OPINION:
Will Kamala Harris visit the two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, who were shot in the head as part of a cold-blooded ambush? Days earlier, she visited with Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
The attacks in Ms. Harris’ home state of California were caught on video as the two deputies were sitting in their squad car, and someone with a gun approached them and opened fire. Another video later showed one of the deputies (a 31-year-old mother) trying to help her 24-year-old partner with his serious wounds even as she is bleeding from the jaw — what a remarkable hero.
When Sen. Harris visited with the family of Jacob Blake Jr, who joined by phone from his hospital bed, his attorney said that she said she was proud of him. Mr. Blake was shot in a confrontation with police in late August.
The Kenosha Professional Police Association notes that the officers were dispatched to the location because of a complaint that Mr. Blake was attempting to steal the caller’s keys and/or vehicle. The statement notes that officers were aware of Mr. Blake’s open warrant for felony third-degree sexual assault (charged in July). They go on to state that Mr. Blake was armed with a knife.
Finally, the police association statement observes that officers initially tried to speak with Mr. Blake, but he was uncooperative. They then went to issuing verbal commands, followed by further efforts to gain compliance. He resisted. Eventually, one officer used a taser on Mr. Blake, but it did not incapacitate him. He tried to put another officer in a headlock, and then he was tased again.
The local police association stated that “based on the inability to gain compliance and control after using verbal, physical, and less-lethal means, the officers drew their firearms.” The Wisconsin Department of Justice is conducting an independent investigation of the incident.
Why was Kamala Harris so eager to visit Mr. Blake’s family and talk to him in Wisconsin? Why has she not reached out to the two deputies and their families in California?
Unfortunately, this is part of a disturbing pattern.
Earlier this summer, Joe Biden’s running mate gave her high-profile support to the Minneapolis Freedom Fund (MFF), asking for donations to bail out “protesters” after the death of George Floyd. Ironically, most of the genuinely peaceful protesters with clean records did not need support from the Minneapolis-based non-profit.
A local Fox affiliate reported that the fund raised $35 million after high-profile attention from Ms. Harris and other celebrities. The Fox 9 story said among those bailed out by MFF was “a suspect who shot at police, a woman accused of killing a friend, and a twice-convicted sex offender, according to court records. According to attempted murder charges, Jaleel Stallings shot at members of a SWAT Team during the riots in May. Police recovered a modified pistol that looks like an AK-47. MFF paid $75,000 in cash to get Stallings out of jail.”
The MFF also put up more $100,000 for an alleged murderer and $350,000 for a rapist with multiple offenses who “is currently charged with kidnapping, assault, and sexual assault in two separate cases,” according to the report.
Ms. Harris went out of her way to draw attention to the funds helping to bail out people involved in violent protests in Minneapolis and other cities this summer while being silent about the violence and damage they caused. Will she help raise funds to support the two sheriff’s deputies who were shot and their families in California where she once served as the attorney general?
Remember, during her presidential campaign, Ms. Harris said that Mr. Biden had fought busing that had helped her as a child. She said she believed Mr. Biden’s accusers. Now she is honored to be running for a “Harris administration, together with Joe Biden.”
Her contradictions fit in with Mr. Biden and the rest of the Washington elite. Mr. Biden voted for NAFTA but now is against it. He was for banning fracking during the primary but now is not (since Pennsylvania is essential in the general election and they like the good-paying job that comes from fracking). Mr. Biden was the primary author of the 1994 Crime Bill but now opposes significant portions of it. He was against illegal immigration but now supports amnesty and free health care for illegal aliens.
Both Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris spent most of the summer silent about the growing violence in Democrat-controlled cities. After three nights of riots and two tragic deaths in Kenosha, and arguably some lousy poll numbers and focus groups, the former vice president first started to comment on the violence.
Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris embody what so many people dislike about politicians in Washington. Their statements are frequently at odds with their prior statements. Yet another reason they should not be elected.
• Scott Walker was the 45th governor of Wisconsin. You can contact him at swalker@washingtontimes.com or follow him @ScottWalker.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.