As JD Vance campaigns at the Milwaukee Police Association today, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump tried to defund federal law enforcement every year of his first term and oversaw the largest single-year spike in homicides in over a hundred years — and now he’s promising to pardon violent insurrectionists who attacked the brave officers defending our democracy on January 6. Now, JD Vance is standing firmly behind Trump’s dangerous agenda as he desperately tries to whitewash January 6 and rails against landmark legislation that funded law enforcement. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will always fight to keep Americans safe, and voters will stand with them this November when they reject Trump-Vance’s toxic and dangerous ticket.”

JD Vance stands by Donald Trump, who wants to defund law enforcement — just like he tried to do every year in office, even as murder rates skyrocketed on his watch.

Trump: “REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES.”

Sahil Kapur: “Donald Trump pressures Republicans to defund the (federal) police.”

Jonathan Allen, NBC News: “When Trump was president, he proposed slashing federal funding for local police forces.”

Wall Street Journal: “The [Trump] administration’s 2021 budget, like all its previous budgets, recommended eliminating the Community Relations Services and Community Oriented Policing Services and placing their functions under other parts of the department to ‘improve efficiency.’”

Vox: “Donald Trump is defunding the police”

“President Trump has repeatedly proposed cuts in federal funding for police, criticized landmark legislation that boosted financial support for police departments, and is currently involved in blocking legislation that would greatly reduce pressure on local governments to cut police funding. 

“In layman’s terms, he’s been trying to defund the police.”

NBC News: “Donald Trump calls for defunding federal police after his arrest in New York”

CNN: “[The Trump] administration’s 2021 budget proposed funding cuts for local law enforcement programs.”

Pew Research: “The U.S. murder rate rose 30% between 2019 and 2020 – the largest single-year increase in more than a century, according to data published this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

Vance has railed against the American Rescue Plan, which included hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments that could be used to boost local law enforcement and combat violence.

Columbus Dispatch: “Vance went after Ryan for supporting federal spending bills, including the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan”

Michigan Advance: “Vance blamed Harris for rising consumer prices, slamming the vice president for casting the tie-breaking votes in the U.S. Senate in support of the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, calling the former ‘nearly $2 trillion in reckless spending.’” 

ABC News: “President Joe Biden will announce Friday that $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan has been committed to police departments and public safety across the U.S. … These funds show what has been reported from cities through the end of 2021. The COVID-19 relief law included $350 billion for state and local governments to reduce violence.”

White House: “The American Rescue Plan (ARP) has provided over $15 billion to prevent crime and promote public safety, including community violence intervention programs and crisis responders.”

Vance continues to whitewash January 6 as Trump doubles down on his promises to pardon the violent insurrectionists who attacked law enforcement.

Politico: “[Vance] downplayed the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, when Pence was forced to evacuate the building as rioters called for his hanging.”

Business Insider: “Then-President Donald Trump didn’t want to specifically call for the Justice Department to prosecute January 6 rioters or forcefully condemn those who stormed the Capitol as unrepresentative of the MAGA movement, according to draft remarks obtained by the House committee investigating the attack. In a video posted Monday, the committee showed an excerpt of prepared remarks for Trump’s January 7, 2021, pre-recorded address to the nation. … The president did not give a more specific and forceful call for the Justice Department to prosecute those involved.”

Washington Post: “Trump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected”

Buck Sexton: “Will there be a lot of pardons and commutations of people you think were treated unfairly, J6 defendants, January 6 defendants under an administration, your administration?”

Trump: “Yes, absolutely. They were treated horribly … We had people put in jail for five, six, seven years who didn’t do anything wrong. And yes, that will happen very quickly.”

Rachel Scott, ABC News: “140 police officers were assaulted [on January 6]. Their injuries included broken bones, at least one officer lost an eye, one had two cracked ribs, two smashed spinal discs, another had a stroke. Were the people who assaulted those 140 officers, including those I just mentioned, ‘patriots’ who deserve pardons?”

[Trump refuses to answer]

Scott: “But sir, my question is on those rioters who assaulted officers. Would you pardon those people?”

Donald Trump: “Oh absolutely I would. If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”

Scott: “They’ve been convicted.”

Hill: “Trump describes imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as ‘hostages’”

NBC News: “Former President Donald Trump promised Wednesday night that if he is elected he will pardon a ‘large portion’ of the people convicted of federal offenses for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.”

​​Washington Post: ​​“Former president Donald Trump on Thursday praised and embraced a woman convicted of defying police orders on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. … Trump has steadily escalated his advocacy for people charged in the Capitol riot, including by pledging to pardon them if he returns to the White House, praising them as patriots, participating in a recording with Jan. 6 prisoners singing the national anthem, and playing it at his first rally of the 2024 campaign last month.”

Trump: “January 6, it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. And they were there proud, they were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable — and it was a beautiful day.”

NBC News: “Trump spoke at a fundraiser for Jan. 6 defendants”