'Squad' member Cori Bush, a 'defund the police' advocate, recently spent $70,000 on private security

close

Video

White House 'backpedaling' on 'defund the police' movement: Heritage Action Exec Dir.

Heritage Action Executive Dir. Jessica Anderson discusses division within the Democratic party over police funding and the potential impact of crime policies on the 2022 midterm elections.

Missouri Rep. Cori Bush spent nearly $70,000 on private security over the past three months as she advocated for defunding the police, campaign filings show.

Bush's campaign sent $54,120.92 in payments between April 15 and June 28 for "security services" to RS&T Security Consulting, a New York-based firm with a mysterious online presence, Federal Election Commission records released Thursday show. The Democrat's campaign also paid $15,000 to Nathaniel Davis for "security services" over the same time period.

The $69,120 in security payments accounted for more than a third of Bush's $197,000 in campaign expenditures during the second quarter, the FEC records show. It's also nearly double what her campaign spent on private security during the first quarter of 2021.

RS&T's website is no longer active, but a cached version of its now-defunct website shows that the group provides "executive protection agents" that provide "first class executive protection and security for national and international figures."

Meanwhile, Davis' reported address in the filings is the same as Bush's campaign headquarters.

AOC, ‘SQUAD’ MEMBERS PROMOTE ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ BUT SPEND THOUSANDS ON PRIVATE SECURITY

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) speaks during a news conference to discuss proposed legislation entitled Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act outside the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

As Bush's campaign dished out tens of thousands on private security, a luxury most Americans can't afford, the Missouri Democrat was simultaneously a major critic of law enforcement and one of the most ardent advocates in favor of defunding the police. Bush has said that defunding the police is not a "radical" idea, and she praised St. Louis in April for its "historic" vote to defund police. 

"Today's decision to defund the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is historic," Bush said in a statement at the time. "It marks a new future for our city. For decades, our city funneled more and more money into our police department under the guise of public safety, while massively underinvesting in the resources that will truly keep our communities safe."

Bush's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the payments. 

The most recent payments are not the first time Bush's campaign has spent on security this year. During the first three months of the year, her committee pumped $35,000 into such services with RS&T, Davis and Whole Armor Executive Protection, a Maryland-based firm.

Bush has also funneled taxpayer cash toward security detail. In June, the Daily Caller reported that Bush's congressional office had spent $880 on a day of protection with RS&T as the firm was collecting checks from her campaign.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Other "Squad" members, such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, also spent campaign cash on personal details while advocating for defunding the police. 

Those three, however, have dropped much less money into security than Bush. During the second quarter, Ocasio-Cortez spent just over $4,000, Omar paid $2,800, and Pressley dished out $3,500 for protection, FEC records show.