Security for me, but not for thee!
Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri maintains there’s no contradiction between her support for defunding the police and her private security detail.
She said this week during an appearance on CBS News that racists, including even some police officers, regularly send her death threats.
“I’m going to make sure I have security because I know I have had attempts on my life,” said the congresswoman.
Bush added, “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 because we’re trying to save lives. … Defunding the police and being able to have security because those same folks are causing it. It’s two totally different things.”
Bush then alleged that law enforcement officials have “threatened” her life, even as a sitting member of Congress.
Threatening a government official is a felony offense and certainly a career-ender for any officer. Also, it’s pretty easy to catch people who make such threats, especially over the internet. So that’s a big allegation Bush is making.
If it’s true, then federal law enforcement agencies are presumably looking into the matter, meaning there’s a paper trail backing Bush’s claim. If federal law enforcement agencies are not investigating the alleged threats, because perhaps they haven’t been notified by the congresswoman’s office, then that raises some pretty serious questions about Bush’s credibility.
Spokespeople for the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
“If I have actual police officers who have threatened my life, tell me that I don’t need security,” Bush told CBS.
“Have you had police officers threaten you?” anchor Anne-Marie Green asked.
Bush laughed and then responded, “Absolutely.”
“Wow,” Green said.
CBS’s Vladimir Duthiers pressed the issue, “But even now, as a member of Congress, as a member of Congress, you’ve had police officers threaten your life?”
“I mean — and there are still people,” Bush said, “and you know what, the thing is, they can threaten my life, and I’m still working for them.”
Duthiers persisted, “But presumably, congresswoman, I would hope that those, as you allege, police officers would be removed or at least you would let your security detail and the mechanisms in place in Congress to ensure that those officers are not still patrolling the streets.”
Bush responded, “Well, you know, work is being done. There’s nothing that comes in that’s not being handled. So, we’re fine. We’re fine.”
Duthiers also pressed the congresswoman to respond to critics who’ve noted the hypocrisy inherent in Bush maintaining a private security detail while also pushing to have the police defunded.
“Campaign records show that you spent roughly $70,000 on private security. And some critics say that move is hypocritical,” the anchor said.
Bush responded with righteous indignation, alleging she must have a private security detail because of all the white supremacists that want her dead. Also, she wants to defund the police.
“You would rather me die?” Bush asked. “Is that what you want to see? You want to see me die? Because that could be the alternative. So, either I spend $70,000 on private security over the last few months and I’m here standing now and able to speak … or I could possibly have a death attempt on my life.”
She continued, going on at length about how the situation is different for her because she is supposedly a high-profile target of racists, including even police officers.
“And we’re also talking about the same exact people who say horrible things about me, who lie to build up their base,” Bush said. “And then because they lie about me, I received death threats. Now, they don’t address the fact that I received death threats after they go on-air and say horrible things about me. But then they want to say, ‘Oh, but she wants, she needs private security.’”
She added, “I have private security because my body is worth being on this planet right now. I have private security because they, the white supremacist, racist narrative that they drive into this country, the fact that they don’t care that this black woman that has put her life on the line, they can’t match my energy, first of all, this black woman who puts her life on the line, they don’t care that I could be taken out of here.”
An aside: transcribing Bush’s CBS appearance gave me hard flashbacks to transcribing any of former President Donald Trump’s freewheeling rally speeches. That includes all the self-importance, the parts about a shadowy “they” telling lies, the comparisons of energy levels, and, of course, the somewhat dubious allegations of criminal wrongdoing by members of the law enforcement community.
