A number of mainstream news outlets have in recent days reported on the ballooning sums that lawmakers, who are known for opposing Donald Trump, have spent on security detail. As is often the case with the activist media, a flurry of headlines revolves around one topic intended to convince readers of a predetermined narrative. In this case, the narrative is focused on the pro-Trump political Right as violent.
Punchbowl News was the first to enumerate these Democratic and Republican politicians’ spending in Quarter 1 of 2021. The opening of their article made clear that they want readers to sympathize with these lawmakers.
“The Jan. 6 insurrection was 100 days ago. In the wake of that awful day, members of Congress are spending tens of thousands of their campaign dollars on security to protect themselves and their families,” Punchbowl’s article reads. “Not surprisingly, the phenomenon seems most acute among Republicans who voted to impeach and convict former President Donald Trump. High-profile Democrats also shelled out piles of cash for private security.” The outlet claims that lawmakers privately told the authors that they have received “a flood of death threats after opposing Trump, and feared for their own safety and the welfare of their families and staff.”
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Prominent mainstream sources such as Axios, the Daily Mail, Forbes, The Hill, Business Insider, and Politico have also picked up the story.
Per Punchbowl News, the highest spender on security was Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), whose campaign has spent nearly $70,000 on security since January 6. Toomey was one of a handful of Republican senators who joined with Democrats to vote in favor of convicting President Trump after he was impeached the second time. The vote failed to get the two-thirds needed to convict. President Trump was already out of office, but some argued a conviction would have barred him from running for president again in the future.
“[President Trump] urged the mob to march on the Capitol for the explicit purpose of preventing Congress and the Vice President from formally certifying the results of the presidential election. All of this to hold on to power despite having legitimately lost,” Toomey wrote in a statement at the time of his vote. “As a result … for the first time in American history, the transfer of presidential power was not peaceful.”
In addition to Toomey, Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) dished out $43,633 to Ambolt Security Group in Utah, a company run by a former police officer and two former FBI agents. Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) spent $50,400 with three former Secret Service agents and Command Executive Services. Representative John Katko (R-N.Y.) put $19,874 toward 3 Rings Protection, reportedly spending zero dollars on security until he voted to impeach Trump.
Representative Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) spent $44,400 with Global Guardian in Virginia. He was also temporarily assigned a Capitol Police security detail after serving as an impeachment manager. Representative Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) spent $1,540 on “residential security” with Osen Hunter Group, “which specializes in comprehensive, layered security solutions that scale and adapt with changing threats and client needs.” And Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shelled out more than $45,000 on security — including during a trip to Houston.
Also according to Punchbowl, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is preparing a $2 billion supplemental spending bill that would grow the ranks of the Capitol Police force and give some lawmakers additional security in their districts. In February, she unveiled new security precautions for members of Congress traveling to and from D.C., including placing additional police at airports near the capitol.
Notably, a fence still closes off the Capitol Building from access by American citizens — even while Congress has repeatedly shot down attempts to put up a wall that would protect the country from the entry of criminal, illegal aliens. The narrative since January 6 has been that the Right is violent. According to that narrative, this justifies the suppression of any conservative speech, but especially any discussion about the evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 race, which is labeled as “insurrectionist.”
The mainstream media wants us to lament the condition of politicians who find themselves paying for personal security. But what about concern for the security of our elections and the integrity of our republic?
