Chris Wallace did an outstanding job cutting through the BS of Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) as he tried to paint President Joe Biden as a puppet of The Squad, manipulated into defunding the police.
On yesterday’s Fox News Sunday, Wallace asked Banks, “Why do you think there has been such a sharp increase in the number of shootings and homicides in this country over the last 18 months?”
Banks blamed Biden.
BANKS: Senator Biden in 2002 wrote an op-ed and he said more cops clearly means less crime. You will not hear Joe Biden say that today, because today Joe Biden is being held hostage in the White House by the Squad and the radicals in the Democrat Party who control their party, who have spent the last year stigmatizing one of the most honorable professions in America, in our law enforcement.
It's not just about defunding the police, which they fully support, but over the last year they've talked about stripping qualified immunity, protections for police officers who do their job. They talk about cashless -- cashless warrants and decreasing --
WALLACE: Bail.
BANKS: -- sentences as well. Cashless bail, excuse me, and decreasing sentences. It's a recipe that criminals in every city in America are liking what Democrats are selling. And that's why you're seeing unprecedented crime waves across America, murder rates this year alone that are higher than anything that we've seen before because we've taken police officers off the streets. And now Joe Biden wants to take guns away from law-abiding gun owners who have guns to protect themselves.
Wallace pushed back. He noted that a “central part” of Biden’s anti-crime package is $350 billion in the American Rescue Plan, the COVID relief package that was recently passed.
Wallace played a clip of Biden saying that the American Rescue Plan provides for “more police officers, more nurses, more counselors, more social workers, more community violence interrupters to help resolve issues before they escalate into crimes.”
After the clip, Wallace pounced.
WALLACE: Congressman Banks, you voted against that package, against that $350 billion, just like every other Republican in the House and Senate, so can't you make the argument that it's you and the Republicans who are defunding the police?
BANKS: Not at all, Chris. I mean, let's go back again and look at the last year and the record of comments that Democrats have made from Rashida Tlaib, who said that --
WALLACE: No, No, wait, sir, respectfully --
BANKS: -- policing is inherently evil.
WALLACE: Wait, wait, sir, respectfully, I heard you make that point but I'm asking you, there's $350 billion in this package the president says can be used for policing. And let me put up some of the specific things he said.
BANKS: Chris, the point that I'm making is important.
WALLACE: Congressman Banks, let me finish and then I promise I'll give you a chance to answer. The president is saying cities and states can use this money to hire more police officers, invest in new technologies and develop summer job training and recreation programs for young people. Respectfully, I've heard your point about the last year, but you and every other Republican voted against this $350 billion.
Unable to defend his own vote against funding the police and anti-crime programs, Banks resorted to blaming the rhetoric of Rep. Ilhan Omar and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
BANKS: When Representative Omar says that policing is rooted in evil and Nancy Pelosi compares police officers to Nazi stormtroopers, it makes it very difficult for police departments around the country to recruit people to become police officers. And that's the crisis that we find a in police departments all over America. You can give them more funding, and that's good, but if they can't recruit people to become a police officer because we've stigmatized one of the most honorable professions in America, than we are at a dangerous point.
You can watch it below, from the June 27, 2021 Fox News Sunday.
