Republicans like to cast themselves as the supposedly pro-police side of the metaphorical aisle, in supposed contrast to the Democrats who are allegedly (although not actually) opposed to the legitimate work of police departments across the United States. And yet, many Republicans have seemed fine with allowing ex-President Trump to essentially get away with his write-offs of the scores of assaults on law enforcement personnel that took place last January during the attack on the Capitol by the then-president’s supporters. On Monday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) offered a more level-headed perspective, implicitly tamping down on the nonsense from Republicans and pointing to a sustainable path forward.
Kinzinger shared an opinion article from Michael Fanone, who until relatively recently was an officer with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Fanone was among the many officers who responded to the attack on the Capitol and helped defend both it and the people inside against rampaging Trump supporters, and in his new article, he called for — among other things — what he referred to as an “open and honest discussion about criminal justice in America.” Among other implications, that inherently stands against the narrow-minded view of law enforcement held by numerous Republicans in power. As Kinzinger put it: “This oped by Michael Fanone is 100 percent yes.” Kinzinger has repeatedly expressed support for other officers too. Read Fanone’s article at this link.
This oped by Michael Fanone is 100 percent yes
Opinion: What every one of us owes fallen police officers – CNN https://t.co/JYo1hsXDSC
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) January 31, 2022
In his article, Fanone said that Americans can “honor… the hundreds of thousands of American law enforcement professionals by showing these dedicated public servants the respect and gratitude they deserve and by reestablishing our commitment to public safety,” something that Fanone observed is urgently needed. He added that “[far] too many of our elected leaders on both sides of the political aisle have placed politics and pandering above our public safety,” insisting that “[all] of us, as partners in our criminal justice system, must set clear goals and expectations for each of our law enforcement officers through open and honest dialogue and then work together to meet them.” Fanone had specific points of praise for New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who took office this month, saying in contrast that “[it] seems many of you have lost sight of who the real victims are, and in doing so, have marginalized law-abiding citizens and the police officers who dedicate their lives to protecting them.”
In contrast to all of this, what message are observers supposed to take from ex-President Trump’s insistence over the weekend that he’d be inclined if he becomes president again to issue pardons to January 6 rioters — apparently including those who assaulted police? He is fostering a political circle in which violence against police officers is treated as acceptable, and no matter the length of time that has put January 6 into the rearview mirror, that threat remains. According to Sandra Garza, the partner of the late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died (of what were concluded by authorities to be natural causes) very soon after helping defend the Capitol during the riot, Trump has never even bothered to get in touch with her. Trump’s claims of care — if he even bothers to many any — are hollow.
