Cori Bush Defends Use of Private Security While Calling to Defund the Police: ‘Suck It Up’

Caroline Downey
·2 min read
2
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

During an interview with CBS News Wednesday, progressive Representative Cori Bush insisted that she needs private security to protect herself from threats while advocating for the “defund the police” movement.

“I’m going to make sure I have security because I know I have had attempts on my life. And I have too much work to do, there are too many people that need help right now for me to allow that. So if I end up spending $200,000, if I spend ten more dollars on it, you know what, I get to be here to do the work, so suck it up. And defunding the police has to happen. We need to defund the police and put that money into social safety nets,” she said.

Bush’s passionate defense of the defund the police movement comes after she disclosed to the Federal Elections Commission that she spent nearly $70,000 over the last three months on a personal security detail. Republican lawmakers, such as Representative Trey Gowdy, slammed her for her ‘hypocrisy,’ pointing out that her policy prescription would deny protection to average Americans who can’t afford private security.

Bush, a member of the progressive “squad,” has long pushed for drastic budget cuts for local police departments, which she accuses of upholding “white supremacy.” She suggested Wednesday that funding should be redirected to social welfare programs.

Major cities that cut their police budgets following mass demonstrations against police bruality have experienced a surge in crime in recent months. As these metropolitan areas become more prone to lawlessness, the popularity of the Defund the Police movement has declined.

For example, in San Francisco roughly 76 percent of citizens surveyed said they want a greater police presence in high-crime neighborhoods. Similarly, a May poll found that the majority of Portland residents reject Defund the Police and most support an increase in police officers.

Portland, which has had 53 homicides so far this year, recently resurrected a special police division dedicated to combatting violent crime after it was disbanded in the wake of social justice protests triggered by George Floyd’s death. After a year of negative treatment and politically-driven retaliation targeting law enforcement, however, the revamped Portland team is struggling to find recruits willing to apply for the role, officers told the Wall Street Journal.

More from National Review