Fox News’s Peter Doocy is questioning White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki about Rep. Cori Bush’s (D-Mo.) call to defund the police.
During a Thursday White House press briefing, Doocy brought up comments made by Bush about spending tens of thousands of dollars on private security while suggesting people should “suck it up. And defunding the police has to happen.”
He asked Psaki, “Didn’t President Biden say a few weeks ago that anybody who accuses the party of being anti-police is lying?”
The White House press secretary responded, “A member of Congress, an elected official, is concerned that her life is threatened, and that’s disturbing that any elected official would have to suffer death threats and fear for their life.”
She explained Biden has been “crystal clear that he opposes defunding the police.”
Psaki acknowledged there might be some in the Democratic Party who disagree with the president but claimed “the majority” of Democrats agree “we should not defund the police.”
Check out part of the press briefing below:
Fox News WH Correspondent Peter Doocy’s bad faith question of the day is about Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) and defunding the police.
— The Recount (@therecount) August 5, 2021
WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki reminds him that Biden and “the majority of Democrats” do not want to defund the police. pic.twitter.com/ruNyHyw7RB
During an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, Bush was asked about campaign records that show she spent approximately $70,000 on private security while calling for police departments’ budgets to be reduced, as IJR reported.
“They would rather I die?” she replied. “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. So either I spend $70,000 on private security over the last few months…or I could possibly have a death attempt on my life.”
Bush went on to tell the network she has “private security because my body is worth being on this planet right now. I have private security, because they, the white supremacist, racist narrative that they drive into this country, the fact that they don’t care that this Black woman…who puts her life on the line, they don’t care that I could be taken out of here.”
She continued, “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 because we’re trying to save lives.”