Rep. Dan Bishop urges police and politicians to renew their public oaths: 'Citizens are not subjects, they are the served'

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Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., on Thursday urged police and political leaders around the country to truly embrace their role as public servants, in an effort to help repair the societal stress caused by a growing mistrust of law enforcement and government within the United States.

During a phone interview with Fox News, Bishop was asked about instituting policies that would require police and elected officials to reaffirm their oaths of serving their constituents' needs, as a reminder that their powers are derived from the consent of their communities.

He replied by highlighting the death of George Floyd and said all U.S. law enforcement officials and elected representatives should be cognizant of the fact that they are directly accountable to the people.

"I don't think there's an easy answer but everybody in America watched the George Floyd incident and frankly, in all the discussions I've had I've found not one person who was inclined to defend that," he began. "And so, if you can find that kind of galvanized public view, all unified on one point, there is no doubt we can improve that situation and weed out bad cops."

"It's something we need to do more often, is to recognize that that's our goal. We're all servants," Bishop continued. "If you reinforce a servant culture in everything that you do -- and I've seen a lot of that in police departments -- I've seen it in the last number of years. I think police departments have articulated that and gotten that right. But that's nothing new. Protect and serve has been their motto forever. I think in its essence, that's the correct orientation for them and for all of us elected to government."

He added, "It is a fundamental concept that underlies our Declaration of Independence -- the right relationship between citizens on the one hand and government on the other. Citizens are not subjects, they are the served. Renewing our oaths here in Congress and demonstrating our commitment to those ideas -- hopefully, it filters throughout the rest of government."

Bishop also spoke about partnering with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., to convince President Trump to direct to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to launch an investigation into how much federal funding has gone to cities that have seen the development of autonomous zones or have seen protests infiltrated by anarchist elements.

SEN. ERNST URGES FEDS TO BLOCK TAXPAYER FUNDS FOR STATES, CITIES ALLOWING 'ANARCHY'

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"The point is, anarchy has a cost," he explained. "Americans are already seeing on their television sets the cost in human tragedy like the shootings that occurred in CHAZ or CHOP. But there's also is a financial cost that comes quickly and immediately. We know that some of that can be tallied. OMB would examine what resources have been consumed in responding to, dealing with, living with CHOP and similar efforts elsewhere."

Bishop and Ernst were the main signatories on a bicameral letter to OMB director Russell Voight.

"We write to urge you to exercise your authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to promote anarchy," part of the letter read. "In recent weeks, mobs hijacked peaceful protests and vandalized cities, and State and local officials enabled and encouraged them. One egregious product of this encouragement of chaos are so-called ‘autonomous zones.’ These anarchist zones are incompatible with the American commitment to its citizens that it is a nation based on laws."

When asked if there was an initial estimate for how much public funding was spent in connection with anarchist and autonomous zones, Bishop said it could be anywhere from tens, to hundreds of millions of dollars.

"There have been reports of requests made for financial support to cover the loses in places where rioting occurred," he said. "I know there were tens of millions requested by Minneapolis to recover from its rioting that was allowed to go on unrestrained, so that gives you a sense of scale. I think it would be easily tens or hundreds of millions."

He also suggested the OMB look into the economic impact on local businesses, specifically owners who felt "compelled to flee the area or to shut down their operations because of the chaos."

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When asked if citizens should be wary of the use of federal law enforcement troops to quell the riots, Bishop claimed local leaders left Washington with no alternative but to act, after they abandoned their duties as elected officials and abdicated their civic responsibilities.

"When it is clear to everybody that a riotous mob, however large or small, is on the precipice of entering and destroying a United States Courthouse -- it should never have gotten to that stage, but once it does -- it is incumbent on the federal government to protect hat facility," he added. "And so there is in my mind no question. That required the use of federal officers. Folks want to shift the debate to exactly what happened by detaining people on the street, or the use of unmarked vehicles, I think all of that is being answered. But I'd like to hear the person who can explain what should be the alternative to the federal officers who were there."