GOP leadership member calls for Garner hearings

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) early Thursday said there should “absolutely” be hearings into the death of Eric Garner in New York.

“I think we all have serious questions that need to be addressed, and we need to understand what happened, why this decision was made. I would call for the House to have those hearings so that we can better understand,” she said on MSNBC.

“But we need to be taking action, appropriate action, making sure our local law enforcement have the training — that they’re using appropriate force, which I think we all recognize that these are tragedies, and it has raised a lot of questions.”

A grand jury decided on Wednesday not to charge New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Garner.

{mosads}Garner was killed in July, when Pantaleo applied a chokehold while restraining him. The medical examiner ruled in August that Garner’s death was a homicide and that the 43-year-old man had been killed because of pressure to his neck and chest.

Garner’s death was captured on video, and he can be heard saying “I can’t breathe” multiple times, as police restrain him and push his head toward the sidewalk. Police had approached him because they believed he was illegally selling cigarettes, which Garner denied.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has called for hearings into the case.

McMorris Rodgers’s remarks contrast with those made by many other Republicans who have largely backed the grand jury and police in the aftermath of the decision not to indict Pantaleo.

“There’s no question that this grand jury had an immensely difficult task before them, but I have full faith that their judgment was fair and reasoned and I applaud DA [Daniel] Donovan for overseeing this case with the utmost integrity,” said Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday.