Letter to Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman - Police Brutality and Violent Protests

Letter

Dear Chairman Nadler,

Over the past three months, our families, businesses, and communities have faced significant and
unprecedented challenges as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. During this time, we have
watched small businesses shutter, health care workers fight to save lives, and the cornerstones of
our economy be wary to re-open for fear of being unjustly sued for spreading the virus. Despite
these twists and turns, the Judiciary Committee (the "Committee") -- who maintains primary
jurisdiction over the myriad of issues currently facing our country -- has remained on the
sidelines, holding makeshift hearings as "forums" in an effort to operate outside of the House
rules.

Over the last week, our communities have witnessed a new level of devastation as our
communities mourn the horrific loss of George Floyd. The appalling police brutality that led to
George Floyd's death should outrage everyone, and I support every American's right to exercise
their constitutional right to protest. But what we have witnessed across the nation over the last
several days have shown that not all are dedicated to protesting peacefully. Many peaceful
protests were overtaken by rioters with the sole purpose of setting our cities on fire. These riots
are -- literally and figuratively -- tearing our country apart.

As we continue seeing instances of police brutality against African Americans and violent riots
across the country, the Judiciary Committee has continued to sit on the sidelines, failing to meet
its obligations to the American people by holding hearings and taking action to address the
underlying problems giving rise to these issues. Since March 1, 2020, the Committee has held
one formal hearing at the subcommittee level and none at the full Committee. The one formal
hearing the Committee conducted was just another targeted stunt directed at negating the
President's work. The Committee has done nothing to take action related to coronavirus nor to
address the recent events surrounding police brutality and the violent riots that have followed.
One may think the first hearing the Committee would hold upon its return would concern one of
these timely topics. Instead, the Committee is holding a subcommittee hearing on mail-in ballots.
While thousands of Americans are showing we can assemble across the country, Democrats are
hoping to exploit the coronavirus outbreak to check an item off their wish list.

Rather than holding a hearing to consider the President's recent tweets on mail-in ballots, we
should be focusing the Committee's efforts on issues worthy of the American's people time and
respect, like addressing police relations within their communities and the seemingly organized
effort to riot and loot our cities and towns across America in the name of "justice." As Atlanta
Mayor Keisha Bottoms recently said about Atlanta's riots, "This is not a protest. This is not in
the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos." While we know these violent individuals
setting fire to landmarks and vandalizing monuments do not make up even close to the majority
of those peacefully protesting, the actions of a violent few are putting a mark on the peaceful and
meaningful protests for justice against police brutality. As a committee, we should come together
to discuss these issues and to investigate how domestic terrorists, like Antifa, are exploiting times
of crisis to sow discord among the American people.

Instead of taking meaningful action, tomorrow we'll be joining a subcommittee hearing on mailin ballots. Instead of safely sitting across from one another in the Rayburn House Office Building
to find solutions to the problems plaguing America, we'll be struggling not to speak over one
another on a video conference.

The government's first and foremost priority is protecting the safety and security of its citizens,
and right now, our citizens need assurances that they can rest at night knowing that they won't
wake up to their neighborhoods burning down. Americans expect Congress to address the issues
most critical to them, and if the last several days have shown us anything, folks across the nation
are rightfully concerned about the issues of race, justice, and violence currently plaguing our
country. Whether its two white men ambushing and killing an innocent black man on an
afternoon jog in Georgia to an Atlanta Police Officer being rushed to the hospital after being run
over by a violent protestor driving an ATV through the streets of downtown Atlanta, the people I
represent are rightfully concerned about the devastation tearing apart our communities, and I
know my home state is not the only state dealing with these challenges.

In times of crisis, America looks to its leaders. Instead of hiding behind video conferences, our
Committee must get back to work for the American people and demonstrate we are worthy of the
office they elected us to. I urge you to immediately schedule hearings on the police brutality and
violent protests plaguing our country, and to immediately begin an investigation into the role
groups like Antifa play in sowing seeds of discord. The Judiciary Committee has historically
been a guiding force in shaping the House's agenda, and it's incumbent upon the Chairman to
ensure our Committee schedule reflects the seriousness of the issues our country is currently
facing.

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