MILWAUKEE-- Three state lawmakers are calling for Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke to resign. Senator Chris Larson, Rep. Jonathan Brostoff, and Rep. Christine Sinicki issued a joint statement on Wednesday that urged for the resignation or removal of Clarke as sheriff.
This follows a statement from Milwaukee County Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde that was released on December 1st, also asking for Clarke to resign.
The joint statement released Wednesday cited the recent deaths of four people, including a newborn baby, at the Milwaukee County Jail as their reasoning behind the call.
“As public servants of Milwaukee County, we understand the importance of ensuring that our neighbors are treated with dignity and respect. With four families grieving over the unnecessary loss of their loved ones in the past six months, it has become clear that our county’s sheriff department has been grossly mismanaged," Larson, Brostoff, and Sinicki wrote in the statement.
When asked for a response to the statement, MCSO's Director of Support Services Fran McLaughlin emailed Clarke's response: "The sheriff said he is thoroughly bored with this Democrat Party fake news because he helped Donald Trump get elected POTUS. He said they must have heard him speak at last night's Trump victory rally and it touched a nerve. #MAGA."
The Judiciary, Safety and General Services Committee will be meeting on Thursday morning to discuss a resolution that would allow outside investigations into deaths that occur at the Jail. Supervisor Theodore Lipscomb, Sr. and Omokunde are sponsoring the resolution.
Omokunde's call was the first addressing Clarke's removal relating to the jail deaths.
"Something is terribly wrong at the Milwaukee County Jail, and Sheriff David Clarke needs to resign before more people die," Omokunde wrote in his statement.
Clarke then responded: "Supervisor who? That sounds like some character in a science fiction comic book and he's upset that I helped Donald J. Trump get elected POTUS."
