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'This is defund the police on steroids': Rep. Stacey Plaskett takes Republicans to task [1]

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Date: 2023-05-19  

Plaskett was appointed to lead the Democrats on the subcommittee by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in February.

There is no transcript of her seven-minute statement available as of this writing, but here’s the complete video.

x YouTube Video

Ian Swartz at Real Clear Politics transcribed some of Plaskett’s key points:

"My colleagues on the far right are on a mission to attack, discredit, and ultimately dismantle the FBI. This is defund the police on steroids," Plaskett said in her opening remarks. "From what I can glean about today's hearing, I'm going to say glean because my Republican colleagues don't really want us to work together," she said. "They give us the bare minimum notice for hearings. No subject indicated. We learn who the hearing witnesses is from British tabloids. That's not normal in the House of Representatives. One must wonder, are Republicans scared of giving us the information so that we can do our own due diligence on these conspiracy theories, these ideas that they want to put forward?" "Indeed, today's hearing will be more of the same," Plaskett declared. "Perhaps they're too far gone to realize that in fact this hearing is evidence, as if we needed anymore, that MAGA Republicans are a threat to the rule of law in America."

What moved me was when Plaskett referred to the unequal justice system being highlighted in the farce hearings. This is my rough transcription of part of her remarks:

REP. STACEY PLASKETT: “My Republican colleagues would like me to believe that they’ve suddenly found religion when it comes to law enforcement. Give me a break! When the FBI is rifling through personal correspondence of people of color. When law enforcement tries to push policies limiting the freedom of people practicing a different religion or unjustly pursuing people in cars who look like Philando Castile, or my children, or just going about their business, or breaking down the doors of people’s homes like Breonna Taylor, do you think my Republican colleagues care about that? They don’t bat an eye. But when the FBI investigates conservative Christian white men who are actually threatening violence, suddenly my Republican colleagues are rushing to defund the police. The reason we are here today is because Chairman Jordan wants to make America Trump again.”

Plaskett also tweeted a clip of her statement, with pointed commentary.

x Today’s performance by Jim Jordan and other House Republicans is another clear example of jumping off the cliff for Trump and NOT the American people. https://t.co/pgL5NcEYvl — Rep. Stacey Plaskett (@StaceyPlaskett) May 18, 2023

I do hope you’ll listen to her entire statement. If you’re up for it, head over to YouTube—where MAGA devotees are already trashing her—and add a thumbs-up.

RELATED STORY: Del. Stacey Plaskett's stellar prosecution of Trump is drawing kudos

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/19/2170161/-Rep-Stacey-Plaskett-takes-Republicans-to-task-This-is-defund-the-police-on-steroids

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