Law Newz reports:
President Donald Trump raised eyebrows Friday when he suggested cops get rough with suspects, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that he shouldn’t be taken literally. “I believe he was making a joke at the time,” she said at a press briefing, after a reporter asked if it was just a joke.
Trump made the statement before law enforcement officers at Suffolk County Community College, in a speech blasting other presidents for being lax on immigration policy. The statement quickly got condemnation, however, even from law enforcement.
Here's Sanders claiming Trump was "making a joke" with his comments on police brutality. Bullshit. pic.twitter.com/uz1hTgiUxB
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) July 31, 2017
Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump was joking when he told cops to rough up suspects. Police brutality is not a joke. https://t.co/6UsY10aF5m
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 31, 2017
Why police departments lashed out at Trump for his comments on how they treat suspects https://t.co/WCiWj6Z461
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 31, 2017