Fox News host Chris Wallace asked Rep. Jim Banks (R–Ind) on Sunday if the Republicans are really the party to actually defund the police since they all voted against an emergency relief bill that would have allocated funds to police and first responders.
“You voted against that $350 billion just like every other Republican in the House and Senate. So can’t you make the argument that it’s you and the Republicans who defunded the police?” Wallace asked Banks.
“Not at all, Chris. Let’s go back and look at the record over the last year, the comments that Democrats have made from Rashida Tlaib who said policing is inherently evil…,” Banks responded.
Wallace interrupted Banks and pointed out the $350 billion of the emergency relief plan, which every Republican including Banks voted against, was allocated to local governments to hire more police officers, invest in new technologies and develop summer job training and recreation programmes for young people.
“I’ve heard your point about the last year. But you and every other Republican voted against this $350 billion,” Wallace said.
“When Rep. Omar says that policing is rooted in evil, and Nancy Pelosi compares police officers to Nazi storm troopers, it makes it very difficult for police departments around the country to recruit police officers and that’s the crisis that we find in police departments all over America. You can give them more funding, and that’s good, but if you can’t recruit more people to become police officers because we’ve stigmatized one of the most honorable professions in America then we are at a very dangerous point,” Banks responded.
So, he is upset that police are acting like “nazi stormtroopers”, or is he upset that Pelosi and others have pointed it out?