra Tanner Miller’s husband killed the couple’s one-year-old son after he was released from jail without a cash bond. pic.twitter.com/sQuQQ8GqdW

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 25, 2021

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