Senate Majority Leader rejects Trump's call to defund FBI, Justice

[April 12, 2023]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday he plans to introduce a resolution rejecting former President Donald Trump's call to defund the Justice Department and FBI.  

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) looks at his notes before he speaks to reporters after the weekly Democratic party caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Trump, who is seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, made the plea to his fellow Republicans in Congress one day after being charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He pleaded not guilty.

Schumer, a Democrat, said he would offer a Senate resolution rejecting Trump's move, calling it a "a baseless, self-serving broadside against the men and women who keep our nation safe."

The resolution would recognize the dedication of the people who serve in the law enforcement agencies, condemn calls to defund Justice and the FBI, and reject partisan attempts to degrade public trust in them, Schumer said in a statement.

While Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate, Republicans took control of the House of Representatives.

"The former President and his allies in Congress must not subjugate justice and public safety because of their own personal grievances," Schumer said.

A resolution is often used to express lawmakers' approval or disapproval of something they cannot vote on.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu, editing by Ed Osmond)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.