A senior analyst for CNN claimed Monday that Democrats did not back efforts to defund police departments, despite multiple public statements from congressional members.
“Democrats have a pretty good record on crime. And yet, they’re not talking about it,” CNN Senior Analyst Kirsten Powers said on “The Lead.” “In the same way there is a lot of people in this country who believe the Democratic Party supported defund the police. They didn’t. Right? And they just don’t do a good enough job of explaining what they believe.”
“They’ve [Democrats] been caught flatfooted on the crime issue. The crime issue isn’t something that’s just happening in Democratic states. In fact, it’s happening in Republican states,” Powers continued. “It is happening at high rates.” (RELATED: Pennsylvania Dem Senate Candidate Sought To Empty Prisons While In Power, Records Show)
The panel discussed a Gallup poll showing voters expressed concern about crime, with 40% of respondents saying the issue was “extremely important.” Members of the panel noted how Republicans were running numerous ads on the issue.
WATCH:
Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Cori Bush of Missouri, left-wing members of the House of Representatives often called “The Squad,” were among those who called for defunding police departments.
Democratic Mayor London Breed of San Francisco announced plans to reduce the police budget by $120 million in February 2021, KQED reported, but reversed course later that year as crime increased, including a wave of organized shoplifting that prompted Walgreens to close multiple stores in the city.
Crime rates in six major cities, including Philadelphia and New York City, reached record highs in 2021. A Trafalgar poll from September noted that 67.9% of respondents felt less safe than they did two years ago.
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