Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is weighing in on a member of the so-called âSquadâsâ call to do away with policing.
Asked about Rep. Rashida Tlaibâs (D-Mich.) comments on policing and if he agrees with her, Sanders responded to CNNâs Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday evening by asking, âIâm sorry, who said that,â before adding after clarification, âNo, I donât.â
âI think that what we need to do is to understand that there needs to be major, major police reform all across this country,â Sanders said. âWe are tired of seeing the same thing, week after week and year after year. We do not want to see innocent African Americans shot in cold blood.â
Watch his interview below:
Responding to the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a Black man, by a police officer in Minnesota over the weekend, Tlaib tweeted on Monday, âIt wasnât an accident. Policing in our country is inherently and intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder.â
She added, âNo more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It canât be reformed.â
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) appeared to push back on Tlaibâs comments when he was asked about them during a CNN interview on Tuesday. He was also responding to Rep. Ayanna Pressleyâs (D-Mass.) recent remark when she tweeted on Monday, âFrom slave patrols to traffic stops. We canât reform this.â
After saying âthe evidence gives them reason to speak up as they have,â Durbin said, âWe know, the bottom line here, we do need law enforcement in this country for safety and security in our homes and our neighborhoods and our cities.â
He continued, âBut we must demand of law enforcement with all the par that is given to an individual officer that this type of racial conduct be purged from law enforcement.â
Additionally, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Tlaibâs remarks during Wednesdayâs press briefing, to which she said, âWhat I can say from here is that thatâs not the presidentâs view.â
Psaki continued, âThe presidentâs view is that there are necessary outdated reforms that should be put into place. That thereâs accountability that needs to happen. That the loss of life is far too high, these families are suffering around the country. And that the Black community is exhausted from the ongoing threats they feel.â
âBut he also believes that there is a forum for putting in place legislation, the George Floyd Act, that can help put many of these necessary reforms in place, and part of what needs to happen is rebuilding trust in communities in order to get to a better place,â she added.
