That's one way to defund the police: Two St. Louis deputies are FIRED for working for Squad member Cori Bush's private security team she has spent $70K on in two-and-a-half months
Two St. Louis deputies were fired for working on Rep. Cori Bush’s security detail without permission from the sheriff, after reports the Missouri Democrat spent more than $70,000 on private security since in a matter of two-and-a-half months.
Sheriff Vernon Betts confirmed Friday that deputies Tylance Jackson and Maurice Thompson were dismissed last month, and the pair had been warned already that they needed to fill out forms for their second jobs.
Bush, D-Mo., hiring two police officers to work on her security team raises questions given her fiery push to defund the police.
Federal Election Commission filings this month show that Bush spent $69,120 in 'security services' from April 15 to June 28 – the span of about two-and-a-half months. She said she’s willing to spend $200,000 on security because she fears for her life.
"I didn't fire them for working security for Cori Bush," Betts of the pair of deputies said in a phone interview. "I fired them for not following proper procedures for working secondary. So they just happened to be working for Cori Bush. Doing what they did, they would have gotten fired no matter who they were working for."
Betts said that second jobs are common among his deputies: of the 160 deputies, he estimated that 150 moonlight in other jobs - with permission. Betts said he wants to approve all second jobs so they don’t interfere with deputies’ regular duties.
FILE - In this Aug 3, 2021 file photo, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., speaks to crowds that attended a sit-in at Capitol Hill in Washington. Two St. Louis sheriff's deputies who worked secondary jobs providing security for U.S. Rep. Cori Bush have been fired from the sheriff's office. But Sheriff Vernon Betts said, Friday, Aug. 13, the deputies were fired for failing to get approval for their moonlighting jobs, not for whom they worked for. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades File)
Two St. Louis deputies, pictured above, were fired for working on Rep. Cori Bush’s security detail without permission from the sheriff, after reports the Missouri Democrat spent more than $70,000 on private security since in a matter of two-and-a-half months
Sheriff Vernon Betts confirmed Friday that deputies Tylance Jackson and Maurice Thompson were dismissed last month, and the pair had been warned already that they needed to fill out forms for their second jobs
Bush, D-Mo., hiring two police officers to work on her security team raises questions given her fiery push to defund the police
Betts said the deputies were first warned to fill out the appropriate paperwork and get approval to protect Bush when they accompanied the congresswoman in plain clothes to the St. Louis Justice Center in the spring
Betts said the deputies were first warned to fill out the appropriate paperwork and get approval to protect Bush when they accompanied the congresswoman in plain clothes to the St. Louis Justice Center in the spring.
The sheriff said weeks later, the pair were again working for Bush when they accompanied her to the Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis County.
It’s understandable why Bush might want added protection - St. Louis, the city she represents, has the highest murder rate in the entire country. The city’s murder rate is at a 50-year high and the city’s budget calls for eliminating 100 empty positions at the police department.
When asked over the weekend why she spent $70,000 on security while continuing to call for defunding the police, the Missouri Democrat rambled on in a confusing response.
'I think what we have to look at is the fact that I made it to Congress in 2020, I was elected to Congress, and we are still fighting this same fight. We're still fighting to save black lives. That was not – that work was not done before I got here,' she said while avoiding answering the question.
'This is the reason why I ran, was to save lives, to save my son's life,' she dodged.
Bush, 45, appeared to insinuate that the issue among Democrats regarding the 'defund police' movement is the messaging.
'So, I don't believe – as far as my – as far as my colleagues, I absolutely empathize. I empathize,' she said.
'But you know what? The same thing that the Republicans will do, which is figure out how to work with this on the comms spaces, that's what we have to do,' she suggested.
When asked if the Democrtic Party has a 'messaging issue', Bush said 'no', but her answer appeared to claim otherwise.
'No, I'm saying that we can also – that that's another way that you can tackle this,' she said.
'You have to tackle it from more than one place. We have to work on what we want to say, what is our message, but then we also have to understand that we have to save lives too.'
Bush insisted: 'I'm here to stand up for my community.'
She also doubled-down during her interview on her calls to strip law enforcement of their funding.
'My job is to save lives, the lives of my community, because, when we're – when we're talking about every single year increasing the budget for police, and then the budget for, like, Health and Human Services continuing to shrink, and St. Louis being number one for police violence year after year after year, number one, number two for homicides year and year, after year,' she confusingly stated.
'So, when we're adding more money to the police, but we're still dying,' Bush added in an incomplete thought.
Bush said Thursday that she is willing to spend another $200,000 in personal security because she has feared for her life.
'I'm going to make sure I have security because, I know, I have had attempts on my life,' Bush told CBS News in an interview outside the Capitol . 'And I have too much work to do, there are too many people that need help right now, for me to allow that.'
'So if I end up spending $200,000, if I spend $10 more on it – you know what, I get to be here to do the work,' she added.
She questioned when asked about criticism over her spending on Thursday: 'They would rather I die? You would rather me die?'
'Is that what you want to see?' Bush continued in awe. 'You know, because that could be the alternative.'
The security payments were made to New York-based RS&T Security Consulting LLC and a Nathaniel Davis of St. Louis, Missouri.
Bush added in her Thursday interview: 'So suck it up, defunding the police has to happen.'