The Washington Post’s Fact-Checker dinged the White House for claiming Republicans were “defunding the police,” giving the eyebrow-raising talking point “Three Pinocchios.”
Recent remarks by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and senior Biden adviser Cedric Richmond had sought to turn the tables on months of some progressive Democrats advocating for slicing or even dismantling municipal police department budgets. Their logic was GOP opposition to the $1.9-trillion coronavirus relief bill passed this year amounted to supporting defunding police, since $350 billion was allocated for state and local government aid.
“Although Republicans all opposed Biden’s coronavirus relief package, no one voted to cut, or defund, anything. Rather, Democrats proposed $350 billion in emergency funds for state and local governments, and Republicans voted against those extra funds. That’s not a reduction,” the Post’s Glenn Kessler wrote.
President Biden has resisted efforts from the left flank of his party to call for police budget cuts, but the efforts by his White House to shift the label of anti-police to Republicans appeared to demonstrate the damage of even the appearance of that position. Despite the brazenness of the White House’s claims, some liberal media figures fell in line with the talking point, Fox News reported last week.
www.foxnews.com/media/washington-post-white-house-three-pinocchios-republicans-defunding-police