Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) blasted President Trump’s response to unrest around the nation in response to the death of George Floyd, calling the president “bad at” law and order.
“As a former federal prosecutor, I would like to share my thoughts about ‘law and order.’ President Trump is bad at it,” Lamb, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania before his election to the House, tweeted Tuesday.
Democratic lawmakers and leaders have roundly criticized Trump’s reaction to the protests, which have been ongoing in nearly ever major U.S. city in recent days.
“At a time when our nation is hurting, the president continues to forgo any effort to calm tensions, as we had all hoped he would,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a statement Tuesday.
On Monday evening, police broke up peaceful demonstrations in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, using tear gas, riot shields and horses ahead of televised remarks from the president. In his remarks, Trump vowed to deploy the military to address violence in cities if states were unable, before crossing to the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church to pose for a photograph.
Demonstrations have taken place for the past several days following the death of Floyd, an African American man who died in police custody after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes over his protests that he was unable to breathe.
Derek Chauvin, the officer, has been fired and charged with second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder. The other three officers present have been fired but not criminally charged, but Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), who has assumed control of the prosecution, has said further charges are a possibility.