MARIA BARTIROMO, HOST: Any thoughts on the George Zimmerman verdict?
CHARLES BARKLEY: Well, I agree with the verdict.
BARTIROMO: You did.
BARKLEY: I feel sorry that young kid got killed, but they didn't have enough evidence to charge them. Something clearly went wrong that night. Clearly something went wrong, and I feel bad for anybody who loses a kid. But if you looked at the case and you don't make it — there was some racial profiling, no question about it. But something happened that changed the dynamic of that night. And I know, and that's probably not a popular opinion among most people, but just looking at the evidence I agree with the verdict.
I just feel bad because I don't like when race gets out in the media, because I don't think the media has a pure heart, as I call it. There are very few people have a pure heart when it comes to race. Racism is wrong in any, shape, form. There are a lot of black people who are racist too. I think sometimes when people talk about racism they act like only white people are racist. There are a lot of black people who are racist. And I don't like when it gets out there in the media because I don’t think the media has clean hands.
BARTIROMO: I think you’re right. I’m glad you made that point.
BARKLEY: I don’t think the media has clean hands. And, like I said, I feel sorry that young kid got killed, but just judging by the evidence, I don't think that guy should have went to jail for the rest of his life, because something happened bad that night obviously.
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BARKLEY: And let me say, Mr. Zimmerman was wrong to, he was racial profiling.
BARTIROMO: Absolutely.
BARKLEY: But I think Trayvon Martin, God rest his soul, I think he did flip the switch and start beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman. But it was just a bad situation. And like I said, the main thing I feel bad for, it gives every white person and black person who is racist a platform to vent their ignorance.
BARTIROMO: Right.
BARKLEY: You know, that’s the thing that bothered me the most because I watched this trial closely, and I watched all these people on television talking about it. A lot of these people have a hidden agenda. You know, they want to have their racist views, whether they are white or black.
BARTIROMO: The bias comes out.
BARKLEY: The bias, it definitely comes out. It was a bad situation. We all lost. And I feel bad for his parents. You don't ever want to see anybody lose a kid.