A prominent conservative California sheriff joked about “switching teams” ahead of the 2024 election and urged people to support “convicted felons.”
“I think it’s time to send a felon to the White House,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a video posted to social media Saturday.
Bianco’s comments came after former President Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in New York last week, making him the first president to be convicted of a felony.
Bianco, who has openly hinted at the possibility of running for California governor, lamented in the video that in more than 30 years in law enforcement he has done all he can to “keep our communities safe by arresting criminals and putting them behind bars,” but that in recent years, leaders and the state of California seem to be favoring criminals.
“Over the past five years, I’ve been very critical of the Governor for cutting the corrections budget, releasing inmates early and closing prisons,” Bianco said. “I’ve criticized the Legislature for passing laws that make it harder to incarcerate people. I’ve criticized them for changing the law to release inmates early. And I’ve criticized the Attorney General for not seeming to care about crime.”
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The sheriff lamented the “love affair” state leaders have with criminals, arguing it is based on “the belief that criminals are not responsible for their actions.”
“They’re victims of society,” Bianco said. “It’s society’s fault. It’s the companies’ fault. It’s the cops’ fault. It could be me.”
Bianco said state leaders have accused the justice system, laws and law enforcement of being “systematically racist,” resulting in criminals being put in prison as a result of “bias.”
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But now, “we’re letting them go,” the sheriff continued, “giving them housing, giving them money, giving them drugs and alcohol.”
Bianco added that he was “sick and tired” of the issue, before jokingly acknowledging that he might have been “wrong.”
“I’m going to change teams,” Bianco said.
“I think they’re on to something, but I don’t think they’re doing enough about it,” the sheriff said, joking that he thought putting a felon in the White House was a good idea.
“Trump 2024, baby, let’s save this country and make America great again,” Bianco concluded.
