Republican calls to “defund” the FBI following the search of Mar-a-Lago are a “crazy” move for the self-styled party of law and order, a Republican congressman said Sunday.
Demands to cut funding for federal law enforcement came from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., after the Aug. 8 search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, while Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., compared the FBI to the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police.
“It’s crazy. And it makes us seem like extremist Democrats, right?” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Marjorie and AOC can go join the ‘defund the law enforcement’ club if they want,” he said, referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-Queens, Bronx. “Ninety-nine percent of Republicans are not on that train. What we want is accountability. We want transparency.”
Ocasio-Cortez and other Dems have called for cuts to local police funding for years, although progressives have stood behind the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.
While distancing himself from the comments of the most ardent Trump loyalists, Crenshaw did question the raid itself.
“Why take it to this extreme extent?” he asked. “I think that’s why you’re seeing so much backlash from Republicans.
“It does seem to be unjust and there does seem to be a long history of a loss of credibility at the Department of Justice at the hands of Democrats,” he said.
The congressman, who frequently voted with Trump but is not considered a die-hard supporter, said the raid had a political nature despite the FBI’s efforts to stay above the fray.
“This is a very unprecedented measure,” Crenshaw said. “And you know that when you’re going after an ex-president who may run again that (then) this is automatically political.
“You cannot separate the legal aspects from the political aspects. You can’t.”
Part of the affidavit behind the raid is expected to be released this week, over the objections of the Justice Department.
———
