The following was written by Convention of States Action President Mark Meckler and originally published on Citizens for Self-Governance.
Federal politicians are so out of touch with average Americans that they often don’t understand (or willfully ignore) the hypocrisy of their own positions. Take “The Squad,” for example.
“Defund the police” has been their mantra for the past 12 months, and their calls to disband police departments have only intensified in the lead-up to the Derek Chauvin trial. And yet, as a new report from The Daily Caller points out, these same politicians have spent tens of thousands of dollars on security in the last quarter alone.
Here’s Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s laundry list of services she’s used to keep herself safe since the beginning of the year:
- In January, February, and March of 2021, Ocasio-Cortez spent $3,000 per month on a security consultant based out of Brooklyn, New York. Records show she spent a total of $9,000 for 3 months of security consulting from this one company.
- On Jan. 25, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez spent $24,279.13 on “security.”
- On Jan. 19, 2021, she spent $3,986.60 on “security services.”
- On Feb. 2., Ocasio-Cortez spent $849.22 on “security services.”
- On Feb. 25, Ocasio-Cortez spent $1552.50 at 24 & 7 Security & Investigation, Inc., which her office said was for a “security detail in Houston.”
She’s not alone. Rep. Ilhan Omar has spent over $3,100 on security this year. Rep. Ayanna Pressley has spent over $4,100, and newly minted Squad member Rep. Cori Bush has spent a whopping $30,000 on security services in just the last three months.
These politicians will argue that they need extra security because they’re public figures. This may be true, and I’m not saying politicians shouldn’t be allowed to hire others to protect them.
But the vast majority of Americans can’t afford the same protection. They rely on the police just like Rep. Ocasio-Cortez relies on her security team. To tell the American people—especially Americans living in the most dangerous neighborhoods—that they shouldn’t be allowed even a modicum of security is the height of hypocrisy.
It would be one thing if these politicians called for defunding the police and expanding concealed carry laws, for example. In that case, at least Americans would be able to protect themselves in the absence of police. But The Squad doesn’t take this position.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, for example, cosponsored a bill in 2019 called the “Making America Safe and Secure (MASS) Act.” The MASS Act would effectively force states to adopt the nation’s strictest gun control policies, including requiring references, in-person interviews, and safety classes just to purchase a firearm.
Ironically enough, the MASS Act would also empower local police departments to “deny, suspend, or revoke” firearms licenses for those residents deemed “unsuitable” to exercise their Second Amendment rights. In states with “may issue” concealed carry licenses, police departments frequently use that discretion to effectively ban concealed carry in their jurisdiction.
So, to review, The Squad wants police departments defunded unless they work to disarm Americans and infringe on the Second Amendment. In that case, they should be given even more authority. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and her friends take this position even while spending thousands to keep themselves and their families safe.
The American people will only tolerate this kind of hypocrisy for so long. In fact, they’re moving right now to disempower Washington, D.C., and keep the federal government from infringing on their rights, including their right to self-defense. Millions have joined the Article V Convention of States movement to propose constitutional amendments to limit federal power, and 15 states have signed on.
When that happens, The Squad will be in for a rude awakening.
