New York congressman: Stop the cop bashing

President Obama, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), and members of the media need to stop “cop bashing” in the wake of the shooting deaths of two New York City police officers, Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) said Sunday.

{mosads}“This is an absolute tragedy, what occurred in New York, and it’s really time for our national leaders, the president, it’s time for the mayor of New York, and really for many in the media to stop the cop bashing, to stop this anti-police rhetoric,” the congressman told Fox News.

“I mean, for the last four months, we’ve basically heard nothing other than the cops are guilty, presumed cops are guilty, then the grand jury says they’re not going to be indicted. People demonstrate, march in the streets, and it’s so slanted.”

King went on to bemoan a situation where “it’s being considered perfectly appropriate for thousands of people to demonstrate, calling cops murderers and killers after a grand jury says that the police officer was not guilty.”

Two New York City police officers were killed Saturday afternoon while sitting in their patrol car, and officials have said they believe 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who then ran into a nearby subway station and killed himself, was the culprit.

An Instagram account reportedly belonging to Brinsley showed the alleged shooter posting anti-police messages and intimated the killings were in response to incidents in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, where unarmed black men died after altercations with white police officers. Grand juries in both incidents opted against bringing charges.

King said he did not believe it was fair to cast the incident in Staten Island, where Eric Garner died after being placed in a chokehold, as racially motivated. Police were arresting Garner for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes outside a convenience store.

“It was an African-American chief of the police department who sent in the police officers at the request of minority business owners,” King said.

King is not the only Republican to criticize Democratic politicians following the incident. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), also appearing on Fox News, bemoaned “four months of propaganda starting with the president that everybody should hate the police.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that the “tone” Democratic politicians were “setting around the rhetoric regarding the cops incites crazy people,” and said de Blasio had “probably undercut his cops.” And former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) said the killings were the “predictable outcome of divisive anti-cop rhetoric” of de Blasio and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.