“Squad member” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) claims her support for the defunding the police movement should not be so much about the words.
On Tuesday, George Stephanopoulos pressed Bush on her support for the movement.
Stephanopoulos noted she is one of the few Democrats left sticking to the slogan.
“Are you worried at all that that could hurt some of your colleagues going into the midterm elections?” he asked Bush.
She replied, “The thing about Defund the Police is we have to tell the entire narrative. People hear defund the police, but you know what they’ll say? [They’ll] say reallocate, say divest, say move, but it’s still the same thing. We can’t get caught up on the words.”
Bush continued, “People spend more time focusing on the word defund than they do on caring and addressing the problem of police violence in this country.”
Watch her comments below:
“Are you worried at all that [saying "Defund the Police"] could hurt some of your colleagues going into the midterm elections?"
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 4, 2022
Democrat Rep. Cori Bush: "We can't get caught up on the words"
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The defund the police movement has received significant criticism from Republican lawmakers.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) posted an ad campaign to Twitter over the weekend, sending a message to supporters of the movement, as IJR reported.
“A mom should not have to look over her shoulder when she’s pumping gas. I voted against the early release of violent criminals and I opposed defunding the police,” Kennedy said in the video message.
He added, “Look, if you hate cops just because they’re cops, the next time you get in trouble, call a crackhead.”
In June, NBC News reported some Democrats distanced themselves from the slogan in new ads.
The outlet noted in one ad Rep. Val Demings (R-Fla.) said defunding the police was “crazy.”
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) declared “defunding the police is ridiculous” in another ad.
Last month, the House passed bills to provide millions of dollars to local law enforcement.
The Mental Health Justice Act of 2022, the Invest to Protect Act of 2022, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act and the Victim Act of 2022 also include accountability measures.