Democrat Lisa McCormick has expressed criticism towards law enforcement unions endorsing Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential election, in light of his contentious position on the January 6th Capitol insurrection and the unique ignominy of being the only ex-president with criminal convictions.
Trump, who pledged to pardon individuals convicted of assaulting police officers during the January 6th attack, has recently garnered support from various police organizations. This has led to questions regarding the unions’ alignment with an individual convicted of multiple felonies.
The Milwaukee Police Association, the International Union of Police Associations, the Police Officers Association of Michigan, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the Florida Police Benevolent Association, are among the law enforcement unions that have endorsed Trump in the 2024 race.
Trump’s endorsements were being issued despite his three ongoing criminal indictments and earlier conviction on 34 felony counts in Manhattan this year.
Police unions across the country, most notably the 375,000-member Fraternal Order of Police, which represents the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., and the Capitol Police, the two agencies whose officers were attacked that day, have said nothing about the endorsements despite Trump’s praise for accused and convicted cop-beaters.
The endorsements come even though Vice President Kamala Harris was once California’s “top cop” as the state’s attorney general — and despite the fact Trump is facing dozens of criminal charges in three different indictments, and was already found liable for sexual abuse as well as having been convicted of 34 felonies in a Manhattan court in May.
“Lots of officers are ideologically aligned with the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6,” said Michael Fanone, a former metro D.C. police officer who suffered a heart attack and concussion on Jan. 6 after he was attacked with a stun gun during the insurrection. “I get more threatening phone calls from people who identify as police officers than anyone else. We’ve been dismissed and vilified by even our police union.”
McCormick, who gained national attention during her 2018 Democratic primary challenge to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, expressed deep concern over the decision of these unions to support Trump.
She highlighted the stark contradiction between the unions’ support and Trump’s actions, particularly his defense of those who violently attacked law enforcement officers during the Capitol riot.
“Someone who describes people who attacked police officers — one of whom died hours after the assault — as ‘patriots,’ ‘political prisoners,’ and ‘hostages’ is no more deserving of law enforcement group endorsements than someone who was convicted of serious crimes by a jury following a fair and open trial,” said McCormick, best known for earning nearly 40% of the vote in her 2018 Democratic primary challenge to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, who was convicted on 16 felony counts this summer in a federal courtroom in New York.
“As Donald Trump continues to glorify the convicted criminals among the mob of terrorists who assaulted police officers as part of his Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt, he appears to have among his allies police unions, who thus far have not offered a single word of criticism,” said McCormick.
Trump has falsely claimed overwhelming support from ‘law enforcement agencies,’ even though endorsements are typically made by unions and not by the agencies themselves.
McCormick’s remarks highlight the risks of aligning with a figure who has shown disregard for the rule of law and the safety of police officers, questioning the judgment of those who represent law enforcement professionals across the country.
“This significantly calls into question the judgment of those we arm with badges and guns, who have lost sight of their mission to serve and protect the cause of justice,” said McCormick.
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