Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO), a fervent support of the Black Lives Matter movement and staunch advocate for “defunding the police,” is facing criticism for shelling out tens of thousands of dollars to her husband for private security.
According to campaign finance records, the far-Left progressive paid husband Courtney Merritts $17,500 for security services and wages between April and June of 2021. On top of that, her campaign spent a total of $30,000 for private security services for the first half of this year.
Bush also hired the St. Louis-based company PEACE Security to provide additional security—despite her strong criticism of police departments—which has cost her campaign upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The large payments to her husband reportedly came as a shock to watchdog groups, as Merritts is not listed as registered on the D.C. database of licensed security specialists. In response, two complaints were filed with the Federal Elections Commission.
The accusations come on the heels of a July 2021 interview with CBS News, where Bush expressed that she had faced life-threatening situations and needed to employ private security. When asked if she did not follow her own advice for “de-funding the police,” she replied, “They would rather I die? You would rather me die? Is that what you want to see? Do you want to see me die? You know, because that could be the alternative.”
Bush continued to defend her personal stance by claiming “defunding the police has to happen.”
Conservative pundits and critics have been quick to condemn the congresswoman’s decisions. Tiffany Tilley, from the advocacy group Defend America Now, told reporters, “It’s unacceptable for Rep. Bush to undercut her own message of defunding public safety by investing so heavily in private security.”
Doug Brown, spokesperson for the National Republican Campaign Committee, chimed in, “Cori Bush says she believes in defunding the police, but it doesn’t seem like she takes that philosophy seriously — especially when it comes to her own safety”.
On the other side of the political aisle, John Plumb, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, contended that “like any high-profile elected official with a family, Congresswoman Bush is taking sensible precautions to protect them,” Plumb said. “And she is doing that with equal measures of responsibility and respect for taxpayer resources.”
With the 2022 midterms fast approaching, it remains to be seen how this story will factor into the narrative surrounding Cori Bush and her blundering contradiction of “de-funding the police.”
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