Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) reportedly ended a press conference with Arizona law enforcement abruptly after reporters asked about his evolving stance on police reform.
A press release published by Gallego’s congressional office reveals he held the press conference alongside Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and Arizona Police Association (APA) President Justin Harris, who is also a member of the Glendale Police Department.
Gallego said the safety of Arizonans is his “top priority,” and both Weiers and Harris expressed gratitude to the Democrat for his purported support for law enforcement, but The Phoenix New Times reported the press conference was sparsely attended, with just two reporters joining.
It also reported the congressman’s staff quickly ended the event when its reporter asked about Gallego’s past criticism for law enforcement.
The outlet said Gallego was questioned whether his August letter urging the Department of Justice not to enter into a consent decree with the Phoenix Police Department, which The New Times noted was sent by the congressman just days after APA endorsed his campaign for U.S. Senate in August, represents a change in his views on police reform.
“Gallego answered the question, agreeing that some police reform is needed. But before Gallego could be asked a follow-up, his team scurried him away,” the outlet reported.
The Democrat’s support for police comes despite his repeated criticisms of law enforcement after the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Gallego co-sponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, which would allow federal prosecutors to establish nationwide standards for police and give them authority to prosecute more local police officers for their actions on the job. It passed the U.S. House but has yet to receive a vote in the Senate.
“Systemic racism has long shaped the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color – especially Black communities – in America, and it has cost many lives,” said Gallego after his vote. He added, “George Floyd should have never been killed. It saddens and angers me that it took his murder to catalyze the kind of change we need to make in order to achieve racial justice in our country. But we must not let his death be in vain.”
The Democrat also praised the nationwide protests that followed Floyd’s death in a press release that commemorated its one-year anniversary.
“The nationwide protests last summer sparked a renewed national movement to combat police brutality and dismantle systemic racism – but much work remains to be done,” he said.
Gallego then urged the Senate to take up the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, adding, “We cannot stop fighting until we achieve true racial justice in our country.”
In the immediate wake of Floyd’s death, Gallego suggested the primary purpose of law enforcement was to “heal the festering wounds that structural racism, systemic inequalities, and injustice have caused in our country.”
Gallego’s shifting position on law enforcement is one of several policies on which he’s accused of flip-flopping by conservative critics, with Republicans arguing the Democrat is telling voters what they want to hear about non-citizen voting, the war between Israel and Hamas, the southern border, and his personal history.
The Democrat will face former news anchor Kari Lake in November.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
