Johnson zings Barnes on ‘defund the police’; Democrats brings up Jan. 6
Key to easing gun violence around the country is a strong and robust police force, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said during the debate.
The Republican incumbent chided Democrat Mandela Barnes for being supported by individuals who want to defund the police and has a record of supporting the idea, though he acknowledged the lieutenant governor has never said the “word.”
“The first thing you do is you support law enforcement, and unfortunately the lieutenant governor has not done that. He has a record of wanting to defund the police and I know he doesn’t mean necessarily say that word, but [he] has a long history of being supported by people that are leading the effort to defund,” Johnson quipped.
Barnes fired back, accusing Johnson of not standing by the police officers who were injured in the Capitol riot.
“I’m sure he didn’t have the same interaction with [the] 140 officers that were injured during the Jan. 6 insurrection. One officer was stabbed with a mental stake, another crushed between a rock wall and door. Another hit in the head with a fire extinguisher,” Barnes said. “So when we talk about respect for law enforcement, let’s talk about the 140 officers that he left behind because of an insurrection that he supported.”
The senator quipped that he forcefully condemned the violence and stressed that he also condemned the riots during the summer of 2020.
“I turned on TV immediately and forcefully and…
