The campaign of Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri is continuing to spend thousands of dollars on security, according to Fox News.
The outlet reported that Federal Election Commission filings indicate that Bush’s campaign shelled out $70,489 for security services during the period between Jan. 1 and March 31. Fox News noted that FEC records indicate that in 2021 the congresswoman’s campaign expended a whopping $233,663 for such services.
Bush has been an outspoken advocate for defunding the police.
“Our policing system is built to enable white supremacy. It is not just a few bad apples, it’s a rotten tree. We need to transform public safety — and that starts with defunding the police and reinvesting in our communities,” the lawmaker tweeted last year.
During an interview on CBSN last year, Bush said that she would “make sure I have security because I know, I have had attempts on my life.”
Cori Bush explains her “defund the police” position youtu.be
Bush’s car was hit by gunfire earlier this year — Bush was was not in the vehicle and was not hurt, the lawmaker’s office noted, according to NBC News, which also reported that the office noted that it did not think Bush was targeted purposefully.
“Like far too many of us in St. Louis, experiencing gun violence is all too familiar,” Bush said in a statement, according to the outlet. “Thankfully no one was harmed. But any act of gun violence shakes your soul.
“No one should have to fear for their safety here in St. Louis, and that is exactly why our movement is working every day to invest in our communities, eradicate the root causes of gun violence, and keep every neighborhood safe,” she noted.
During the State of the Union address in March, President Joe Biden declared that, “We should all agree the answer is not to defund the police, it’s to fund the police.”
“With all due respect, Mr. President. You didn’t mention saving Black lives once in this speech. All our country has done is given more funding to police. The result? 2021 set a record for fatal police shootings. Defund the police. Invest in our communities,” Bush tweeted.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that defunding the police “is not the position of the Democratic Party.”
“With a mandate to end police brutality, why oppose redirecting money from racist policing into social programs proven to save Black lives?” Bush tweeted. “Our movement for racial justice helped deliver the White House & Congress. We won’t stop until we get justice.”