Vice President JD Vance paid tribute to fallen police officers at a memorial service Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, and used his speech to criticize local officials and “far left prosecutors” who were not tough enough on crime and the “defund the police” movement.
Watch the Fraternal Order of Police National Peace Officers Memorial Service in our video player above.
“I know that none of us here like crime, but last year, in November, I think the American people killed the ‘defund the police’ movement and they used Donald J. Trump as the murder weapon,” Vance said at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.
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Vance said the administration would do everything to help the families of fallen officers and “never disparage or degrade our police officers, and particularly not the memory of those who died defending our society.”
Vance delivered his remarks at the Capitol where four years ago on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol, leaving more than 100 police officers injured.
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Trump has repeatedly downplayed the violence, lauded the rioters as patriots and on his first day back in office, pardoned more than 1,500 people charged with crimes in the attack, including people convicted of assaulting police officers.
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