According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO.) spent nearly $500,000 on private security over the last two years.
Bush’s spending on private security is noteworthy, considering the Democrat has been a vocal proponent of the Defund the Police movement.
The news of Bush’s spending was first reported by Fox News.
The report reveals Bush spent $100,000 in this year’s third quarter on security services. $71,000 Of that figure is spent on private security, while the remaining is listed as “other” security services.
In the last two years, Bush spent $490,000 overall on security services.
During this time, she has also advocated that the police be defunded. But, Bush has defended her statements, saying the movement should be approached as a reallocation of funds typically intended for police to a broader public safety department.
In an interview on Good Morning America, Bush said, “The thing about ‘defund the police’ is we have to tell the entire narrative.”
She continued, “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.”
Last year when Fox News first reported on Bush’s spending on private security, the progressive Democrat also defended her need for private security, saying it was because she was receiving death threats. Bush also bashed the media outlet for its reporting.
When the topic of Fox News reporting on private security was broached in an interview with CNN in 2021, Bush asked, “They would rather I die?”
“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.”
