Colorado Republican state Rep. Dave Williams, who is running against conservative radio host Jeff Crank, is coming under fire from Crank and Indiana Republican Jim Banks who say Williams tried to defund the Colorado police.
In 2021, Williams introduced legislation that would allow people who get automated camera tickets to pay the fine to a charity in lieu of a fine instead of to the Colorado state government. In 2022 he introduced a similar bill, but ticketed drivers are only allowed to pay certain designated charities, including the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC).
CCJRC says that: “Ending mass incarceration and the overuse of the criminal justice system requires a dismantling of this architecture with a new transformational vision for community health and safety.”
CCJRC also advocates for DA’s who support “equitable” criminal justice reform: “Simultaneously, racial and economic disparities persist at every step of the criminal legal system, including criminal filing decisions, bail and pretrial determinations, plea bargaining, and sentencing.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: GOP Civil War Deepens As Senators Claim McConnell Threw Party’s Voters ‘Under The Bus’ On Ukraine, Border)
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) speaks at a press conference following a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on June 08, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
CCJRC seemingly endorses not prosecuting lighter sentences for illegal immigrants: “Implement a formal policy to consider immigration consequences in appropriate cases during plea negotiations, and review requests for U visa certification for immigrant survivors of crime.”
“Jeff Crank will put Colorado and America first. His opponent, the Chairman of the Colorado GOP, is an establishment politician who tried to defund the Colorado police and send those dollars to pro-abortion and soft on crime charities instead,” Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks told the Caller.
Banks worked on Crank’s first congressional campaign in 2006. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Read The Death Threat Sent To Donald Trump Jr. With White Powder (PHOTO))
Crank also slammed Williams in a statement to the Caller saying he constantly lies and has no chance of winning the election.
“Conservative leaders nationally and from Colorado are flocking to our campaign because they know I will be a strong ally to President Trump, secure the border, rein in wasteful spending, and never turn my back on our great law enforcement officials who protect us every day. Dave Williams thought defunding the police was a good idea just like the most radical elements of the Democrat party,” Crank said.
“He can’t be allowed to represent us in Congress. Dave Williams lies constantly because he knows he is running a losing campaign. He filed lawsuits attempting to stop an ad being run about him sending funds to Defund the Police groups and a judge ruled his ‘claim was without merit’. He lies about my support for President Trump, because he is part of the group that walked out on the President at the Convention in 2016 and was fired from his volunteer role with President Trump in 2020. He lies because he knows if voters know the truth about him, he will not win,” Crank added.
The Caller contacted Williams about Banks’ comments to which he said: “It’s clearly desperate for Jeff Crank to ask his old failed campaign manager to lie for him so voters don’t learn that Jeff Crank is an open border lobbyist who supported Nikki Haley and opposed President Trump while having advocated for tax-and-spend policies that hurt Americans.”