Giffords Calls Out House Republicans for Bringing Witness to Hearing on Police Brutality that Routinely Disparages Reform

June 10, 2020 — Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement after a House Judiciary hearing held today on police brutality. The organization praised the House majority for giving a platform to voices like Philonese Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, and called out House Republicans for bringing Dan Bongino to testify. Bongino, a former NRATV host with a history of inflammatory comments, has repeatedly spoken out against police reform.

Statement from Adzi Vokhiwa, Giffords Federal Affairs Director:

“Today’s hearing was an important first step in reforming police departments to stop police violence and killings. The inclusion of voices like Philonese Floyd, Vanita Gupta, Sherilynn Ifill, and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo shows that the House majority is serious about these efforts, and we support the majority’s push to hold officers accountable.

“Unfortunately that’s not true for the Republican minority, who would rather relitigate what has or has not happened at protests around the country than take action to save lives. The Republicans showed their lack of seriousness by giving a platform to Dan Bongino, an advocate who disparages activists protesting against police violence while spinning false stories about Democrats’ desire to abolish all policing. Bongino is the opposite of a safety advocate. His apocalyptic rhetoric about gun violence prevention laws and police tactics should be discredited by lawmakers in Congress as they consider measures to better protect every community.”