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Scott Walker used officer who faked own homicide in criticizing Obama for 'anti-police rhetoric'
In alleging a "rise in anti-police rhetoric" under President Barack Obama, then-presidential candidate Gov. Scott Walker cited the death of an Illinois police officer that is now believed to be a suicide.
In a Sept. 2 column published on the conservative blog hotair.com, Walker called the death of Fox Lake, Illinois police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz an "assassination" and said a culture of police hatred has been fostered under Obama.
"Instead of hope and change, we’ve seen racial tensions worsen and a tendency to use law enforcement as a scapegoat," Walker wrote.
But police there revealed earlier this week that what was believed to be an officer killed in the line of duty was actually a suicide staged to look like homicide -- spurring a massive manhunt for culprits that never existed -- to avoid facing the consequences of allegedly stealing from the police department's youth training program for years. On Thursday, detectives told the Associated Press that Gliniewicz also apparently sought a hit man to kill a village administrator he feared would expose him as a thief.
Tom Evenson, spokesman for Walker's campaign, on Thursday stood by the message of Walker's column. Evenson said in a statement that "this tragedy and the changing facts of this situation do not change the fact that we need to work to assure that citizens and officers are protected."
"After a thorough investigation by the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, it has come to light that what was believed to be true at the time is not," said Evenson. "This is a tragic situation for all involved, and the governor's thoughts and prayers go out to those affected."
At the time the column was published, a campaign spokeswoman pointed to a New York Times/CBS poll released in July that showed the majority of white and black Americans think race relations are bad in the U.S.
Before Obama was elected in 2008, 60 percent of black U.S. residents felt race relations were bad; that fell to 30 percent after his election but rose to 68 percent in the July poll, close to levels in 1992 when Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of charges after beating Rodney King, a black man.
The newspaper pointed out that the current poll numbers come in the wake of video recordings made public of police killings of black suspects.
According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, 107 police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2013 — the lowest number since 1949.
Last year, 117 police officers were killed.
nawledge_god;8490689 said:
Louis Devinear;8487969 said:This shit reads like the plot from the negotiator
twizza 77;8487339 said:Dirty? Yes. I don't believe he committed suicide though. I know people that went to that rally for him, they're shocked.
twizza 77;8487947 said:I think his cop homies killed him, he probably wasn't the only one stealing money.