The group of female, progressive federal legislators nicknamed “The Squad” spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security and “security services” in the first quarter of 2021 while publicly supporting a push to “defund the police” over concerns of institutionalized racism, according to a new report from the Daily Caller, based on FEC documents filed by four “Squad” members.
“FEC reports show Democrats New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Missouri Rep. Cori Bush each spent thousands of dollars on their own security,” the Daily Caller reported. “The payments were described in the FEC filings as either ‘security’ or ‘security services.'”
The legislators are believed to have spent nearly $70,000 for private security all the while demanding that police be “defunded” and that tax dollars meant for law enforcement be rerouted to community welfare organizations and police duties be reassigned to social workers, leaving communities unprotected.
“Individually, AOC spent $24,279.13 on ‘security’ on January 25, 2021, and $3,986.60 on ‘security services’ on January 19, 2021, and $849.22 on ‘security services’ on February 2. On February 25, she spent on 24&7 Security & Investigation, Inc., and the details read ‘security detail in Houston,'” per the International Business Times, citing the Daily Caller’s research.
Ilhan Omar “spent $3,103.61 for her personal security,” according to her quarterly expenditure report. Ayanna Pressley spent $4,186.75. Cori Bush spent $30,000 all on her own.
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) also a member of “The Squad” who routinely accuses police of being killers, is alleged to have spent “thousands.”
All four women are on the record as opposing continued spending for law enforcement, and both Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib, the Daily Caller notes, have been adamant that “Defund the Police” means “defund the police,” and that, despite criticism — even from former President Barack Obama — the policy will work.
“Defunding police means defunding police,” Ocasio-Cortez said in response to New York City’s decision to strip $1 billion from the NYPD. “It does not mean budget tricks or funny math. It does not mean moving school police officers from the NYPD budget to the Department of Education’s budget so the exact same police remain in schools.”
”Rosa Parks was vilified & attacked for her civil disobedience. She was targeted. It’s hard seeing the same people who uplift her courage, attack the movement for Black lives that want us to prioritize health, funding of schools & ending poverty, rather than racist police systems,” Tlaib tweeted in response to Obama’s suggestion that “Defund the Police” was a “snappy” slogan rather than a policy map. “We lose people in the hands of police. It’s not a slogan but a policy demand. And centering the demand for equitable investments and budgets for communities across the country gets us progress and safety.”
Omar, International Business Times added, advocated for dismantling police departments and starting again from scratch, with police responsibilities re-delegated to other service providers.
”You can’t really reform a department that is rotten to the root,” she said. “What we are saying is the current infrastructure that exists as policing in our city should not exist anymore, and we can’t go about creating a different process with the same infrastructure in place.”