U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio continues to hammer away at his Democratic rival for hiding behind her law enforcement career when it’s politically advantageous.
On Tuesday, the Florida Republican dropped a new campaign ad criticizing Orlando Democrat Val Demings, the former chief of her city’s police department for voting against law enforcement by supporting the 2021 George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
The ad Rubio posted on Twitter featured several current law enforcement officials shaming Demings for her vote in favor of the Floyd bill.
According to a summary of the bill, introduced in March 2021 by left-wing Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California, the measure:
- Reduces the criminal intent standard to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution from willful to knowing or reckless
- Limits qualified immunity, which allows police to assert they acted in an official capacity, as a defense to liability in a private lawsuits
- Seeks to curtail and remedy “racial profiling” by law enforcement at all levels
- Restricts the “unnecessary” use of force and tactics such as no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and carotid holds
- Creates a national registry of alleged police misconduct, and forces departments to report on activities such as the use of force, officer misconduct, and routine stops and searches
In the ad, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook states, “I’m really disappointed in Val Demings’ position on law enforcement, especially qualified immunity.”
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods adds, “To vote for something like that, or to even get behind it, it’s disappointing.”
Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith says, “Look at her voting record. It doesn’t matter who she says she was or what she did in the past, because apparently it’s obvious she’s forgotten about that.” “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, they left me,” Smith adds. “Shame on you, Val.”
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno notes that her attitude “Unfortunately radiates through what we see throughout our county.”
John Kazanjian, head of the Florida PBA, the police union, notes, “Val Demings. Shame on her. Police officer. Voted to take our qualified immunity away.”
The ad concludes with a graphic: “Val Demings went to Washington & abandoned Florida law enforcement.”
The Floyd Act passed 220-212 largely along party lines. One Republican voted with Demings and the rest of the Democrats, while two Democrats joined GOP lawmakers.
Despite Deminigs’ 27-year career with the Orlando Police Department and a stint as chief, Rubio has been endorsed by at least 55 county sheriffs and the PBA.
In the news: Rep. Steube Slams Democrats Trying To Strip Gun Rights And The “Cultural Rot” Plaguing America
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