Psaki says GOP wants to ‘defund’ law enforcement, tells Republicans to direct 'outrage' to ‘MAGA’ leaders
Jen Psaki suggests Republicans support defunding law enforcement, arguing that they have "come full circle" after stoking outrage over the issue.
Former White House Press Secretary turned MSNBC host Jen Psaki turned the "defund the police" movement on Republicans Sunday, claiming that they have now become the party that wants to weaken law enforcement.
"It turns out, after all their outrage and fearmongering, they are the ones who want to defund law enforcement," Psaki said of Republicans.
She was responding to calls from Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. to defund the FBI, the Department of Justice and other government agencies that critics are warning have become politicized, especially under the Biden administration.
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Former White House Press Secretary turned MSNBC host Jen Psaki turned the "defund the police" movement on Republicans Sunday, claiming that they have now become the party that wants to weaken law enforcement. (William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images)
"We either get this government back on our side or we defund, get rid of, abolish the FBI, CDC, ATF, DoJ, every last one of them," Gaetz said during a speech at CPAC in March.
Psaki defended the government, telling her viewers that the Justice Department exists to keep the nation safe.
"Remember, the job of the Justice Department is not just to file abstract legal briefs, it is to keep our country safe. That phrase is literally in their mission statement," she said.
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Former President Donald Trump has called on the GOP to defund the DOJ and FBI "UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," he wrote on Truth Social after his arrest.
"THE DEMOCRATS HAVE TOTALLY WEAPONIZED LAW ENFORCEMENT IN OUR COUNTRY AND ARE VICIOUSLY USING THIS ABUSE OF POWER TO INTERFERE WITH OUR ALREADY UNDER SIEGE ELECTIONS!" he added.
Trump faces a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison for a 34-count indictment. He pleaded not guilty in New York City on Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
Former President Donald Trump has called on the GOP to defund the DOJ and FBI "UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," he wrote on Truth Social after his arrest. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Psaki also accused Republicans of being hypocrites.
"But these so-called champions of law and order want to defund, limit funds, and make cuts," she said. "Those are their words, not mine, to those very agencies."
"So if you worry about crime and want law enforcement to be fully funded and supported, the only place you should be directing your outrage for not doing more, it turns out, is MAGA Republicans and their now indicted leader," she added.
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Psaki made similar arguments when she was the White House press secretary, arguing that a Biden stimulus package in 2021 also helped keep cops "on the beat in communities across the country." (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Psaki made similar arguments when she served as the White House press secretary. A Biden stimulus package in 2021 also helped keep cops "on the beat in communities across the country," she said.
"As you know, [it] didn't receive a single Republican vote. That funding has been used to keep cops on the beat," Psaki said in 2021 during an exchange with Fox News’ Peter Doocy.
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