Federal authorities, like a lot of law enforcement leaders across the country, have expressed shock at the disturbing video of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck until he died.
“This Justice Department has walked away from police reform,” said Vanita Gupta, who headed the Civil Rights Division under President Barack Obama.
Barr, however, reportedly sided against attorneys in the Civil Rights Division who wanted to bring charges against the New York Police Department officer who fatally choked Eric Garner.
A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson said in a previous statement to HuffPost that DOJ was “committed to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of all individuals, and understands the important role the department plays in helping communities and police departments as they seek to achieve the same goal while fighting violent crime and protecting public safety.”
Lopez says she thinks the career Civil Rights Division attorneys who have stuck around this long into the Trump administration are hoping to be able to return to their broader police reform work if former Vice President Joe Biden defeats Trump in November.
