House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) accused Senate Republicans of trying to “get away with the murder” of George Floyd in comments on police reform legislation, in a Tuesday interview on CBS.
The House and Senate have advanced competing police reform bills since the death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during arrest by Minneapolis police officers, sparked massive demonstrations across the U.S. Republicans have threatened to drop police from their agenda if Senate Democrats filibuster GOP legislation on Wednesday.
“For something to happen, [Republicans are] going to have to face the reality of police brutality, the reality of the need for justice in policing, and the recognition that there are many, many good people in law enforcement, but not all, and that we have to address those concerns,” Pelosi said. “So far they [Republicans] were trying to get away with murder, actually, the murder of George Floyd.”
The Republican legislation was drafted by Senator Tim Scott (R., S.C.), one of only three African-Americans in the Senate. Scott’s bill aims to collect data on police misconduct through a national system, while creating incentives for state and local police departments to implement reforms. Democrats’ legislation would lower the legal standard for conviction of officers accused of misconduct, and would ban police use of chokeholds nationwide.