Republican members of the Senate urged President Biden to rescind nominations for those who have nodded toward the “defund the police” movement.
Signed by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), and nine other lawmakers, the letter named several concerning nominees who have doubted the importance of funding law enforcement.
For example, Solomon Greene — Biden’s choice to serve as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the Department of Housing and Urban Development — “has used his Twitter account to make offensive public statements denigrating the police and advocating for defunding the police, especially those who serve in public housing.”
“Imagine if the money used to pay the salaries of police officers who endlessly patrol public housing buildings and harass residents can be used to fund plans that residents design to keep themselves safe,” he wrote in May 2020. “No More Money for the Police.”
Likewise, Julia Gordon — Biden’s nominee to work as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Housing and Commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration — “has a history of promoting troubling statements against law enforcement.” In June 2020, she retweeted a thread from the National Community Stabilization Trust — the organization she leads — indicating that the group stands in solidarity with those “who seek to dismantle four hundred years of personal and structural racism.”
She also wrote in a July letter that “we can only hope that the recent horrors of police violence and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on communities of color has shown light on the fact that these problems are not just outliers or one-offs, but that they stem from flawed and biased systems that require structural change.”
The Republicans’ letter comments:
If your administration is truly serious about distancing itself from radical anti-police movements championed by far-left activists… you should strongly consider withdrawing any of your pending nominees who have advocated for defunding the police or endorsed other policies that would gravely jeopardize the health and safety of law enforcement officials or the communities they serve.
Mr. Greene and Ms. Gordon’s statements disparaging police officers and advocating for defunding the police are deeply disappointing and call into question their fitness to serve in senior positions in the federal government. Police officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect us. They deserve to be supported — not maligned — by federal officials.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki recently claimed that Republicans — rather than Democrats — support movements to defund the police. The statement earned Psaki three “Pinocchios” from a fact check by The Washington Post.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.
Source: Dailywire
