White House invites Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to work on police reform

A senior White House official extended a public invitation to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to work with the federal government on the issue of police reform, accusing Democrats of “playing politics” on the matter.

Speaking Tuesday during a Fox News appearance, deputy assistant to the president Ja’Ron Smith touted the Trump administration’s work with other Democratic mayors while sending a public message to the Chicago mayor.

“We’re willing to go back and do the work, I mean, these issues aren’t about politics, it’s about outcomes,” Smith told the network. “And honestly, some of these things have happened for over 30 years that many leaders promise that they want to do reform but don’t lift a finger.

“But I would invite the mayor to work with us. We’ve worked with many other Democratic mayors, if you look at the city of Birmingham, we’ve done some work with them and we’re really moving the needle in those communities.”

Asked if Democrats and Republicans had any shared values or goals in their efforts toward police reform, Smith, the highest-ranking African American official in the current White House replied, “definitely.”

“Well, there’s definitely common ground on creating a co-responder program, which would invest in social workers joining the police officer while they’re on the job. And dealing with issues of mental health, or drug addiction or issues dealing with homelessness,” Smith replied.

“There’s also common ground on certification; making sure each police department has the highest police standards, especially when it comes to issues like use of force. There’s even common ground on looking at how do we deal with issues such as racial profiling, but it’s all about getting on to the legislation,” he continued.

Smith went on to praise Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) for his police reform efforts, saying he “really pushed to have that done in the Senate so we can have this conversation,” before slamming Democrats for blocking the legislation.

“Too many people on the left were playing politics with it instead of getting the work done, but we’re ready to do just that.”

Senate Democrats blocked Scott’s police reform bill in late June, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling it “a cul-de-sac cynically designed by [Senate Majority] Leader [Mitch] McConnell so that he can say that he can do something but do nothing.”

Scott, however, has argued that there is “an overlap of 70 to 75 percent” on Republican and Democratic ideas.

The GOP’s lone African American senator proposed incentivizing police departments to ban chokeholds, but did not mandate that the practice be abolished in his package. His bill also did not remove qualified immunity, the doctrine that shields law enforcement officers from personal liability.

The proposal with Democrats’ backing would ban chokeholds and no-knock drug warrants for federal drug cases, as well as end qualified immunity, a red line for Republicans.

Asked by the network about the White House response to the issue of police reform, Smith said President Trump was “moving the needle” on crime, arguing that the problems stemmed from “pockets of urban areas in major cities that have … been working against the president instead of working with him.”