Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chairman Sean Patrick Maloney spoke with Meet the Press on Sunday morning and defended the Democratic Party’s stance on crime and policing.
“We’re not perfect,” Maloney said, “but we are responsible adults, who didn’t attack the Capitol on January 6th.” He added that Democrats “don’t pretend we’re for law enforcement and then ignore 140 cops getting beat up on that horrible day.”
Host Chuck Todd spent much of the interview probing Maloney’s thoughts on the Democrats’ handling of rising violent crime, particularly in Maloney’s own backyard. “We’re gonna give you safer streets by funding good, local policing with accountability but also doing something about gun violence, and that is a plan for the future,” Maloney said.
Maloney also maintained that the Democrats were going to do “better than people think Tuesday night” despite polling suggesting that Republicans have gained momentum in recent weeks. When asked what responsibility Biden has “for this political environment,” Maloney defended the president: “I think the president gets a bum rap.”
Maloney’s appearance comes at a precarious time, as his own race in New York’s 17th district against Mike Lawler has become increasingly competitive. On Thursday, Politico updated its election forecast for the district — which Biden took by ten percentage points in 2020 — classifying it as a toss-up, despite Democrats’ enjoying the advantage of incumbency as well as a fundraising edge.