WASHINGTON – Congress member Brad Finstad, elected from southeast Minnesota, confirmed tyat one of his Washington staff members was recovering well from a mugging near the Capitol. The staffer was attacked on his way home after watching Democratic and Republican members of Congress, including Finstad, play a charity baseball at nearby National Park. The staffer was shaken but not hurt physically, according to police. Finstad, a freshman Republican in Congress, has a Capitol staff of six. Finstad used the occasion in a news release to repeat a GOP talking point:
“In Washington, D.C., and cities across the country, anti-police, soft-on-crime policies have created lawless societies that endanger the public and empower criminal behavior. It’s time we started treating criminals like criminals and bring back commonsense policies that imprison career criminals, keep the public safe, and allow our police officers to adequately protect our communities and keep violent criminals off the streets.”
While Finstad’s sympathy for his staffer undoubtedly was well intended, his political talking point is cliche bunk. Recent statistics show that violent crimes, including homicides, have been dropping nationwide to pre-pandemic levels. Also, police funding has increased at national, state and local levels. Too, Washington Police Chief Robert Contee has blamed crime on the growing number of guns in Washington and everywhere — even as Finstad’s voting record consistently has opposed any limits whatsoever on firearm access.
Earlier: Armed muggers attack Finstad aide