CHICAGO — To mark the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a statement praising congressional investigators and calling for “those responsible” to be held accountable.
“Since that fateful day, the January 6th committee led by Congressman Bennie Thompson has done tremendous work to uncover the truth behind this tragedy. Not only did it determine that far right-wing conspiracy groups formulated this plan to overthrow the 2020 election, but it also discovered that the former President was at the helm of it,” Lightfoot said in a Tweeted statement. “As trials for those responsible for the January 6th insurrection continue, I want to thank Congressman Thompson and his committee for working tirelessly to bring to light the truth of what happened and culminated into this grave threat to our democracy.”
But Lightfoot quickly found herself facing criticism from mayoral rivals who took issue with her response to a police officer’s ties to the Proud Boys, one of the groups that prosecutors said were key players in the siege on the Capitol.
In October, Chicago Police Department officials said that an officer who was investigated by the department for affiliating with the Proud Boys, a white nationalist organization, and found to have given false statements about it would serve a 120-day suspension.
When asked at the time by a reporter how Chicagoans can trust the police to keep them safe if the department does not fire an officer who has lied to investigators about his ties to an “antisemitic, anti-gay far-right group” with leaders who have “been charged with sedition in connection with Jan. 6 insurrection,” the mayor called the characterization overstated.
Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
City Inspector General Deborah Witzburg criticized the decision, saying the case “represents a determination that someone who made ‘false’ and ‘contradicting’ statements about his association with the Proud Boys should continue to wear the uniform of the Chicago Police Department.”
Now mayoral candidates and the Southern Poverty Law Center are questioning the decision not to fire the cop.
Candidate and state Rep. Kambium “Kam” Buckner criticized the mayor for what he said was downplaying the case and allowing the officer to remain on the force.
“Public trust in the police is at an all-time low, and it’s a slap in the face to every CPD officer dedicated to constitutional policing to have a Mayor who defends Proud Boys’ racism,” Buckner said.
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson similarly said: “There is no excuse for Mayor Lightfoot to keep an associate of the same violent organization that organized the Jan. 6 insurrection on our city’s payroll.”
“Two years ago, the Proud Boys led an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that contributed to the death of multiple police officers and a full-fledged attack on our democracy,” Johnson added. “Further employing this individual is a threat to our public safety, and an affront to officers who were under siege and perished that day protecting lawmakers and that same democracy.”
