How Republicans’ Racist, Cynical Attack on D.C. Police Reform Backfired

Following their successful effort to nullify the District of Columbia’s revised criminal code earlier this month, House Republicans set their sights on a new target: a set of modest reforms designed to increase accountability and transparency in D.C. law enforcement. D.C.’s police accountability bill, the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act, has actually been law since 2020. They did not, however, bother to get their facts in order beforehand, leading to exchanges like this one, in which GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert condemned D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen for passing a law that doesn’t exist: If you aren't watching House Republicans' hearing on the District of Columbia you are missing sober consideration of weighty matters of state pic.twitter.com/MFq0u9zwfw — Aaron Fritschner March 29, 2023 And on and on it went. That strong position should shore up near-unanimous opposition from House Democrats and Senate Democrats, drawing a clear line between the party’s view of the criminal code revision and the police reform bill. The president’s support for the criminal code nullification raised the very real possibility that he was falling back on his earlier, carceral views about criminal justice—even though police reform remains as urgently necessary as ever.