Mike Braun: Inability of Democrat Mayors, Governors to Quell Riots Will Lead to Significant Consequences at the ‘Ballot Box’

Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) told Breitbart News during a press conference on Tuesday that the inability of many Democrat mayors and governors to quell the violent riots in major cities across the country will lead to significant “ramifications” at the “ballot box in November.”

Several major cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Santa Monica have experienced significant rioting from Black Lives Matter members, Antifa members, and other rioters in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Braun told Breitbart News that local jurisdictions bear the responsibility of keeping the peace; however, that means that they will face the blame if they fail to quell violent protests.

“I’m pretty clear on this one: I’m glad the president came out and cited the fact that the underlying event was horrific, that we need to allow for peaceful protests, but when it comes to law enforcement, I think that’s the responsibility of cities, towns, and states,” Braun said.

Braun then cautioned that mayors and governors, many who are Democrats, have failed to keep the peace in their cities. For instance, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser failed to stop rioters, which led to President Donald Trump calling for more national guard units to station in D.C. to stop the rioting.

Braun said that this failure to protect Americans from the rioting will lead to significant ramifications during the 2020 elections.

He told Breitbart News, “When it comes to who bears the responsibility, I said it earlier, mayors and the governors. If you take that approach that goes beyond making sure that any peaceful protests can happen to say, and to where you are in some fashion abiding any of the lawlessness, to me this is reminiscent of what occurred back in ’68  when it was across the TV when media was a lot less visible than it was now. I think there’ll be ramifications and voters will have to ask themselves when they go to the ballot box in November, ‘Was it handled right?’ Also, you need to ask yourself  how do we prevent this from occurring in the future? So, yes, I think governors, mayors, whether they’re blue or red, if they’re letting something happen that foments, adds to the issue, condones it, I think you will be accountable as they should be.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.