While ABC was busy covering up a Democratic city council defunding the Oakland Police Department in California, and CBS and NBC refused to highlight the ridiculousness of the White House’s latest efforts to gaslight America, Fox News spoke the truth on Tuesday by fact-checking which party was out there defunding police departments and adding to the crime wave gripping the country.
Here’s a hint: it’s the Democrats.
“Meanwhile, his administration – as we mentioned at the top – is trying to flip the script on Republicans, blaming them for defunding police and by extension thereby being responsible for the huge increase in violent crime in many big cities,” announced Special Report anchor Bret Baier.
White House correspondent Peter Doocy began by pointing out the duality and hypocritical nature of the Biden administration, noting that President Biden was talking about working with the GOP while “at the same time, Republicans are being blamed by White House officials for something big.”
“The truth is, they defunded the police,” White House senior advisor Cedric Richmond falsely declared in a soundbite and backed up by Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Doocy explained that the administration’s Evel Knievel leap of logic relied on a reimagining of “the American Rescue Plan, filled with COVID-19 relief was really a public safety measure.”
But the facts clearly weren’t on the administration’s side, as Doocy broke them down:
But the word “police” does not appear in the American Rescue Plan and while making the case for it, the President rarely ever talked about police. When he did, it was in the context of essential workers affected by pandemic budget shortfalls. Not a crime wave.
And even if someone wanted to humor the White House and say they were completely funding law enforcement agencies across the country, the math didn’t bear that out. “The federal government is providing less than one-tenth – just over one-tenth of one percent of the aid to the state and local governments,” pointed out former George W. Bush Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove on his whiteboard.
Baier took his turn popping the administration’s bubble later on in the program during the panel discussion. “And just to give you a little montage of some of those soundbites, you don't have to go far, but here they are,” he quipped as he played back-to-back quotes of radical Democrats:
REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): Yes, I support the defund movement. Because this is about the investment in our communities.
REP. CORI BUSH (D-MO): I am for defunding the police.
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): Not only do we need to defund, but we need to dismantle and start anew.
REP. ALEXANDRA OCASIO-CORTEX (D-NY): Many affluent suburbs have essentially already begun pursuing a defunding of the police in that they fund schools, they fund housing.
Speaking of telling soundbites, Doocy also had one featuring Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) putting things into perspective: “They’re trying to blame Republicans now for the dumpster fire that they created.”
The liberal media is remaining silent. And it will be used against this in the court of public opinion.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
June 29, 2021
6:07:38 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: Meanwhile his administration – as we mentioned at the top – is trying to flip the script on Republicans, blaming them for defunding police and by extension thereby being responsible for the huge increase in violent crime in many big cities. Well, that's a move that has a lot of political watchers shaking their heads. White House correspondent Peter Doocy shows us tonight.
[Cuts to video]
PETER DOOCY: President Biden wants to spend 1.2 trillion taxpayer dollars on infrastructure.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We have a lot of money in this bill, a lot of money and you got a lot of need for a lot of bridges.
DOOCY: And he is talking up the value of working with Republicans.
BIDEN: Every time renegotiate in good faith and come together and get something big done, we break a little more of the ice that too often keeps us frozen in place and prevents us from solving real problems people are facing.
DOOCY: But, at the same time, Republicans are being blamed by White House officials for something big.
CEDRIC RICHMOND (WH senior advisor): The truth is, they defunded the police.
DOOCY: The GOP is pushing back.
REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): They’re trying to blame Republicans now for the dumpster fire that they created.
DOOCY: The White House's argument is the American Rescue Plan, filled with COVID-19 relief was really a public safety measure.
PRESS SEC. JEN PSAKI: A lot of Democrats who supported and voted for the bill could help ensure local cops were kept on the beat in communities across the country. As you know, didn't receive a single Republican vote.
DOOCY: But the word “police” does not appear in the American Rescue Plan and while making the case for it, the President rarely ever talked about police. When he did, it was in the context of essential workers affected by pandemic budget short falls. Not a crime wave.
BIDEN: Police officers, firefighters, first responders, nurses, they’re all at the risk of losing their jobs.
DOOCY: Critics also point out the way the White House talks about funding local PDs may be misleading.
KARL ROVE: The federal government is providing less than one-tenth, just over one-tenth of one percent of the aid to the state and local governments. So, this is largely a state and local government issue.
DOOCY: Now, Republican senator Marsha Blackburn tweets: “New rule – police protection should not be offered to any lawmaker that wants to defund the police. They should be forced to practice what they preach.”
REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY) We need to secure our borders, secure our streets. The Democrats’ defund the police rhetoric and policies are making that more difficult.
DOOCY: Today the President didn't talk about crime, but he did talk about ice cream.
(…)
6:40:26 p.m. Eastern
BAIER: And just to give you a little montage of some of those soundbites you don't have go far but here they are.
REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): Yes, I support the defund movement. Because this is about the investment in our communities.
REP. CORI BUSH (D-MO): I am for defunding the police.
REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): Not only do we need to defund, but we need to dismantle and start anew.
REP. ALEXANDRA OCASIO-CORTEX (D-NY): Many affluent suburbs have essentially already begun pursuing a defunding of the police in that they fund schools, they fund housing.
(…)
