Several of the most far-left members of Congress have spent at least $1.2 million in campaign funds on private security for themselves, despite actively supporting efforts to “defund the police.”
As the Daily Caller reports, Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) all spent six-figure sums on private security for themselves. The three women are members of the so-called “Squad,” a group of the most progressive members of Congress. The other members of the informal coalition are: Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), and Summer Lee (D-Penn.). When the group was first created in 2018, it consisted only of Cortez, Omar, Tlaib, and Pressley.
Of the three who bought private security, Bush spent the most, at a staggering $730,000. Cortez spent over $270,000, while Omar spent $125,000. All three have been among the most vocal advocates for the “defund the police” movement, which has called for eradicating police departments across the country due to unsubstantiated claims that police departments are somehow “systemically racist” against minorities.
“They’re spending all this money for their security, but they are not worried about the security of their constituents,” said Paul Kamenar, counsel to the National Legal and Policy Center, following the revelations of this spending by the New York Post.
Bush’s spending in particular has come under scrutiny, with a Federal Elections Commission (FED) complaint filed against her after it was revealed that she had paid her now-husband nearly $75,000 for his private security services. She paid another $400,000 to Peace Security, a St. Louis-based firm.
Cortez had previously spent at least $3,000 per month for security in early 2021, plus an additional $1,500 for a “security detail” in Houstin. Omar has also spent thousands on security costs whenever she is back in Minnesota.
All of the other “squad” members have spent some money on private security as well, with the sole exception of Lee: Pressley has spent nearly $65,000, Tlaib spent $20,000, Bowman spent nearly $8,000, and Casar spent over $1,500.
The private security details are in addition to the standard security details that are automatically assigned to every member of Congress by the U.S. Capitol Police.