White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is seemingly trying to save face after a Democrat plan exploded in their faces.
Psaki, on Monday, laughably accused Republicans of being the party responsible for defunding the police.
The White House Press Secretary is apparently hoping the American people will forget that “Defund the Police” became a rallying cry of progressive activists in 2020 and even became such a controversial issue that it damaged Democrats’ appeal with moderate voters.
Republicans voted against President Biden’s horrifically partisan $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which was signed in March. The bill, which was packed to the brim with leftist fantasy items, included $350 billion for state and local governments that could be used for local police.
“Something one of the advisers said this weekend, Cedric Richmond, he said Republicans defunded the police by not supporting the American Rescue Plan,” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Psaki on Monday.
“But how is it that that is an argument to be made when the president never mentioned needing money for police to stop a crime wave when he was selling the American Rescue Plan?”
“Well, the president did mention that the American Rescue Plan, the state and local funding, something that was supported by the president, a lot of Democrats who supported and voted for the bill, could help ensure local cops were kept on the beat in communities across the country. As you know, [it] didn’t receive a single Republican vote. That funding has been used to keep cops on the beat,” Psaki said.
“At the time, it was sold that local police departments might have pandemic-related budget shortfalls, not we need to keep cops on the beat because there’s a crime wave,” Doocy challenged.
“I think that any local department would argue that keeping cops on the beat to keep communities safe when they had to, because of budget shortfalls, fire police is something that helped them address crime in their local communities,” Psaki said, later adding that “it was a pretty good bill and piece of legislation.”
Biden advisor Cedric Richmond attacked Republicans over the issue on “Fox News Sunday.”
“Let’s talk about who defunded the police. When we were in Congress last year trying to pass a rescue plan — I’m sorry, not the rescue plan but an emergency relief plan for cities that were cash-strapped and laying off police and firefighters — it was the Republicans who objected to it. And in fact, they didn’t get funding until the American Rescue Plan, which our plan allowed state and local governments to replenish their police departments and do the other things that are needed,” Richmond said.
“So look, Republicans are very good at staying on talking points of who says defund the police, but the truth is, they defunded the police, we funded crime intervention, and a whole bunch of other things,” he added.
More than seven in 10 voters think crime is on the rise nationally amid a backdrop of escalating crime rates in major American cities and FBI warnings for local law enforcement to prepare for increases over the summer according to a poll released on May 26.
The poll found that compared to last year, majorities think crime is increasing both nationally (73 percent say there is “more” crime), as well as in their local communities (54 percent).
Author: Donald Larsen
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