GOP ‘stood in the way’ of police reform that could have prevented death of Tyre Nichols: MSNBC analyst
MSNBC legal analyst and Georgetown Law Professor Paul Butler blamed the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers on Republicans in Congress who "stood in the way" of passing police reform legislation.
MSNBC legal analyst and Georgetown Law Professor Paul Butler blamed the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers on Republicans in Congress who "stood in the way" of passing police reform legislation.
Butler joined MSNBC host Joy Reid on "The ReidOut" Thursday night and asserted that congressional Republicans blocked "common sense police reform" that could have prevented the excessive force that resulted in Nichols’ death.
Fox News Digital reported that multiple Memphis PD officers have each been charged with "seven felony charges, including one count of second-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of official oppression and two counts each of aggravated kidnapping and official misconduct" for the brutal incident that killed Nichols.
MSNBC legal analyst Paul Butler claims Republicans not passing police reform are partially to blame for death of Tyre Nichols. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
The department released body cam and surveillance footage of the attack Friday evening, increasing tensions within the local community. In the most intense segment of the footage, three officers are shown restraining Nichols as one lands multiple severe blows on his face and head with his fists.
Anticipating the horrific content of the police footage, Nichols mother, RowVaughn Wells urged her community to "protest in peace" at a Thursday candlelight vigil.
Reid prompted Butler’s comments with remarks on a "sort of gang mentality" that exists within police departments that are "allowed for decade after decade to operate with impunity."
She asked Butler, "Is that what this is, a culture problem that’s bigger than necessarily just the race of the officers?"
Butler answered affirmatively: "It’s 100% a culture problem. Old school policing lore says if a guy tries to run when officers want to arrest him, he pays for it. Bad apple cops follow that principle, but that’s not what the majority of hard-working, law-abiding officers do or should do."
Butler added that Nichols was "right to be afraid of these officers." Though as he continued, he placed part of the blame for these bad officers on Republican lawmakers.
He stated, "But we know that many people, especially Black and brown people, have complaints that police use excessive force, and typically those officers are not even disciplined, much less charged with crimes."
MEMPHIS POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED WITH KILLING TYRE NICHOLS RELEASED FROM JAIL AFTER POSTING BAIL
Protesters hold signs during a rally against the fatal police assault of Tyre Nichols, in Atlanta, on January 27, 2023. - The US city of Memphis released January 27, 2023 graphic video footage depicting the fatal police assault of a 29-year-old Black man, as cities nationwide braced for a night of protests against police brutality. Five Memphis officers, also all Black, were charged with second-degree murder in the beating of Tyre Nichols, who died in hospital on January 10 three days after being stopped on suspicion of reckless driving. (Photo by CHENEY ORR / AFP) (Photo by CHENEY ORR/AFP via Getty Images) (CHENEY ORR/AFP via Getty Images)
He added, "So, when we look to how we can do better, there’s some common sense police reform, including what was contained in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, that Congress has failed to act on."
Butler then said, "I should be a little bit more specific than Congress. It’s the Republicans in Congress who have stood in the way of passing legislation that would make a difference and prevent more tragic cases like this one."
Reid agreed, providing her own two cents. She stated, "And the money that they receive from the national police unions, et cetera, in many ways is one of the issues. We could have a whole conversation about that."
Though several conservative critics on Twitter refused to let Butler get away with his statements.
The Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller rebutted the MSNBC legal analyst with an image of CNN’s report on Sen. Tim Scott’s, R-S.C., own police reform bill, the "Justice Act." The headline of the 2020 reported read, "Senate Democrats block GOP police reform bill, throwing overhaul effort into flux."
He then made a veiled jab at Democrats in Memphis, Tennessee, saying, "And as I have repeated, we're not going to have a conversation about which party has run policy in Memphis for the last 30 years."
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Popular conservative Twitter user Phineas Fahrquar asked, "Who was it again who blocked Tim Scott’s bill in the Senate?"
And conservative writer Doug Powers added, "Awful things that happen in Democrat-run cities are somehow always the fault of Republicans."
This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. Five Memphis police officers have since been charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. (Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)
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