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EXCLUSIVE: The nation's top group representing sheriffs urged top Democratic and Republican lawmakers to oppose President Biden's beleaguered nominee for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) said Gigi Sohn, whom Biden renominated for a vacant FCC seat last month after her nomination stalled in 2022 over concerns about her views, has promoted "alarming" statements about law enforcement. NSA President Greg Champagne and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Jim Skinner, who are both sheriffs, announced the group's opposition to Sohn in a letter sent Monday to leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee which oversees FCC nominations.
"The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) opposes the nomination of Gigi Sohn to serve as a Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)," the two NSA officials wrote in the letter to Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
"Law enforcement officers across the country risk their lives every day to protect and serve our communities," they continued. "They deserve the support of senior officials in the federal government who help to set policy. Unfortunately, Ms. Sohn has failed to provide such support by using social media to promote alarming statements that denigrate law enforcement."
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Gigi Sohn testifies during a Senate confirmation hearing examining her nomination to serve on the Federal Communications Commission on Feb. 9, 2022. (Pete Marovich/Pool/Getty Images)
They noted that Sohn has used her Twitter account to like and retweet posts from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arguing in favor of defunding the police. The letter added that Sohn once liked a "troubling" tweet that suggested "a few bad cops" should represent all cops.
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"The public knows that the vast majority of sworn law enforcement officers perform impossible tasks daily and deserve the support of our public officials," Champagne and Skinner concluded in their letter.
"On behalf of the 3,080 Sheriffs of the NSA, we urge you to stand up for our nation's law enforcement professionals by opposing Ms. Sohn's nomination to serve as an FCC Commissioner."
In addition to the NSA, the Fraternal Order of Police has also opposed Sohn for her anti-police views. The group wrote to Cantwell and Cruz last month that it has "no confidence in her ability to objectively perform the duties of an FCC Commissioner" and that she would be a "terrible choice to serve on the FCC."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
The letter was addressed to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who is pictured speaks during a town hall event on July 8, 2017, in Seattle, Washington. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Sohn has also faced criticism for once sharing a tweet saying former President Donald Trump was a "raggedy white supremacist president" and sitting on the board of an organization opposed to anti-sex trafficking laws.
And Sohn has been a vocal proponent of net neutrality. The Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest business industry group, has warned of Sohn's "extreme views" and reiterated its call for the Senate to reject her nomination in January.
"Americans deserve an FCC that will ensure that consumers and the economy benefit from cutting-edge communication tools necessary for their success," said Jordan Crenshaw, the vice President of policy for the U.S. Chamber's Technology Engagement Center. "The Chamber believes that the FCC and the public interest would be better served by a different nominee."
Sohn's views on issues including law enforcement ultimately led to her nomination stalling after moderate Democrats expressed concerns last year.
Left-wing interest groups led by the Communications Workers of America, though, have since unleashed an aggressive campaign in favor of Sohn's nomination.
If the Senate were to confirm Sohn to the position, the FCC — a powerful independent agency with far-reaching regulatory powers over the tech and communications industries — would have a 3-2 Democratic majority.
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