Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., married her unlicensed security guard to whom she funneled campaign cash while condemning police protection for poor people, according to a new report from Fox News.
Bush, a member of the left-wing “squad” in the lower chamber, dished out $60,000 for private security last year provided by her now-husband, Cortney Merritts. Merritts, however, has no private security license, and a Fox News open-records request with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department turned up empty.
[READ: Meet Cori Bush: The Latest Socialist ‘Squad’ Member Headed To Congress]
“When asked if Merritts ever had a private security license, the administrator said that the ‘last security license issued to that individual expired in 2012,’” Fox News reported. “The records search — which covered the city of St. Louis and its neighboring St. Louis County — encompasses Bush’s entire congressional district.”
Local regulations stipulate official security must be registered with authorities.
The Missouri congresswoman’s campaign sent payments to Merritts, whom she married earlier this year, while also contracting with PEACE Security, a St. Louis firm that provides personal protection. Bush’s campaign filings show PEACE Security collected more than $225,000 at the same time her now-husband raked in $60,000.
Bush, meanwhile, is a lead advocate for the movement to “defund the police.”
When asked by CBS News in 2021 whether she still supports efforts to defund police protection for the poor given her history of hiring a private security firm, Bush hysterically accused critics of cheering for her death.
“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. “So if I end up spending $200,000, if I spend 10, 10, 10 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.”
Bush isn’t the only member of the “squad” to hire private security while demanding to defund police. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., spent about $65,000 on security expenses in the 2022 election cycle, according to campaign filings reviewed by Fox News.
Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign up for Tristan's email newsletter here.