A review of campaign filings by the Washington Free Beacon reveals that the progressive “Squad” members have spent a combined $1.03 million on private security services since May 2020, when the push to defund the police began in response to the death of George Floyd.
As crime rates increase nationwide, the lawmakers continue to defend their sizable security spending while simultaneously working in Congress to reduce police protection for their constituents.
Rep. Cori Bush (D., Mo.) has spent the most on private security among the “Squad” members, with a total of $680,000 since May 2020.
When questioned by a reporter about her private security budget, Bush replied, “You would rather me die? Is that what you want to see? You want to see me die?”
She had just moments earlier expressed her support for defunding the police.
Among her reported private security guards are her husband Cortney Merritts and her close friend Nathaniel Davis III, a St. Louis spiritual guru who claims to be a master of psychic self-defense and capable of summoning tornadoes with his hate.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) comes in second place for security spending, with a total of $199,000 since George Floyd’s death.
Despite her substantial investment in personal protection services, Ocasio-Cortez criticized New York City mayor Eric Adams (D.) on Monday for raising rookie police officer salaries from $42,000 to $55,000, which is their first raise in seven years.
In a conversation with Comedy Central host Jordan Klepper, she said, “We are now at a point where officially, most officers are paid more than a teacher with a master’s degree serving these same kids involved in these same incidents.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), who in June 2020 said that the Minneapolis Police Department was “rotten to the root” and should be dismantled entirely, has spent $77,000 on private security since May 2020.
Other “Squad” members, Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), have spent $53,000 and $12,000 on private security services, respectively.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.), the only male member of the “Squad,” has spent the least on private security, with a total of $7,900 in May 2021.
Bowman owes his relatively low private security budget to New York taxpayers, as the Democratic lawmaker requested and received a special police detail to guard his home following the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, according to the New York Post.
The expenditures of these progressive lawmakers on private security services, while advocating for defunding the police, have raised questions about their commitment to public safety and the protection of their constituents.
As crime rates continue to rise, the spending habits of the “Squad” members and their stance on law enforcement are likely to remain a topic of discussion and debate.
