Democrat proposes legislation to investigate Capitol Police for possible ties to white supremacy groups

A new Democratic lawmaker is preparing to introduce legislation calling for an extensive investigation into the U.S. Capitol Police to determine whether or not any of the law enforcement agency's officers have blatant or indirect ties to white supremacy and white nationalist groups.

During an interview with Mother Jones, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) elaborated on the goal of the legislation he reflected on the series of events that transpired on Wednesday, Jan. 6. He also expressed concern about the distinct difference in the way Capitol Police handled Trump supporters in comparison to Black Lives Matter protesters over the summer.

"It's critical when you look at the disparity in terms of how the Capitol Police responded to the insurrection on Wednesday, versus how they responded to—not just [Black Lives Matter] protestors this summer, but other people of color, and people who are disabled, historically," Bowman said.

Following the disturbing breach of the federal building, U.S. Capitol Police have come under fire for their handling of the violent pro-Trump riots. Photos and footage taken the day of the siege have raised lots of questions about some members of the Capitol Police.

From footage showing Capitol Police removing barricades and allowing rioters to move closer to the building to videos capturing officers standing by as Trump supporters stormed the building, many Democrats and Progressives have many concerns about the civil unrest that erupted on Wednesday. To make matters worse, some members of the law enforcement agency were also seen taking photos with Trump rioters.

Bowman went on to share details about his focus for the bill considering all that has transpired as he hopes his colleagues will also be willing to work toward active change.

"My focus has always been racial justice, and this is right in alignment with that," Bowman said of the proposed bill he is preparing to introduce. "It's just going to accelerate certain things and, I hope, make my colleagues more amenable to understanding what the hell we're talking about when we say institutional racism is the number one problem in our country, outside of COVID, right now."