Fireworks erupted at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday when Sen. Josh Hawley scrutinized the work of Gregory Jackson Jr., former President Biden’s deputy director of gun violence prevention, for advocating to defund the police and invest in “safe-spaces” for “two-spirit” individuals.
At the hearing on the impact of Democrats’ “soft-on-crime” policies in cities, Mr. Hawley, Missouri Republican, grilled Mr. Jackson about a report he authored in 2023 as executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund. Mr. Hawley said the report advocated for defunding police, and asked whether Mr. Jackson would “renounce” the document.
“My answer is that I led the efforts to invest $42 billion in law enforcement,” Mr. Jackson replied.
Mr. Hawley snapped, “You’ve advocated defunding the police as executive director of an organization that you still lead and are affiliated with.”
Mr. Jackson shot back, “You have never seen me advocate for that directly…What you see me advocate for…is this comprehensive approach to reduce violence.”
Mr. Hawley replied, “This is so typical of what the Democrats do now, after your policies have transparently failed and led to the deaths of millions of Americans. Now you say you’ve never heard of defunding the police.”
The hearing focused on the Trump administration’s efforts to eradicate crime in Democratic-led cities across the country.
President Trump has signed executive orders to send anti-crime task forces into the cities of Memphis and the District of Columbia. He also signed an executive order declaring the left-wing protest group Antifa a domestic terrorist organization and ordered its dismantlement.
Mr. Hawley also asked about Mr. Jackson suggesting in his report that instead of funding the police, governments should invest in programs that “acknowledge the need for safe space, initiatives led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, trans and gender non-conforming people.”
The Missouri Republican asked what a “two-spirit” individual was.
“I mean, really, this is your policy this is your policy-makers playbook. You are the witness called by the Democrats on this committee, so I assume you reflect their views. Well, you don’t want to fund the police,” Mr. Hawley said. “You want to fund safe spaces for ‘two spirit’ individuals. What is a two-spirit person?”
Mr. Jackson retorted, “I feel like I’m looking at a two-faced individual, because you talk about reducing violence and talking about speaking out against violence.”
Mr. Hawley interjected, “The answer is, you don’t have any solutions. You want to invest in gobbledygook and take away money from police officers who actually keep our community safe. And when you’re called on the record, you deny it.”
Other witnesses who testified at the hearing on Tuesday included Gregg Pemberton, chairman of the D.C. Police Union; retired Army Gen. William L. Enyart; Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor; Washington Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Goumenis; U.S. Marshals Service Acting Associate Director for Investigations Peter Marketos; and Forlesia Cook, grandmother of D.C. homicide victim Marty William McMillian Jr.
