Biden Civil Rights Nominee Says She Does ‘Not Support Defunding the Police’

Kristen Clarke, President of the National Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, testifies during a Senate Rules Committee hearing in Washington, on July 22, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Kristen Clarke, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday that she does not support defunding the police as Republicans accused her of partisanship and grilled her for past advocacy and publications.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), asked Clarke about her op-ed in Newsweek, headlined: “I Prosecuted Police Killings. Defund the Police—But Be Strategic.”