Stoking...Racial Division': Hannity, West and Williams Clash Over the Role of Race in the Zimmerman Case

On Tuesday, television host Sean Hannity was joined by liberal commentator Juan Williams and former congressman Allen West. The three debated the details surrounding Trayvon Martin's death, with Williams contending that discussion about the tragic incident was rooted in race from the start. West and Hannity -- no strangers to speaking out on the George Zimmerman verdict -- voiced their disagreement with this assessment.

In discussing the divisive nature of the Zimmerman case, West stated his belief that some African American leaders, in his view, are making the problem worse.

"You have a push by certain individuals within the black community to try to keep this stoking of racial division," he said, also decrying the mainstream media for cherry-picking stories and continuing to advance false narratives.

Sean Hannity, Allen West and Juan Williams (Photo Credit: Fox News

Williams added that the Zimmerman and Martin ordeal has "led to a higher lever of distrust between people in this country." From there, though, the conversation turned contentious, with Hannity and Williams disagreeing over the role that race has played in the teenager's death.

"I think in the situation involving Trayvon Martin -- I think Trayvon Martin, not only was he black, but I think that the president later said that he was Trayvon Martin 35 years ago," the liberal commentator said.

"But there was no race in this case," Hannity responded.

But Williams disagreed.

"That's not true. Let me just tell you we have been talking about this case in racial terms from the start," he said, noting that the situation gained attention in the first place because police didn't arrest Zimmerman for weeks after Martin's death.

West chimed in and agreed with Hannity, noting that there is no evidence to "prove any animus of racial hatred there with George Zimmerman."

Watch the exchange, below:

(H/T: Mediaite)