In leaked text messages, U.S. Rep. Katie Porter said the Irvine Police Department is a ‘disgrace’ and that she will ‘never trust them again’ after an altercation that happened during a town hall last year.
U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat known for grilling top executives and government officials with her white board during hearings, bashed the Irvine Police Department after they arrested a man she lives with for allegedly assaulting a protester at her town hall event last summer, Fox News reported on Sept. 26.
The man in question, Julian Willis, allegedly punched a protester at Porter’s outdoor town hall event last July, giving him a bloody nose. According to the arrest documents and property records obtained by Fox, Willis lives with Porter and was arrested and given a citation for the altercation.
The town hall became heated when protesters in opposition of Porter showed up and began shouting “Carpetbagger Katie” and “Corrupt Katie Porter” during the town hall, other media reported at the time. Supporters of Porter in attendance chanted “Katie! Katie! Katie!” in response before some supporters confronted the protesters.
Following the event, Porter disparaged the Irvine police department in leaked text messages with Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan obtained by Fox.
“I will never trust them again,” Porter said in one text message. “Your police force is a disgrace.”
This is not the first time that the Congresswoman has appeared anti-police, as she has showed solidarity with the Defund the Police movement previously, and is also the Deputy Chair of the House Progressive Caucus, which supported defunding police departments across the country.
