First 2020 Presidential Debate: on Crime

Donald Trump: FactCheck: No, not endorsed by Portland's Sheriff

Is that true about Portland, the site of ongoing police protests? No, Portland's Sheriff says it's not true. Excerpts from a 9/30 article in "The Hill" with headline "Sheriff from Portland quickly refutes Trump claim of endorsement":

"The sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon, which includes Portland, quickly refuted President Trump's claim of an endorsement during Tuesday night's first general election presidential debate. 'I have never supported Donald Trump and will never support him,' Sheriff Mike Reese responded on Twitter. The sheriff added: 'Donald Trump has made my job a hell of a lot harder since he started talking about Portland, but I never thought he'd try to turn my wife against me!' "

Donald Trump: FactCheck: Yes, Trump aide said rioting & chaos helps Trump

BIDEN: [Trump's] own former spokesperson said, "Riots and chaos and violence help his cause." That's what this is all about.

TRUMP: I don't know who said that.

BIDEN: I do. [Former White House advisor] Kellyanne Conway.

TRUMP: I don't think she said that.

[So we found this article from Business Insider magazine on Aug 27, 2020, headlined, "Kellyanne Conway says 'chaos and violence' after the police shooting of Jacob Blake is good for Trump's reelection"; excerpts:

"President Trump's close adviser, Kellyanne Conway, told Fox News that 'chaos and anarchy' following police shootings are good for Trump's reelection effort. 'The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who's best on public safety and law and order,' Conway said. Conway was referring to protests following the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin this week.

Donald Trump: FactCheck: Hillary used term "super predators," not Biden

FactCheck: Did Biden use the term "super-predators"? No, not quite. Excerpts from Reason.com on Sept. 29:

Trump has attacked Joe Biden for his role in crafting the 1994 crime bill. It was Hillary Clinton, however, who infamously uttered the term "superpredators" back in 1996. (You can still find plenty of videos of floor speeches of then-Senator Biden railing against "predators" or generally demagoguing on the subject of violent crime.)

The rise of criminal justice reform as a major issue in politics has made the 1994 crime bill a liability for Biden, who has since apologized for his role in tough-on-crime legislation passed in the 1980s and '90s by large bipartisan margins.

In a speech last year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Biden said those bills "trapped an entire generation," and that "it was a big mistake when it was made."

Joe Biden: Violent protestors should be prosecuted

BIDEN: There's systemic injustice in this country. [But] violence in response is never appropriate. Peaceful protest is; violence is never appropriate.

Q: Protests have turned violent in Portland, Oregon, especially. You talk about peaceful protests. Many of those turned into riots. You say that people who commit crimes should be held accountable. Have you ever called the Mayor of Portland or the Governor of Oregon and said, "Hey, you got to stop this, bring in the National Guard, do whatever it takes, but you'd stop the days and months of violence in Portland?"

BIDEN: I don't hold public office. But I've made it clear in my public statements that the violence should be prosecuted. It should be prosecuted and anyone who committed it should be prosecuted.

Q: But you've never called the leaders in Portland and in Oregon?

BIDEN: They can in fact take care of it if [Trump would] just stay out of the way.

Joe Biden: Reimagine policing: I totally oppose defunding police

BIDEN: We have to have community policing like we had before where the officers get to know the people in the communities. That's when crime went down.

TRUMP: That's not what it is about. He's talking about defunding the police.

BIDEN: I'm totally opposed to defunding the police offices. [Trump's] budget calls for a $400 million cut in local law enforcement assistance. They need more assistance; when they show up for a 9-11 call to have someone with them as a psychologist to keep them from having to use force.

TRUMP: He doesn't have any law support. He has no law enforcement.

BIDEN: That's not true.

TRUMP: He has almost nothing.

Joe Biden: Violence is never appropriate response to police violence

TRUMP: What is peaceful protest? When they run through town and burn down your stores and kill people all over the place--

BIDEN: That is not peaceful protest.

TRUMP: No, it's not, but you say it is.

Joe Biden: FactCheck: Endorsed by 175 law enforcement officials

Is that true, that no law enforcement has endorsed Biden? We found this article dated Sept. 4 on Fox News, headlined "More than 175 current, former law enforcement officials endorse Joe Biden, slam Trump as 'lawless' president." Excerpts:

"Fox News first obtained the list of the Biden-supporting law enforcement officials, which includes former sheriffs and former police chiefs who touted the former vice president's experience 'keeping communities safe.'

"The endorsements come after a number of high-profile law enforcement organizations threw their support behind Trump. In July, the National Association of Police Organizations endorsed Trump, praising his 'steadfast and very public support' for law enforcement. NAPO did not endorse a candidate in the 2016 election but endorsed Barack Obama and Biden in both the 2008 and 2012 elections."