Democratic strategist Paul Begala said Tuesday that Democratic Missouri Rep. Cori Bush’s previous support for the “Defund the Police” movement is downright “hypocrisy.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a criminal probe Tuesday into Bush’s alleged misuse of federal security money to fund her private security. The Daily Caller first reported that Bush and other members of “The Squad” spent thousands of dollars on private security for themselves, while simultaneously promoting the slash of funding toward police departments across the country.
Bush admittedly said she should be allowed to spend as much money needed on her private security while also arguing that defunding the police “has to happen” in footage from Aug. 6, 2021.
“Yeah, it’s beyond irony and all the way to hypocrisy,” Begala told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “Congresswoman Bush was one of the few Democrats who pushed this Defund the Police slogan. By the way, the vast majority of Democrats opposed it, they opposed it in referenda in Minneapolis even where George Floyd was murdered by a cop. But still, it’s terribly problematic and I don’t even understand that answer…but my goodness, the hypocrisy of that is really—pretty outrageous.”
Bush reportedly spent over $30,000 of taxpayer funds on her personal security, according to her April Quarterly financial report. She reportedly paid for a day of private security for herself between Jan. 1 to March 31, according to the Statement of Disbursements of the House records. (RELATED: Rep. Cori Bush Wants To ‘Defund The Police’ But Spent Taxpayer Money On Private Security For Herself)
She spent $5,812.00 on security from RS&T Security Counseling, LLC in NYC on Feb. 26, 2021, and $7,743.75 on security from RS&T Security Counseling LLC in New York City on Feb. 17, 2021, according to the report.
Bush denied wrongdoing in the allegations and accused “right-wing organizations” of creating “baseless complaints” against her.
“As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services. I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services. Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false. In recent months, right-wing organizations have lodged baseless complaints against me, peddling notions that I have misused campaign funds to pay for personal security services. That is simply not true,” she said in a Tuesday statement on the U.S. Capitol steps.