Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., this week defended her use of private security after being accused of hypocrisy for calling to redistribute funding away from police forces and towards social safety net programs.
"I’m going to make sure I have security because I know I have had attempts on my life," Bush told CBS News on Wednesday. "And I have too much work to do, there are too many people that need help right now for me to allow that. So if I end up spending $200,000, if I spend ten more dollars on it, you know what, I get to be here to do the work, 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."
She added, "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."
Bush said that there have been attempts on her life and said that she has "too much work to do" to go without security.
"I have private security because my body is worth being on this planet right now," she added, going on to say that "a white supremacist, racist narrative" is being pushed against her.
Fox News host Trey Gowdy, a former member of Congress, ripped Bush previously for spending $70,000 on private security.
"Members of Congress are spending more money than ever on their personal security," Gowdy said at the opening of a July episode of his program, "Sunday Night in America," on Fox. "It’s a track tragic reflection of the times we live in. Members of Congress have been threatened with all acts of violence. Because of these threats of violence, members of Congress are allowed to spend campaign money on their safety… safety is priority number one for members of Congress, as it should be. But what about you?"
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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