Conservative commentator and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino asked Congress to reject all efforts to “defund the police,” calling the movement an “abomination.”
Bongino appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to participate in hearings on systemic racism in law enforcement and police brutality. He expressed condolences to George Floyd’s brother and recounted stories of his former colleagues, some of whom he said died in the line of duty.
“The ‘defund the police’ movement will target these heroes. They are the police, these people. It’s not some amorphous mass that will be affected. It’s real heroes, in real time, right now. Moving these heroes from your communities and my community will do nothing but ensure chaos and destruction,” Bongino said, mentioning his experience with deceased colleagues in the New York Police Department.
“Police officers are the front lines, putting themselves between the evildoers among us and the honest, hardworking Americans just yearning for some security and prosperity and a small slice of Americana,” he added, saying he is willing to discuss holding police accountable without “shredding the thin wall between civilization and chaos.”
Bongino then relayed an anecdote he heard from the spouse of a police officer who died in the line of duty. The person told him at a conference several years ago that her favorite sound to hear was her husband removing his body armor as he entered their home.
“When that body armor comes off and that sound echoes in their ears, the families of these heroes know that they’re finally home safely,” he said.
Far-left members of Congress, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, have advocated for either defunding or disbanding police departments, while presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and former presidential candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who once called for a political revolution, have distanced themselves from aspects of the movement.
On Tuesday, Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton unveiled a resolution condemning the movement that states, “A free society depends on the rule of law, which is the foundation for the preservation of public order, peace, and individual rights.”
Nationwide protests have taken place for the past two weeks following the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while arresting him.
Chauvin was fired from the department and has been charged with second-degree murder. The three other officers involved in detaining Floyd, who was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill, were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
