Brian Fallon, former spokesman for Attorney General Eric Holder, called for cutting off funds for police departments in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in custody of Minneapolis police.
“Defund the police,” Fallon, who was part of the Obama administration and former spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
Floyd’s death on May 25 sparked protests across the country and many of them have turned violent with looting, arson and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement authorities.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential candidate, also weighed in on Twitter.
“Every police department violating people’s civil rights must be stripped of federal funding,” the Vermont independent posted on Thursday.
Richard Grenell, President Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence, blasted Fallon for the tweet.
“This must be widely condemned by the Biden campaign immediately,” Grenell wrote.
The move to “defund the police” has grown since Floyd’s death, with a number of petitions being circulated to gather support.
All four Minneapolis officers involved in detaining Floyd have been charged.
Derek Chauvin, who kept his knee pressed on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The other three cops involved – Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng – were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
All four have been fired.