Senate Republicans are crafting a package of police reforms that would make lynching a federal crime and threaten to cut federal grants if states don't force their police departments to report significantly more detail on officers' use of force, according to two sources familiar with the internal conversations.
Why this matters: Republicans have recognized that it's politically unsustainable to simply hammer a "law-and-order" message, and that they need to propose measures to respond to the national outcry for police reform after the killing of George Floyd.
- To lead this effort, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) turned to Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only African-American in the Republican conference and a senator with a substantial history of proposing criminal justice and police reform legislation.
The big picture: "We don't have the data we need to understand when, where, why and how these tragic incidents are happening in totality," said Sean Smith, communications director for Scott, who is leading the Republican working group on police reform.
Behind the scenes: Other members of the group are Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.).
- Scott met this afternoon with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior official Ja'Ron Smith to share details of the Senate proposal and to discuss where they might find common ground.
Details: Two sources familiar with the Senate working group discussions said the Republican police reform proposal will likely include the following measures:...
- A federal requirement for states who receive federal grants for law enforcement to report uses of force