Tom Cotton Brings the 'Who's Tougher on Crime' Argument Democrats Don't Want to Have

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is not one to suffer fools gladly, and that is especially true on the issue of which political party is tougher on crime.

Democrats are now laughably trying to shake their well-earned reputations as proponents of defunding the police off on Republicans. Biden advisor Cedric Richmond said yesterday that “when [Democrats] were in Congress last year trying to pass an emergency rescue plan for cities that were cash-strapped and laying off police, it was the Republicans who objected to it. … They defunded the police.” In today’s White House press briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki endorsed the spin after being questioned by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, signaling that’s the official direction the Biden administration is taking the argument.

Cotton appeared on Mark Levin’s “Life, Liberty, and Levin” program over the weekend, and when asked about the speech President Biden gave Wednesday announcing gun control initiatives to fight rising violent crime, the Arkansas Senator laid out the “who’s tougher on crime” argument that Democrats absolutely do not want to have going into the 2022 midterms, especially considering how badly the argument hurt House Democrats last fall. One of his points was to emphasize how Democrats were on board with defunding the police:

“Look, it’s no mystery what causes this crime wave. Now, the Democrats like to say, oh, it was the pandemic and people are lonely and isolated and unemployed. Mark, the pandemic is over. And other countries face the pandemic as well. They didn’t see a huge spike in murders and assaults and other crimes.

I can tell you exactly why we have this crime wave. First, it’s because Democrats and unfortunately, some Republicans have been letting serious criminals out of jail. Second, is because radical prosecutors and governors refusing to send serious criminals to prison in the first place. And third, Democrats for more than a year now have been attacking the police, calling for defunding the police or abolishing the police, discouraging them from vigorously doing jobs to keep communities safe.”

Cotton then noted that all “those factors together” are proof that “it’s not a surprise” we’re “seeing a Biden crime wave” in America. He then went on to remind people that Biden apologized in so many words during his presidential campaign for his 1994 “tough on crime” bill and had basically done a 180, going MIA in the summer of 2020 as so-called “peaceful BLM protesters” ravaged parts of Democrat-run cities with “protests” that quickly turned violent. He also pointed out that Kamala Harris posted support last year for a bail fund that bailed out Minneapolis rioters, some of who had violent histories. She was chosen as Biden’s veep nominee two months later.

Watch:

The proof, of course, is in the receipts, which Cotton also brought both before and after catching wind of Psaki’s ridiculous response to Doocy during today’s press briefing:

It’s especially shameless considering @JoeBiden appointed defund the police activists, like Kristen Clarke and Vanita Gupta, to lead the Department of Justice. https://t.co/YClOagdFpE

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) June 28, 2021

This is the cost of liberal soft-on-crime policies. https://t.co/S7C4A6JOIS

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) June 28, 2021

Further, the campaign ads for Republicans are just writing themselves at this point:

The fallout continues after a vote by the Oakland City Council to cut nearly $20 million from its police force. Some are worried amid a crime spike. https://t.co/SQe9nml8Ck pic.twitter.com/3KJ3qI6JRA

— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) June 26, 2021

As I said before, while the Biden administration’s sudden push to tie “defund the police” efforts to Republicans is cute, it’s won’t work. And if they keep it up they’ll find this debate revived all over again and on full blast heading into the 2022 midterms, where Republicans like Cotton, Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), and others will be more than happy to remind voters as to just which party it is that has turned their backs on the men and women who help keep our communities safe, starting at the local level with Democrat-run city councils and working all the way up to POTUS.