CHICAGO (CBS) — A group of House Republicans was meeting in Chicago on Tuesday to talk about violent crime, but some critics have called it a political stunt as Congress faces a Saturday deadline to avoid a federal government shutdown.
The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police was hosting the forum at its West Loop headquarters. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has said committee members will hear from victims of violent crime.
The event is not an official Judiciary Committee hearing.
Among the listed witnesses are political analyst Gianno Caldwell whose brother was killed in the summer of 2022; retired Chicago police detective John Garrido, who ran for Cook County Board president as a Republican in 2010; and retired Chicago police officer Carlos Yanez Jr., who was seriously wounded in the same shooting that killed his partner, Ella French, in 2021.
An announcement about the hearing said it will focus on how Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s “pro-crime and anti-victim policies are leading to an increase in violent crime and a dangerous community for Chicago residents.”
“Today’s forum is about or commitment to justice and keeping our communities safe. In recent years, we’ve all seen how the radical left has sought to undermine public safety in the name of criminal justice reform. The left has implemented pro-criminal policies that have allowed dangerous criminals to remain on the street. The left has attacked law enforcement and sought to defund the police. And then when crime goes up, they act shocked, and when cities become less safe, they act surprised,” Jordan said.
Foxx’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but some top Democrats have blasted Jordan for holding a forum on crime in Chicago, rather than focusing on avoiding a potential government shutdown, as House Republicans have been unable to agree among themselves on how to fund the federal government ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago), whose district includes Chicago FOP headquarters, said crime and gun violence is an issue in Chicago, but questioned the timing of the forum.
“This is very interesting when all of us should be in Washington trying to make sure that the government does not shut down, because we have not reached an agreement on a budget or at least a continuing resolution,” Davis said.
