Lewis Calls to Abolish Minneapolis City Council in Response to Council’s Move to Abolish the Police

Calls on Senator Tina Smith to Stop Hiding in her Basement and Fight Back

June 26, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement after the Minneapolis City Council advanced their plan to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department.

“Today the Minneapolis City Council continued with their absurd and dangerous plan to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department. The radicals on the City Council want to replace police officers with a new system that is ‘holistic’ and ‘public health-oriented’ run by somebody who doesn’t have experience in law enforcement but rather ‘public health and/or restorative justice.’ If that terrifies you, it should! We got a preview of what life would look like without police officers a month ago when over 1,500 businesses were destroyed by looters and arsonists because law enforcement was told to stand down. Since then, the city has been in chaos, with shootings and violence running amok. More people will die and more businesses will flee if this asinine proposal to abolish the police goes through. For the safety of Minneapolis’ 425,000 residents, I say it’s high-time we abolish the City Council and halt this insane proposal to abolish the police. And, while we’re at it, if police officers don’t get qualified immunity, by all means let’s remove absolute immunity for politicians so citizens can sue them for the economic carnage they deliberately inflicted from their one-size-fits-all lockdown.

Where is Senator Tina Smith? She says she wants to ‘reimagine policing,’ but has failed to specify what that means. Since she refuses to condemn the actions of the Minneapolis City Council, we can only assume this is the kind of reimagining she is hoping for. Tina Smith has a duty to stand up against this radical proposal. We know Tina would prefer to continue hiding in her basement like her endorsed candidate for President, Joe Biden, but her constituents expect and demand more from her than that.”

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Senator Cotton’s Ad Buy Latest Evidence MN is a Major Battleground State

June 24, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement on Senator Tom Cotton’s digital ad buy targeting Minnesota.

“Minnesota is quickly becoming the battleground state of 2020. Once reliably blue, the DFL’s radical plunge into lawlessness and Socialism, as well as the results delivered by President Trump and the Republican Party to cut taxes, bring jobs home from China, and get better trade deals for our farmers have made Minnesota a swing state, including my race for Senate against radical Tina Smith that continues to receive national attention. Having only lost by just over one point in 2016, President Trump has shown that statewide victory for Minnesota Republicans is within our grasp. A recent Star Tribune poll even showed a neck and neck race between President Trump and Joe Biden.

The latest proof of Minnesota’s competitiveness is Senator Tom Cotton’s new digital ad buy targeting the state. Senator Cotton’s ad highlights the abject failure of Joe Biden and radical Democrat leaders to control the mob. From Tina Smith encouraging further protest at the height of the riots that torched our cities to saying there’s something inherently dangerous about police officers, Democrats have alienated Minnesotans of all political stripes. This is no longer your mother and father’s DFL Party. The Democrats are losing their grip on the state, and, with the help of people like Senator Cotton, Minnesota is going to go red for President Trump and me this November!”

Watch the ad here.

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Senator Smith Claims Lewis’ Support for Law Enforcement Will “Backfire”

Lewis Attacks Smith for Dangerous, Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric

June 24, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement slamming Senator Tina Smith for her continued irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric that is fueling the dangerous anti-law enforcement climate.

“When Tina Smith isn’t cowering in her basement like Joe Biden, she is fueling the dangerous anti-law enforcement climate with her irresponsible rhetoric. From claiming the state of Minnesota is racist to saying there is something ‘dangerously wrong with the role police play in our society,’ Tina Smith has shown very clearly that she is willing to sacrifice public order in favor of mob rule.

Just today, Tina Smith went on record saying that my opposition to abolishing the police will ‘backfire.’ If anything is going to ‘backfire,’ it’s Tina Smith’s vision to ‘reimagine’ policing in America. If you’re wondering what ‘reimagining’ means, you’re not alone. Nobody has been able to figure out what that means because she hasn’t explained it.

Public order is under assault, and Tina Smith can’t be bothered to offer any real solutions. Instead she is running a copy-paste campaign, giving out the same generic statements on how we need to ‘reimagine policing’ while she lets radicals in the DFL like Ilhan Omar work to abolish the police. This is unacceptable from our leaders. It was the abject failure of Minnesota Democrats that got us to this point in the first place, and Tina Smith is just continuing that trend.

I will protect public safety and law enforcement at all costs, Tina Smith won’t. You need only look at her track record.”

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Lewis Reaffirms Support for Law Enforcement

June 22, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement after reaffirming his support for law enforcement at the “Law Enforcement for Lewis” press conference.

“We are going to have some very bad consequences across the Twin Cities and the state as a whole if we continue down this perilous path of undercutting law enforcement and public order. Let me be clear about this: public order is not a privilege, it is a right. The need for public order is why government was established in the first place, and it is what makes the liberties granted to us in the Constitution possible. As we descend into this free-for-all mob rule, we are undercutting the very function of government.

Every single elected official has a duty to lead on this. And newsflash: you don’t lead by saying that the police are ‘rotten to the root’ like Ilhan Omar or that ‘there is something dangerously wrong about the role police play in society’ like Tina Smith. This type of inflammatory rhetoric is already having costly consequences as we see police officers leaving the profession en masse. Calling to abolish the police or threatening not to support them is driving out the good cops our communities so desperately need. How would have fewer police helped this weekend when the tragic violence unfolded in Uptown? And we got a glimpse of what life would be like without police just a few weeks ago when our cities were destroyed by looters and arsonists. Society breaks down when public order isn’t enforced.  

We’re at an inflection point here in Minnesota and across the country. We need to put an end to the dangerous anti-law enforcement rhetoric promoted by leaders like Tina Smith. If we don’t, what is happening in Minneapolis could spread throughout Minnesota and even across the country. We must take a stand for public order, or we risk losing all the things we hold dear. That’s why I’m proud to stand with the good men and women of law enforcement.”

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Lewis Denounces DACA Ruling as Judicial Activism

June 18, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling blocking President Donald Trump’s rollback of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“Liberal activist judges on the Supreme Court, sadly including Justice Roberts once again, ruled that President Trump may not reverse what Obama himself admitted he had no power to do. This is judicial activism, plain and simple, and something I look forward to tackling when I’m in the Senate by appointing Constitutional conservatives to the courts.

As a policy matter, I voted for two immigration reform bills in the House that would have fixed the Dreamer problem, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Tina Smith wanted nothing to do with it because it funded border security, including a wall. Instead they have continued with their radical plans for open borders by abolishing ICE and sanctuary cities.

As a legal matter, the Court’s opinion is quite inscrutable, given the fact the it was President Obama who did not follow precedent or ‘or­di­nary rule-mak­ing’ pro­ce­dures when he granted DACA recipients ‘undocumented status’ in the first place. And in remarkably stark contrast to Obama’s earlier proclamations, saying In October 2010, ‘I am not king. I can’t do these things just by myself.’ He further elaborated the next year, declaring, ‘I can’t just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case’ and acknowledged that he couldn’t ‘just bypass Congress and change the [immigration] law myself…That’s not how a democracy works.’  

In the 115th Congress, Democrats refused to back a simple resolution honoring the brave men and women at ICE. That’s an outrage considering our border agents apprehended and arrested more than 120,000 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges, including human trafficking, in 2017 alone. They also seized more than 980,000 pounds of narcotics. In 2018, a Shakopee woman was brutally killed by an illegal immigrant charged with 2nd degree murder and whose past criminal history includes numerous misdemeanor convictions, three DUIs and one felony domestic assault conviction. He was deported by ICE in 2012 but illegally re-entered the United States sometime later. Yet now we hear the inexplicable chants ‘No border, no wall, no USA at all’ from radical leftist groups like Antifa while Democrats like Tina Smith continue their war on law enforcement.”

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Lewis Blasts Smith’s Comments in Wake of Resignations

The Left’s Hostile Environment Towards Police Officers Is Leading To Mass Exodus

June 15, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement on the hostile environment the Democrats have created towards law enforcement officers and the resulting mass exodus of officers across the country.

“As I have been warning for weeks now, the hostile environment towards law enforcement officers created by the left—with Senator Tina Smith leading the charge—is going to have a detrimental effect on public safety. We are already starting to see that come to fruition as police departments across the country are seeing a mass exodus of law enforcement officers. Here in Minneapolis, at least 13 officers have left the police department or are in the process of separating. This ‘unusually large exodus’ comes during a time where the Minneapolis Police Department is already short-staffed and struggling to serve the community adequately. And, as we have seen after two weeks of touring devastated businesses, the places that suffer the most with lack of policing often are minority neighborhoods.

Last week, Senator Smith took to the floor of the United States Senate to say there is something ‘dangerously wrong with the role police play in society,’ and that feeling relieved when police arrive is ‘about privilege.’ Vilifying all law enforcement officers based on the actions of a few bad cops isn’t just irresponsible, it is dangerous. This is exactly the kind of disparaging language that is leading to this mass exodus. As our leaders continue to fuel hatred of the police, public safety and our communities will continue to suffer. It must stop!

Senator Smith needs to be held accountable for her brazenly hostile comments towards all law enforcement officers. The ongoing safety of our communities depends on it.”

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Lewis Launches New Ad Buy: “Where’s Tina?”

Lewis Blasts Smith’s Senate Floor Comments on Thursday, Calls On Media To Do Its Job

June 12, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — “Defunding the police is the worst thing we can do. Tina Smith should be speaking out against these dangerous proposals,” said U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis in a new digital ad buy entitled “Where’s Tina?” Lewis added the following statement on Smith’s ongoing refusal to condemn efforts by radical Democrats to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department as well as her comments on the floor of the United States Senate yesterday:

“Senator Tina Smith finally broke her streak of silence yesterday, but not by condemning the dangerous proposal by radical Democrats to abolish the police department. Instead she took to the floor of the United States Senate to say there’s something ‘dangerously wrong with the role police play in society,’ and that feeling relieved when police arrive is ‘about privilege.’ As the husband and son-in-law of former St. Paul police officers, but also as a proud American who supports public order, I was appalled by these comments.

While Tina Smith is nowhere to be found, I’ve been meeting with many small business owners in Minneapolis and St. Paul whose businesses were burned and destroyed to ask them how they feel about abolishing the police department. Unsurprisingly, they find the proposal to be nothing short of insanity. Tina Smith needs to be held accountable for her brazenly hostile comments toward all police officers and her refusal to condemn the efforts to defund and dismantle the police department. So today I am proud to announce we are launching a new ad buy called “Where’s Tina?” to do just that.

The press needs to start asking Senator Smith, ‘Why aren’t you speaking out against these dangerous proposals to defund and dismantle the police department?’ The voters of Minnesota and I eagerly await the media’s long overdue inquiries and Tina’s response. The safety of our communities and the future of our country is on the line.” 

Watch the ad here. 
 

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The Rule of Law is Under Assault,” Lewis Tells Small Business Owners

June 11, 2020

ST. PAUL, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement after spending the day on Thursday visiting businesses in St. Paul that were destroyed by arsonists. This is a continuation of Lewis’ recent visits to Minneapolis businesses devastated by the recent riots.

“Today we continued our tour of the devastation of businesses and communities across the Twin Cities. One of the stops was Lloyd’s Pharmacy on Snelling Avenue. Jim Stage recently purchased the business, which has been serving the community since 1908, to fulfill his lifelong dream. But now his dream has been reduced to rubble due to looters and arsonists that were allowed to run roughshod over our communities. It is a similar story for Bole Ethiopian Cuisine where owners Solomon Haile and Rekik Abaineh have seen years’ worth of blood, sweat, and tears go up in flames. It was Rekik’s dream to share her love of Ethiopian cuisine with others, and together her and Solomon built a restaurant that became a local favorite. They were a perfect example of the American dream, and now their business is completely destroyed.

For those calling to defund the police—or ‘reimagine policing’ as Senator Tina Smith likes to say—they need to look no further than our own communities to see the consequences of anarchy. As rioters were destroying businesses, the police were given orders to stand down. This is what it looks like when public order is abandoned. This is the greatest abdication of responsibility I’ve seen in my lifetime, and the Democrats that control these cities have a lot to answer to.

Without public order, the mob will control the neighborhood and with it your freedom. Whether it is looters and arsonists destroying businesses, or rioters taking down statues at our Capitol, we’re seeing firsthand what it looks like when anarchists take over and demand complete conformity. And under Minnesota Democrats, from Governor Tim Walz to Senator Tina Smith, no one from the government will be there to stop it. Property, free speech, and the rule of law are all under assault. When no one pushes back against a mob, you get more of them. Our leaders are putting Minnesotans’ rights in jeopardy by failing to enforce public order.”

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Lewis Blasts AG Ellison For Moving to Dismiss Lawsuit Against Unconstitutional Orders

June 11, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement after the office of Attorney General Keith Ellison moved to dismiss the campaign’s lawsuit challenging Governor Tim Walz’s unconstitutional executive orders.

“Last month, my campaign filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota for the gross overreach by the Walz Administration in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. These unconstitutional power grabs by radical liberals like Senator Tina Smith and Governor Tim Walz are creating a brave new world where chaotic protesters are okay but gathering with friends and family or even going to church is not.

The Walz Administration refuses to be held accountable for what we now know was a horribly ill-advised policy of quarantining the healthy while putting the most vulnerable in congregated living centers at risk. Attorney General Keith Ellison’s motion to dismiss our campaign suit is just adding insult to injury. So is their argument that ‘there is no threat of any enforcement action’ unless they mean campaign gatherings are okay again.

As I have said for months now, the overreach from these unprecedented lockdowns has moved beyond economic hardship and favoritism into the realm of threatening our most basic liberties, including the fundamental right to travel and to gather. Our lawsuit was a notice for the state that it, too, has limits. Our power-grabbing politicians need to be held to account, for ourselves and posterity.”

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Lewis Visits Minneapolis Business Burned-Out By Rioters, Blasts Abysmal Leadership

June 10, 2020

EAGAN, Minn. — U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis released the following statement after visiting 7-Sigma, a manufacturing company based in South Minneapolis that was burned-out by arsonists during the recent riots, on Tuesday. Owner Kris Wyrobek has announced he will not be rebuilding his business in Minneapolis due to the abject failure of city officials to protect the community from rioters. Instead, Wyrobek will relocate his business outside of Minneapolis.

“Yesterday I visited 7-Sigma in South Minneapolis. This business, owned by Kris Wyrobek, has been operating in Minneapolis for 47 years. But the city is about to lose this long-standing member of its business community due to the gross incompetence of our leaders.

Kris, like many other business owners in the Twin Cities, watched in horror as his community was overtaken by looters and arsonists. Not only did city officials fail to control the rioters, they also ignored the desperate calls for help from business owners whose livelihoods were being destroyed. Who would want to keep their business in a city with such clear disregard for their survival? And the latest intentions from the Minneapolis City Council to defund the police only adds insult to injury. To top it off, not a single city official has reached out to Kris following the destruction of his business, while several other cities have already expressed interest in having 7-Sigma relocate to their town.

The abysmal leadership in Minneapolis, right up to and including Senator Tina Smith, has turned the city into a hostile environment for businesses. Mark my words: 7-Sigma may be the first business to openly announce plans to relocate out of the city, but it won’t be the last.”

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