Washington (CNN) -- The New York officer involved in the death of Eric Garner should no longer be on the police force, Sen. Rand Paul argued Monday.
The Kentucky Republican said Daniel Pantaleo lacked "discretion" when he placed Garner in a chokehold for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes.
"You probably shouldn't have the power to be a policeman anymore, at the very least," Paul said at a Mississippi Republican fundraiser, adding that the employment standard for police is "much higher," according to video by the Clarion-Ledger newspaper.
Who is Officer Daniel Pantaleo?
His comments come as Paul aggressively works to expand his appeal among nontraditional GOP voters ahead of his expected presidential campaign.
After the July 17 chokehold incident, Pantaleo was put on modified assignment and stripped of his badge and gun while an investigation into Garner's death was under way.
A grand jury decided last week not to charge Pantaleo, a decision that resulted in racially charged protests across the country.
Protests feature demands, die-ins and calls for justice
Paul, who has said he was "horrified" when watching video of Garner's arrest, made similar comments about police standards last week, saying Pantaleo made "a very unwise decision" and should not be granted power to use "that kind of force."
"I don't think you can have an officer that makes this bad of a decision work as a policeman," Paul said on Fox News' "Hannity." "And I know that sounds sad, but Eric Garner died, and he didn't need to die."
Last week Paul also said politicians were to blame for Garner's death because they passed a law raising the tax on cigarettes, forcing police to be in a tough position of enforcing what he described as outsized penalties.
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