In a column recently published at MSNBC, ex-FBI official Frank Figliuzzi condemned the recent endorsement by the Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) of Donald Trump as he runs for president again, already on track for a general election rematch with President Joe Biden. The group “disgraced itself,” Figliuzzi said.
Among other factors highlighted in the article, Figliuzzi pointed to Trump’s reaction to the Capitol violence of early 2021, which was spurred by lies tracing to the former president of a stolen presidential election in the months prior. Trump is insistent on referring to Capitol riot detainees as “hostages,” proposing pardons and the release of such individuals if he regains power. He glosses over or downplays what in reality were violent circumstances enveloping the Capitol complex that day amid which government officials, Capitol staff, police, and others were threatened by rioters.
Those behind the endorsement “might argue that Trump has the backs of police around the country,” Figliuzzi wrote. “Tell that to the U.S. Capitol Police union who tallied 140 officers injured during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump calls the criminals who assaulted those officers “hostages,” whom he pledges to release if he wins the presidency again.”
Figliuzzi also noted that the data just isn’t there to support Trump-invoked ideas of crime waves following migrants moving into and across the United States, something potentially in mind here. The former official also noted how Trump’s eventual remarks at a Michigan campaign event spotlighting support from law enforcement spurred startling revelations, with the ex-president claiming he’d spoken with the family of a murder victim… a family that then said Trump hadn’t been in touch.
There could be serious impacts in the real world, Figliuzzi posited. “I say shortsighted because endorsing a man who refers to migrants as animals, and was found liable for sexual assault, is anathema to the law enforcement mission. Will rape victims report crimes to police departments who endorse Trump? Will migrants who are beaten because of the color of their skin report their incident to a sheriff who supports what Trump stands for?” he asked.
