Seattle police union head won’t resign after attack remarks

SEATTLE (AP) — The president of Seattle’s rank and file police union says he will not step down, despite growing calls for his resignation after he blamed, in part, the “far left” and Black Lives Matter activists for the pro-Trump siege on the U.S. Capitol.

In a letter to Seattle Police Officers Guild members, Solan expressed regret for commenting on national politics, but said his comments have been “spun intentionally for political reasons” to hurt the union and limit its influence, The Seattle Times reported.

Solan has been under pressure since after the Capitol attack when he tweeted “Far right and far left are responsible for that sad day.” He also approvingly retweeted a right-wing blogger who said “an extreme BLM activist” was among those in the pro-Trump mob.

The insurrectionist mob that showed up at the president’s behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters.

Eight of nine Seattle City Council members called for Solan’s resignation Monday. Mayor Jenny Durkan said he should retract his words and apologize or resign.

He has not.

Negotiations with the city over a new union contract are set to begin, and on Tuesday, Durkan said she thought Solan’s comments were “indefensible” and representative of “someone who is not willing to come to the table in good faith to listen to what we need to do on police reform.”