(Headline USA) Twenty-two of the House Democrats who voted against increasing security for Supreme Court justices and their immediate families in the wake of an assassination attempt against Justice Brett Kavanaugh approved increased security for themselves after the Jan. 6 Capitol uprising.
A bill providing Supreme Court justices with 24-hour security passed the House on Tuesday, but 27 Democrats—including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y.—voted to deny justices this additional protection. All those who voted “no” on the Supreme Court Police Parity Act were Democrats.
Some of the Democrats opposed to the measure claimed the bill also needed to include protection for court staff, including clerks, and their families.
Ocasio–Cortez, however, said she didn’t want to support the bill because Republicans won’t support gun-control policies.
“I wake up this morning and I start to hear murmurs that there is going to be an attempt to pass the Supreme Court supplemental protection bill the day after gun safety legislation for schools and kids and people is stalled,” she said this week. “Oh, so we can pass protections for us and here easily, right? But we can’t pass protections for everyday people? I think not.”
In addition to Ocasio–Cortez, Democrats who voted against the measure were:
- Joyce Beatty of Ohio,
- Jamaal Bowman of New York
- Cori Bush of Missouri
- Veronica Escobar of Texas
- Adriano Espaillat of New York
- Chuy Garcia of Illinois
- Sylvia Garcia of Texas
- Joshua Gottheimer of New Jersey
- Raul Grijalva of Arizona
- Steven Horsford of Nevada
- Pramila Jayapal of Washington
- Brenda Lawrence of Michigan
- Barbara Lee of California
- Tom Malinowski of New Jersey
- Marie Newman of Illinois
- Bill Pascrell of New Jersey
- Donald Payne of New Jersey
- Ed Perlmutter of Colorado
- Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts
- Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey
- Albio Sires of New Jersey
- Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
- Norma Torres of California
- Nydia Velazquez of New York
- Maxine Waters of California
- Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey
Of these 27 Democrats, 22 voted in favor of extra security for themselves after the Jan. 6 uprising, arguing that it was necessary for their safety.
Some, including Jayapal and Escobar, even drafted a letter demanding extra protection, the Post Millennial noted.
Others, such as Squad member Cori Bush, have garnered headlines for the excessive amount spent on their personal security. (For Bush, the total is more than $300,000, even as she calls to defund police.)
Still others, such as Waters, have been unabashed in their calls for political violence against conservatives.
