The National Association of Police Organizations said in a letter on Wednesday that FCC nominee Gigi Sohn’s anti-police rhetoric should disqualify her from serving at the agency.
“On behalf of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) and the more than 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers we represent across the United States, I am writing to advise you of our serious concerns with the nomination of Gigi Sohn to serve as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),” William Johnson, the executive director of the association of police organizations, wrote in a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and ranking member Ted Cruz (R-TX), which was obtained by Breitbart News.
Johnson noted that Sohn once retweeted someone who called law enforcement officers “armed goons in riot gear with tear gas” while she defended rioters. He also noted that she has boosted calls from those who argued for “defunding the police.”
“This shows an anti-police bias that should disqualify her as an official in the federal government,” Johnson charged.
The letter continued:
As a private citizen, our Constitution affords Ms. Sohn the right to hold and express these views. However, it is profoundly concerning to us that a nominee for commissioner of the FCC has harbored such an openly hostile and defamatory view of police. If Ms. Sohn is confirmed to this position, there is no way to assure those views will not be perpetuated.
We want to move forward with improving our relationship with our communities and enhance their trust in our profession, but if such sentiments are held by high-ranking members [of] federal government, this will be difficult to do. The men and women of the law enforcement community put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect their communities and they deserve the support and respect of their government.
The National Sheriffs’ Association urged Democrats and Republicans to oppose Sohn’s nomination for the FCC.
Sohn has expressed other anti-police beliefs that may give senators pause when considering her FCC nomination.
“The National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) opposes the nomination of Gigi Sohn to serve as a Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),” two leading sheriffs’ officials wrote in a letter to Cruz and Cantwell this week.
“Law enforcement officers across the country risk their lives every day to protect and serve our communities,” they continued. “They deserve the support of senior officials in the federal government who help to set policy. Unfortunately, Ms. Sohn has failed to provide such support by using social media to promote alarming statements that denigrate law enforcement.”
Sohn praised an anti-police, billionaire-backed dark money group in July 2020 at the height of the Black Lives Matter “protests” in Portland.
Breitbart News reported in March 2022:
Sohn retweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who wrote in November in 2020, “When It Comes To “Defund” & “Socialism” Attacks, People Need to Realize These are Racial Resentment Attacks. You’re Not Gonna Make That Go Away. You Can Make it Less Effective.”
Sohn retweeted a user who described federal law enforcement protecting federal property in Portland, Oregon, in July 2020 as “armed goons in riot gear with tear gas.”
The FCC nominee also liked a tweet calling to end “qualified immunity,” which would remove the legal protection for officers in the line of duty.
Multiple reports have found that Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) remain uncertain as to whether they plan to vote to confirm Sohn. The Verge reported that Sens. Raphael Warnock’s (D-GA) and John Fetterman’s (D-PA) election wins could bolster her nomination.
Cortez Masto said in December that she has had concerns about Sohn’s prior comments about “defunding the police.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.