A Republican just tried to defend the police officers who resigned after assaulting an elderly man

A Republican candidate has defended Buffalo police after an entire unit resigned because two officers were suspended for pushing an elderly man to the ground.

Stefan Mychajliw, who is running for congress in New York, said that he stands "very strongly" behind the police force.

All 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department's emergency response team resigned after two of their members were suspended for pushing a 75-year-old man to the ground during the George Floyd protests.

President of Buffalo Police Benevolent Association, John Evans said at the time that the officers were "simply doing their job" and that the man "slipped" during the interaction. The mass resignation reportedly came at the direction of the union.

Stefan Mychajliw is county comptroller for New York. He has been criticised for using the protests to advertise his bid for congress.

Despite Mychajliw's attempts to gain votes in his bid for congress, Trump has already publicly endorsed Chris Jacobs as a senator for New York.