Shameless Pelosi blames Republicans for killing George Floyd

“The fact is,” she continued, complaining that the GOP’s police reform efforts have been unserious, “I think you, frankly, in the press have given them far too much credit for a bill that does nothing.”

To hear Pelosi say it, you would think that Floyd was killed in a Republican state — or at least in a city or county governed in some way by Republicans. In fact, he was killed in a city, county, and state where Democratic officials hold all the levers of power, and it was Republicans who responded quickly to the tragedy by introducing police reform legislation.

On Tuesday, CBS News’s Steve Futterman asked Pelosi whether there is any hope that Democrats and Republicans can “reach some compromise” on a police reform bill.

“Well, you be the judge,” the speaker responded. “We’re saying, ‘no chokeholds.’ They’re saying maybe — they’re not saying ‘no chokeholds.’ There’s a big difference here. What’s the compromise? Some chokeholds? I don’t see what the compromise is.”

Pelosi then complained about the positive press that Republicans have enjoyed recently for their efforts to advance anti-brutality legislation authored by Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican.

“The press has given them so much play for this … unsalvageable piece of legislation,” she grumbled. “[F]or something to happen, they’re going to have to face the reality of police brutality. The reality of the need for justice in policing.”

Pelosi concluded, “So, when they admit that, and have some suggestions that are worthy of consideration — but so far, they were trying to get away with murder, actually. The murder of George Floyd.”

The CBS News reporter did not ask her to explain or defend this nonsensical accusation.

Floyd was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis, whose mayor, Jacob Frey, is a Democrat — there has not been a Republican mayor there in over 40 years. The Minneapolis City Council has 13 seats, 11 of which are held by Democratic officials. The Hennepin County attorney, Mike Freeman, is a Democrat. Minnesota’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, is a Democrat. The secretary of state, Steve Simon, is a Democrat. The Minnesota lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, is a Democrat. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is a Democrat.

Every single one of these individuals still holds public office. And as for the Republican response of Floyd’s death, there are some relevant facts there, too.

Nine days after Floyd was killed by police officers, Scott, along with Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst, and James Lankford, reintroduced his 2017 bill, the Walter Scott Notification Act, which had been drafted in response to the indefensible police shooting of a man by that name in South Carolina. The bill would require states “receiving federal law enforcement funding” to provide in-depth reports on officer-involved shootings.

Fifteen days after Floyd’s death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on Scott to lead the effort to draft additional bipartisan police reform legislation.

Twenty-three days after Floyd’s death, Scott and six other Republican senators introduced the JUSTICE Act.

Thirty days after the Floyd’s death, Democrats blocked the GOP bill from advancing the JUSTICE Act in the Senate, calling the legislation a “hollow” effort.

No political party is responsible for the killing of George Floyd — least of all the one that had no part in making policy or enforcing the laws of the city and state where he was killed and least of all the one that has hustled in the wake of his death to pass police reform legislation.