Posted on 06/08/2020 1:55:31 PM PDT by robowombat
Trump: There won't be any defunding of police BY BRETT SAMUELS - 06/08/20 03:51 PM EDT
President Trump and his allies on Monday lashed out at activists and some Democrats for their support of the "defund the police" movement, seeking to draw a contrast with the administration's embrace of law enforcement amid nationwide protests.
White House aides and campaign officials sought to tie Democrats to the mantra of "defund the police," which has gained steam on social media and at some protests after George Floyd's death May 25.
"There won’t be defunding. There won’t be dismantling of our police, and there’s not going to be any disbanding of our police. Our police have been letting us live in peace, and we want to make sure we don’t have any bad actors in there," Trump said during a meeting with law enforcement officers and police chiefs at the White House, adding that he believes "99 percent" of officers are "great people."
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at an earlier briefing that "the president is appalled by the defund the police movement," singling out pledges from the mayors of Los Angeles and New York City to cut police budgets.
"That means cutting of police. That means reducing police departments. That means defunding police departments, if not getting rid of them entirely," she said. "No, [Trump] doesn’t agree with that."
Trump has harped on the topic in the past 48 hours, seeking to paint himself as the candidate of "law and order."
"Sleepy Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats want to 'DEFUND THE POLICE'. I want great and well paid LAW ENFORCEMENT. I want LAW & ORDER!" Trump tweeted Sunday.
"Defund the police" has become a common refrain among protesters across the country in the last two weeks. Activists say they support demilitarizing and cutting funds for police departments and reallocating money to other services such as affordable housing and mental health. Some more liberal lawmakers and organizers are in favor of disbanding police departments in their current form altogether.
In Minneapolis, where a white officer has been charged with second-degree murder in Floyd's killing, city councilors pledged to dismantle the police department in favor of a new law enforcement system.
The movement has given Trump and his allies an opening to attack Democrats after weeks of difficult headlines for the president over his handling of the demonstrations after Floyd's death.
McEnany likened the push to the "abolish ICE" movement in 2018 that many Democrats backed in an effort to slash funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy that led to the separation of migrant families. That movement, while endorsed by some prominent Democrats, did not garner support from the majority of the party.
Prominent Democrats have similarly distanced themselves from the "defund the police" push, either deferring to local leaders who determine law enforcement funding or signaling they prefer reforming policing practices over slashing funding.
Democrats in both chambers introduced sweeping reforms on Monday designed to combat racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Crafted by leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, the legislation aims to rein in the use of excessive force, particularly the violence targeting blacks and other minorities.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, opposes defunding the police, a spokesman for his campaign said Monday.
"He hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change, and is driven to ensure that justice is done and that we put a stop to this terrible pain," spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement. "Biden supports the urgent need for reform — including funding for public schools, summer programs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment separate from funding for policing — so that officers can focus on the job of policing."
The Trump campaign sought to attack Biden for issuing his opposition through a spokesperson rather than doing so personally.
"Until Americans hear from Joe Biden himself, they have no way of knowing where he really stands," communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement.
The White House has offered no specifics of its own for policing reforms it would support. McEnany said Trump had not reviewed the legislation unveiled Monday, but called the proposal to reduce immunity for police officers a "non-starter."
Bongino: Defunding police 'single most catastrophic, deadly public... Trump campaign accuses Biden of 'endorsing' cuts to law enforcement Trump has courted the support of law enforcement throughout his presidency, speaking at gatherings of officers and police chiefs on multiple occasions. In his public remarks following Floyd's killing, he has called the case a "disgrace" but focused mostly on the need for law and order and called for a crackdown on unruly protesters.
But he has stepped on his own message with controversial statements, tweeting that protesters were "thugs" and "hoodlums" and warning that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," a refrain used by a Miami police chief in the 1960s to target black civil rights protesters.
—Updated at 4:13 p.m.
Henry Rodgers
@henryrodgersdc
NEW: The
@DailyCaller
contacted EVERY Senate Democrat asking them if they would support defunding the police. Not one responded. Read more here:
Senate Democrats Refuse To Say If They Would Consider Defunding The Police
dailycaller.com
Trump should state this again and publicly call out the RATS and make them take a stand.
If these cities try to disband or defund their police agencies, they won’t be getting any Federal funds or grants for whatever they replace them with. Law enforcement agencies are usually accredited, and they have to pass various guidelines, and adopt specific procedures, etc. to become accredited. You won’t get Federal funds if you’re not an accredited agency.
If I was advising him I'd suggest that he just let them do their thing and get the campaign people started on the TV ads.
With this “defund the police” crap from some of the Dem leaders Trump just gets MORE and MORE votes!
The Hill strikes again.
Entire article drips with anti Trump bias.
Nothing new there.
Three grannies on my street are now packing guns they are sick of the rioters.
Obama’s DOJ pretty much took over Fergusons PD because the abuse” of civil rights of criminals
Why can’t Trumps DOJ do anything to protect the civil rights of law-abiding people?
This “defund the police” is completely different than “abolish ICE.” Those chanting “abolish ICE” have no authority to do so, but those calling for the defunding of the police (like de Blasio, Minneapolis City Council President Bender, and others) can make it happen.
They want to abolish the police so they can kill Whitey with impunity.
Well he could invoke the Insurrection Act (and he should have already) and use it to remove any City Council/Mayor that tries to “defund the police”. The Constitution requires that the Federal Government guarantee a Republican form of Government and it’s hard to have that with no police or law enforcement.
George Floyd’s Criminal Past
(This is the Left’s new hero and “martyr.” Read it all to the end.)
George Floyd moved to Minneapolis in 2014 after being released from prison in Houston, Texas following an arrest for aggravated robbery.
Floyd was sentenced to 10 months in state jail for possession of cocaine in a December 2005 arrest. (Plead down from dealing.) He had previously been sentenced to eight months for the same offense, stemming from an October 2002 arrest.
Floyd was arrested in 2002 for criminal trespassing and served 30 days in jail. He had another stint for a theft in August 1998. (Plea bargained down to lesser charges.)
On May 25, 2020, Floyd was arrested for passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store in Minneapolis. He was under the influence of fentanyl and methamphetamine at the time of arrest. Floyd has more than a decade-old criminal history at the time of the arrest and went to jail for at least 5 times.
(Here is the big one.) George Floyd was the ringleader of a violent home invasion in 2009. He plead guilty to entering a woman’s home, pointing a gun at her stomach (she was visibly pregnant) and searching the home for drugs and money, according to court records. Floyd was sentenced to five years in prison.
Floyd along with another suspect posed as a worker for the local water department wearing a blue uniform in order to enter a woman’s house. When the woman refused him entry, a Ford Explorer pulled up to the home and five other males exited the car and went up to the front door.
The report states the largest of the group, who the victim later identified as Floyd, ‘forced his way inside the residence, placed a pistol against the complainant’s abdomen, and forced her into the living room area of the residence.
“This large suspect then proceeded to search the residence while another armed suspect guarded the complainant, who was struck in the head and sides by this second armed suspect with his pistol while she screamed for help.”
Not finding any drugs or money at the house, the men took jewelry and the woman’s cell phone and fled in their car. A neighbor who witnessed the robbery took down the car’s license plate number.
Later, police tracked down the car and found Floyd behind the wheel. He was later identified by the woman as the large suspect who placed a gun against her stomach and forced her into her living room, the document states.
(This is the hero and “martyr” of the Left.)
Law and Order is, traditionally, a winning campaign strategy.
If, somehow, the Dems went ahead and got rid of the police force in places like Minneapolis, I can’t imagine why anyone would every pay for beer or liquor, or why you wouldn’t mug someone outside an ATM.
Voters can choose between Approach A or Approach B. Sure, the thugs will love Approach B. But we are not 51% thug.
He doesn't have much. I looked it up on Google.
PDJT can and is (and indeed a very good thing too) rally against defunding local cops, but I doubt he can stop mayor deblasio of NYC or the mayor of Minneapolis or any other mayor who wants to do it, since local police are mostly locally funded
perhaps his Attorney General can file lawsuits against defunding since it would lead to major loss of civil rights (liberties, lives, property) of citizens? or?
Which begs the question, what is the objective here if the cost is votes in November.
Given that this revolutionary push is not just happening in the U.S., the goal must be broader/bigger than just the U.S. General Election.
President Trump does not even have the backing of his Defense Secretary and other military leaders.
President Trump needs to go ‘Hefty Hefty Hefty’ and not ‘Whimpy, Whimpy, Whimpy’.
Get the DOJ to start prosecuting the real criminals - NOW, not after the election.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.