“Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) allegedly spent just under $500,000 on private security over the last two years despite public calls to defund the police, according to a new report.
Bush’s campaign paid out over $100,000 for security services during the third quarter of 2022 alone, according to Federal Election Commission records obtained by Fox News. Just over $71,000 went to private security, while the other $30,000 was categorized for other security services. She has spent $490,000 overall.
‘I NEEDED MORE TIME’: CORI BUSH RECALLS BEING A VICTIM OF A FORCED ABORTION
Despite standing by defunding the police, Bush said it is better to think about the movement as a reallocation of the funds that typically went to police departments into a broader department of public safety. Calls to defund the police unfurled after the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, who died two years ago after a police officer knelt on his neck.
“The thing about ‘defund the police’ is we have to tell the entire narrative,” Bush said in an interview on Good Morning America. “People hear ‘defund the police.’ But you know what they’ll say? Say ‘reallocate,’ say ‘divest,’ say ‘move.’ But it’s still the same thing. We can’t get caught up on the word. People spend more time focusing on the word ‘defund’ than they spend on caring and addressing the problem of police in this country.”
Bush previously pushed back on comments against her high expenditure on security last year after Fox News noted that the congresswoman was paying for private security. The security was because people had made death threats against her in the past, Bush said.
“They would rather I die?” Bush asked CBS News in 2021. “You would rather me die? Is that what you want to see? You want to see me die? You know, because that could be the alternative.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Other Squad members have also paid thousands of dollars for private security despite pushes to defund the police. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) campaign paid $27,081.14 to Relative Intel LLC, a Minnesota-based personal-protection firm. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) spent $4,676 on private security, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) spent $2,230, according to Fox News.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) did not report private security details.
