White House calls police shootings of African-Americans a 'local matter'

The shooting deaths of African-Americans by police officers that have prompted nationwide racial tensions are local matters to be dealt with by local authorities, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters at her Wednesday press briefing.

”Certainly a terrible incident. This is something that is a local matter and that’s something that we feel should be left up to the local authorities at this point in time,” Sanders said in response to a question about the acquittal of two Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police officers involved in the 2016 death of Alton Sterling. Sanders was also asked about the recent fatal shooting of Stephon Clark in California, and the 2014 death of Eric Garner.


The death of Sterling and similar shooting deaths of other African-Americans became a key issue in the summer of 2016 amid the presidential race between Donald Trump, who voiced strong support for police, and Democrat Hillary Clinton, who expressed support for police while also calling for reforms that she said would improve relations between law enforcement and the black community.

Sanders said Wednesday that the president remains committed to supporting police and did not see a role for himself in the multiple high-profile incidents of African-Americans being killed during interactions with police.

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“Certainly we want to make sure that all law enforcement is carrying out the letter of the law. The president’s very supportive of law enforcement,” she said “But at the same time, in these specific cases and these specific instances, those would be left up to local authorities to make that determination and not something for the federal government to weigh in to.”

Pressed further by another reporter on whether Trump sees a role for himself in the larger national conversation about racial tensions and the relationship between the African-American community and law enforcement, Sanders said the president has sought to unite the nation and benefit all Americans with his policies. She pointed to other subjects, including the president’s push for improved security at schools and on the U.S.-Mexico border, as proof of Trump’s dedication to making sure Americans — and especially young Americans — feel safe.

“We want to find ways to bring the country together. Certainly not looking for any place of division. I think you've seen that in the policies that he’s put forward,” Sanders said. “He wants to grow the economy, wants to do that for everybody. Wants a better America for every American and that's been a repeated thing out of this White House.”