National police union demands Psaki APOLOGIZE for 'laughing off' concerns over 'soft-on-crime' policies and says 'she may feel safe in the White House' while violence surges: She insists Biden isn't going easy on criminals and wants more funds for cops
- 'I think it's wrong - very wrong - for Ms. Psaki to suggest that violent crime in our country is of no concern or to just laugh it off,' FOP President Patrick Yoes said
- 'On Fox is Jeanine Pirro talking about soft-on-crime consequences, I mean, what does that even mean?,' the press secretary jeered
- 'There's an alternate universe on some coverage,' Psaki said. 'What's scary about it is a lot of people watch that
- 'People care more about what’s happening in their lives than what’s necessarily happening in every cable news chyron every day,' she said
- Meanwhile, 28 police officers were shot in the U.S. in the month of January
- Biden is traveling to New York City on Thursday to meet with Mayor Eric Adams on addressing gun crime in the city
The nation's largest police union called out White House press secretary Jen Psaki for 'belittling Americans' concerns' after she said media outlets who run segments on 'soft-on-crime policies' are living in an 'alternate universe.
'I think it's wrong - very wrong - for Ms. Psaki to suggest that violent crime in our country is of no concern or to just laugh it off,' National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Patrick Yoes said in a statement.
Psaki was speaking about a Fox News segment during an appearance on the Pod Save America podcast last week when she questioned what 'soft-on-crime consequence' even means and insisted Americans care 'more about what’s happening in their lives than what’s necessarily happening in every cable news chyron'.
She laughed off concerns despite a 510 percent nationwide spike in carjackings over the last year, 28 police officers being shot in January and widespread criticism of Democratic DAs including New York's Alvin Bragg who are going softer on criminals.
She said that while CNN and MSNBC were focused on Ukraine-Russia tensions, 'On Fox is Jeanine Pirro talking about soft-on-crime consequences, I mean, what does that even mean?'
'There's an alternate universe on some coverage,' Psaki said. 'What's scary about it is a lot of people watch that. They think that the president isn't doing anything to address people's safety in New York and that couldn't be further from the truth.'
Psaki then seemed to imply Americans care more about 'what's happening in their lives' than crime spikes.
'People care more about what’s happening in their lives than what’s necessarily happening in every cable news chyron every day,' she said.
'She may feel safe in the White House, one of the most protected buildings in the United States, but not everyone feels safe in their workplace. The world we find ourselves in is dangerous and increasingly more so,' Yoes continued.
The four hosts of the podcast all served as former Obama aides and Psaki served as Obama's deputy press secretary and deputy communications director.
At least 16 major cities across America broke a record for homicides in 2021.
Meanwhile, 28 police officers across the nation were shot in the month of January, compared to 17 in January 2020 and January 2021.
'There's an alternate universe on some coverage,' Psaki said. 'What's scary about it is a lot of people watch that. They think that the president isn't doing anything to address people's safety in New York and that couldn't be further from the truth,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said
A woman was pushed to her death at the Times Square Subway station at 9:40 AM on Jan. 15
A New York City police officer on the scene of a suspected carjacking on Broadway north of Times Square in New York on Jan. 12
Yoes said that much of the crime spike could be blamed on 'agenda-driven prosecutors who have gone rogue.'
'Under their leadership, which has been abhorrent in many cases, many violent offenders don't stay in jail - they're back on the streets and free to commit more crimes.'
Rep. Andy Biggs said on Twitter Psaki's remarks were 'completely out of touch.'
'It means because of Democratic policies like bail reform and defunding the police, there has been a record spike in murders,' said Sen. Tom Cotton, quoting a clip the press secretary's comments.
Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller called the clip 'appalling.'
'A truly appalling video. Psaki laughingly mocks those concerned over “soft-on-crime consequences,” as living in an “alternate universe. “What does that even mean?” Psaki laments. Perhaps she should start by asking the NYPD heroes who lined 5th Avenue to honor their slain comrade.'
The House GOP also jumped on Psaki's remarks.
'As violent crime continues to surge across America, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki mocks Americans discussing the “consequences” of Democrats'“soft-on-crime” policies.'
'“What does that even mean?” - Psaki said while holding back laughter,' the House Republicans wrote on Twitter.
Asked about the comments in her daily briefing Monday, Psaki said: 'What I was speaking to was a chyron on Fox News, since you raised it ,that suggested this administration is soft on crime with no basis.'
'In the American Rescue Plan there was additional funding to support local cops programs, something that every single Republican voted against,' she said. 'President Biden has proposed a significant increase in local cops programs in his budget more than the prior president,' Psaki continued.
'That’s a fact. So if those facts are uncomfortable I’m sorry for people who feel they need to be critical, but the president has been a longtime advocate of addressing crime, he’s never been for defunding the police. Our Department of Justice has increased funding, has put in place support for strike forces,'
President Biden is traveling to New York City to meet with Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday to discuss gun crime.
The White House said Biden planned during the Feb. 3 meeting to discuss his administration's 'comprehensive strategy' to combat gun crime, including increased funding for cities and states to hire more police officers and pay for community violence prevention and intervention programs.
The strategy also includes beefing up federal law enforcement efforts against gun traffickers, the White House said.
The visit comes after the recent fatal shooting of two police officers. On a snowy Friday morning in New York thousands of officers lined Fifth Avenue for the funeral of Officer Jason Rivera, and even Gov. Kathy Hochul came down from Albany to attend. Sen. Chuck Schumer also made an appearance and Adams gave a eulogy.
Rivera's widow Dominique went after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in her eulogy, telling the congregation: 'This system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even the members of the service.
'I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he's watching you speak through me right now.
'I'm sure all of our blue family is tired, too. But I promise, we promise, that your death won't be in vain.'
Bragg, on taking office, said offenses like marijuana misdemeanors, prostitution, resisting arrest and fare dodging will no longer be prosecuted.
Bragg instructed prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for crimes except for homicides, assaults resulting in serious injury, domestic violence felonies, sex offenses, public corruption, and 'major economic crimes'.
He instructed prosecutors to downgrade felonies to misdemeanors in certain cases. For instance, a suspect who would have been charged with armed robbery of a store would instead be charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor, if no one was seriously injured and there was no 'genuine risk of physical harm.'
The directive comes despite New York City seeing a surge in violent crime.
Aside from the same list of offenses, Bragg's prosecutors have also been told not to seek bail requirements for suspects awaiting trial.
The memo also outlines a number of circumstances in which charges should be downgraded, including certain cases of armed robbery and drug dealing.
Days after the two officers were shot, Adams announced a plan to stem gun violence that includes stepping up efforts to seize illegal guns.
The mayor also wants the police department to use facial recognition and other technology to identify people carrying weapons, expand cash rewards for tipsters who share information on gun-related crimes and for the city to help businesses pay to install surveillance cameras.
Meanwhile, major cities across the US have observed carjackings spike by up to 510 per cent in a 'disturbing' trend some are attributing to lax punishment and a shift in driving habits.
In Washington, D.C., where Psaki commutes to work every day, there was a 153% increase in carjackings in 2020 from the previous year, and in 2021 another 18% increase after that.
In Chicago, 1,849 carjackings were reported last year - a 510 per cent increase from the 303 vehicular hijackings in 2014, according to city data. Last year's figure represents a 30 per cent increase from the 1,413 cases reported in 2020.
Wilbert Mora, 27, (right) died on Tuesday - four days after the attack. His partner Jason Rivera, 22 (left) was killed in the shooting
A naked man in the midst of a violent rampage in a Harlem subway station in New York City
Robbery in New York City has spiked by about 33% in the week ending on January 23, the NYPD’s most recent data, with 944 incidents as compared to the 709 incidents reported in same duration last year
Data from the Public Policy Institute of California showed an increase in property and violent crime numbers from 2020 to 2021, as well as an increase in homicides
The end of 2021 saw a drop in crime rate in an otherwise violent year with record high murders
City Alderman Ray Lopez weighed in on the matter, telling CNN: 'It's like the perfect storm, where all these soft on crime policies have come to a head during this pandemic.'
Meantime, New York City has seen carjacking rising by more than 350 per cent in the past three years, to 510 in 2021. Comparatively, there were 328 cases in 2020, 132 in 2019, and 112 cases in 2018, CNN reported.
Two people were pushed onto the subway tracks in New York last month in unprovoked attacks. One died as she collided with an oncoming train and the other had non-fatal injuries.
Actor Michael Rapaport captured a viral incident last week of a sticky-fingered New York resident loading up a bag of goods at Rite Aid and casually walking out.
The Upper East Side pharmacy will be closing on February 15, and 63 other locations will close in the coming months with thefts a major reason, the pharmacy chain announced in late December.
'He's walking down the street like s**t is Gucci, he looked me in the face like ''what's good.'' I was watching him the whole time! My man just went Christmas shopping in January.'
The rampant thefts follows a trend in started in crime-ridden San Francisco where thieves last year were often seen simply waltzing past security guards to sell stolen items right outside the doors of Walgreens pharmacies.
The national chain has closed 17 of its 70 San Francisco locations in the past two years because of the shelf raiders, who have swiped everything not behind lock and key. Thefts in the chain's 53 remaining stores are five times the average for their stores elsewhere in the country, according to company officials.
How Liberal media kept Brianna Kupfer story OFF their homepages and when they did run it they DIDN'T use his picture and made no mention of his enormous rap sheet
Left-leaning news outlets ignored the lengthy criminal history of Brianna Kupfer's alleged killer in their coverage - and even omitted his mugshot from their homepages.
Reports by liberal giants - including the Los Angeles Times, ABC News, CBS and CNN - inexplicably left out details about Shawn Laval Smith's violent past. A picture of him - released by police in hopes the public might help find him - was also left off sites' landing pages.
The LA Times, in its article, made no mention of Smith's previous arrests, or the fact he was free during the stabbing on a $1,000 bond related to a Los Angeles County misdemeanor in October 2020.
Smith is also free on a $50,000 bond in Charleston, South Carolina related to a November 2019 arrest on suspicion of firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle, court records show.
An indictment in that case was handed down on March 16, 2020, just before COVID-19 paralyzed the courts, and the docket shows no further action on the case.
Kupfer, 24, was killed last Thursday during a solo shift at the Croft House store, shortly after texting a friend to say a man in the store was 'giving her a bad vibe.'
Los Angeles police on Tuesday revealed the identity of their chief suspect and dangled a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
There was no mention of CNN's coverage of the alleged killer's rap sheet, either, although it did note that Smith was considered 'armed and dangerous' and the story did not appear on the publication's main homepage on Wednesday morning.
ABC News coverage was also scant; the publication acknowledged a 'violent crime spike' but did not include background on Smith's alleged pattern of offending and being released or a photograph of him.
The information was also omitted by NBC News, which instead focused on the fact the suspect was identified and a reward was being offered for his arrest.
CBS, meanwhile, used a photograph of Brianna on their homepage but focused the angle of their story on her text to a friend saying she was getting 'bad vibes' from someone in the store on the day she was stabbed.
As of Wednesday morning, the New York Times had not covered the story.
CBS News's homepage showed a picture of Brianna Kupfer but not her alleged attacker under a headline that focused on the text message she sent a friend saying she had a bad vibe about someone in the furniture store she worked at on the day of her murder
ABC News's homepage used a photograph of Brianna shown at a police press conference but not her alleged assailant - a man who police say is Shawn Laval Smith, who has a lengthy rap sheet
NBC showed the story on Wednesday morning under their 'latest news tab' on their landing page but with no emphasis on photographs of Shawn Laval Smith
Brianna Kupfer, 24, was killed in a random attack last Thursday while she was working alone in in a Los Angeles furniture store. Shawn Smith (right) is being sought for her death
Julie Mastrine, director of media bias ratings at AllSides, said it is common to see left-leaning outlets focus on the victims, while conservative outlets are more prone to hone in on the criminals.
'This is me speculating, but the left tends to focus a lot on empathy, and views crime in the context of society,' she told Dailymail.com. 'The belief there is that people commit crimes due to societal factors. Maybe they've experienced poverty or trauma.
'And the right focuses more on personal responsibility, and they're less likely to see crime as the result, or the fault, of larger society. They see it as an active individual will or flawed human nature.'
Some outlets are hesitant to report on a person's criminal history unless they've been convicted of an offense, she added.
The New York Post was quick to dive deeper into the slaying with a headline reading: 'LA DA ripped for being soft on crime after deaths of two women.'
Its article detailed the criticism surrounding Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, whose soft-on-crime policies are being blamed for a violent crime wave in the region.
It also shared with its readers that Smith 'had a lengthy criminal record' and was believed to be homeless.
The Los Angeles Times was among the outlets that made no mention of Smith's criminal background in its coverage - though they used surveillance footage from a 7-Eleven, released by the LAPD, in their story
CNN's reporting of the suspected killer was also scant, and lacked detail about his history. The story was nowhere to be seen on their homepage on Wednesday morning.
Fox News included in its coverage a story headlined, 'Progressive prosecutors blasted as homicide numbers climb in Los Angeles, other left-wing cities.' The piece included an interview with prosecutor Jon Hatami, who called on the public to vote out Gascon and other like-minded DAs.
He called Gascon out for endorsing policies that resulted in less jail time and lighter sentences for some crimes.
'There are some people that are so bad that they deserve to go to prison,' Hatami told the outlet. 'And the reason for that is punishment, accountability and protection for the public.'
It in another story detailed Smiths' criminal background.
The New York Post detailed criticisms of Gascon, and made mention of Smith's lengthy criminal history
Fox News also zeroed in on Smith's rap sheet, and spoke with a prosecutor who believes progressive district attorneys are jeopardizing public safety
DailyMail.com revealed Tuesday that Smith was arrested in Covina, California, on October 27, 2020, on a charge of possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor.
A spokesperson for the Covina Police Department said that Smith was cited and released. It was also unclear why the case still hadn't been brought to a trial or a plea deal 15 months later.
A spokesperson for Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, who took office in December 2020 with a vow to stop prosecuting many misdemeanors, did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com.
Hatami, a veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor who has been an outspoken critic of Gascon, hit out at his boss in the wake of Kupfer's killing, arguing that his progressive policies are failing the community, and that he deserves to be voted out, along with other 'woke' DAs in cities with rising crime rates.
'No parent should ever have to bury their child,' Hatami tweeted on Tuesday. 'But, if you do lose a child to violence, we must have a DA who is willing to stand up and fight for the victims and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law. Every victim deserves a voice and we all deserve justice.'
Smith has a prolific criminal record, with dozens of prior charges in North Carolina and South Carolina
Smith is seen in Charleston, South Carolina mugshots (left to right) in June 2013 for possession of marijuana, in July 2013 for littering on the highways, and in September 2013 for disorderly conduct
Smith is seen in Charleston mugshots (left to right) in July 2015 on charges of driving without a license, expired registration, and careless driving; March 1, 2016 on charges of trespassing; March 5, 2016 on charges of trespassing and resisting arrest
Smith is seen in Charleston mugshots (left to right) in November 2018 on charge of contempt of court; March 2019 on charges of entering a premises after warning; June 2019 on charges of entering a premises after warning; and November 2019 for firing into an occupied vehicle, a charge for which he is still free on a $50,000 bail more than two years later
Smith is also currently free on a $50,000 bond in Charleston, South Carolina in relation to a November 2019 arrest on suspicion of firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle, court records show.
An indictment in that case was handed down on March 16, 2020, just before COVID-19 paralyzed the courts, and the docket shows no further action on the case.
The suspected killer has a prolific criminal record, with dozens of prior charges in North Carolina and South Carolina, public records show.
Smith's prior charges on the East Coast include assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, assault on a police officer, trespassing, possession of a stolen vehicle, and misdemeanors for larceny and possession of stolen goods. The outcomes of those cases weren't immediately clear.
He has a history of failing to appear in court, and has been repeatedly arrested on bench warrants. In one case in Charleston, he was convicted in abstentia after skipping court, and does not appear to have served the sentence, which is sealed in court records.
Shortly before she was killed, Kupfer texted a friend to say a man at the store was giving her a 'bad vibe'
In 2016, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department issued a public appeal for information about Smith, saying he was wanted on '14 active warrants for his arrest for Bicycle thefts he has committed in the Charlotte area.'
More recently, in California, Smith has charges in San Francisco and San Mateo, where he was accused of assaulting a police officer, a law enforcement source told Fox News.
His most recent arrest appears to be for shoplifting, the source said. Smith has been recently seen in Pasadena, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Covina, San Diego and San Francisco, police said.
'He is highly likely to be using public transportation. Special attention should be given to bus stops and train platforms,' the LAPD said.
In 2016, Charlotte police issued a public appeal with this DMV photo saying Smith was wanted on '14 active warrants for his arrest for Bicycle thefts' in the area
Earlier, at a Tuesday press conference, LAPD Lt. John Radke revealed that minutes before she was killed, Brianna had texted a friend to say someone in the store was 'giving her a bad vibe'.
The shocking attack appears to be random, with no known connection between the victim and her murderer and no clear motive for the slaying.
Despite his neat and well-kept appearance, cops say they strongly suspect the suspect is homeless, based on his travel on foot as well as information they declined to reveal.
Police say the wanted man was seen walking all throughout the area and entering several stores, speculating that he chose to attack Brianna after he found her working alone.
Brianna, 24, was working alone at the luxury Croft House furniture store in LA's upmarket Fairfax neighborhood on Thursday when the killer entered at about 1.50pm and stabbed her to death before making his escape through the back door.
Twenty minutes later, another customer walked into the store and found her in a pool of blood. By the time police arrived, she was dead.
On Tuesday, authorities also announced a $250,000 reward for information leading to the murder suspect's arrest - with $200,000 coming from community donations and the rest from city funds.
'We will find this vicious criminal, we will get him arrested, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,' Councilman Paul Koretz said as he announced the reward.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore described the male suspect as African-American, 6 feet to 6 feet 5 inches tall, with a thin build and short dreadlocks.
He was last seen wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, black tennis shoes and mirrored sunglasses, and carrying a black backpack.
c'He walked for miles, north, south, east and west, throughout this neighborhood. Someone out there knows this man. Someone out there knows what he did, and boy there's a lot of money on the table,' said Lt. Radke.
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Psaki mocks concern of the consequences of being 'soft on crime' - Daily Mail
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