Largest Police Union, Fraternal Order of Police, Backs Trump, Accuses Congress of Violating Due Process

Here's more from Politico:

The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Donald Trump for president on Friday, praising the Republican nominee’s “real commitment to law enforcement.”

Trump met with the 330,000-member police union in early August and its endorsement bolsters his claim that he is the “law and order candidate.” The order’s national president, Chuck Canterbury, said Hillary Clinton did not seek his organization’s endorsement, and a Fraternal Order of Police official told POLITICO that Clinton did not send back the group's questionnaire until a month after the deadline for it had passed.

“Obviously, this is an unusual election,” he said. “We have a candidate who declined to seek an endorsement and a candidate without any record as an elected official. Mr. Trump, however, has seriously looked at the issues facing law enforcement today. He understands and supports our priorities and our members believe he will make America safe again.”

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Clinton has made reforming the criminal justice system a centerpiece of her campaign, highlighting it during a particularly violent July week in which a pair of unarmed black men were killed by police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana, leading to nationwide protests. At one such protest in Dallas, a gunman opened fire on law enforcement officers, killing five of them.

The former secretary of state’s calls for reformed policing tactics have been met with criticism by some in the law enforcement community who see her stance as opposition to law enforcement. Trump, by comparison, has more strongly taken the side of police officers in speeches and at campaign events.

“He’s made a real commitment to America’s law enforcement, and we’re proud to make a commitment to him and his campaign by endorsing his candidacy today,” Canterbury said. “Donald Trump may not have ever been elected to public safety, but he is a proven leader and that’s what we need for the next four years — a leader unafraid to make tough choices and see them through."

And from Fox News:

The nation's largest police organization on Tuesday accused Congress of violating the due process rights of American citizens "to score political points," as Republican leaders claim Democrats are undermining President Trump’s rights in its impeachment inquiry.

“The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) exists, in part, to defend these rights, not just for police officers, but for all citizens at every level, from the indigent living on the street to the president living in the White House,” the statement from the National FOP President Patrick Yoes said.

While the statement did not mention the impeachment inquiry explicitly, the reference to the president reflects concerns from Republicans that Trump’s rights are being infringed.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused Democrats on Wednesday of denying Trump “basic due process rights and...cutting his counsel out of the process in an unprecedented way.” Republicans have cited as examples the closed-door nature of many of the hearings and limits on Republicans to call witnesses.

“House Democrats’ new resolution does not change any of that. It does not confer on President Trump the most basic rights of due process or, seemingly, alter [Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam] Schiff’s unfair process in the House Intelligence Community in any way whatsoever," McConnell said. "Chairman Schiff can continue doing this behind closed doors without the President’s participation, so long as he holds at least one public hearing at some point."

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McConnell summarized the House impeachment resolution to be voted on Thursday as “No due process now, maybe some later, but only if we feel like it.”

The FOP, which backed Trump in 2016, accused lawmakers of undermining trust by ignoring the universal application of due process for political purposes.

“Just as local law enforcement are often convicted in the media after being denounced by local elected officials without collecting the facts, these Members are violating due process to score political points,” it said.

Yoes contrasted the treatment of due process rights of police by lawmakers with how they vigorously defend the rights of criminals and illegal immigrants.

“Members of Congress tirelessly and stridently defend the due process rights of criminals, while seeking to curtail the rights of those charged with protecting American citizens. They seek to shield people who come to our country unlawfully from being subjected to our laws, and yet ignore the violence to citizens and to our economy committed by those who violate our immigration laws,” he said.

He also said that members of Congress frequently demand “transparency” from government agencies and law enforcement, but have developed different standards for themselves.

“You cannot have justice without due process,” the statement said. “Denying due process is a betrayal of our shared American ideals and a grave disservice to our Republic.”