Sen. Cory Booker gives satirical speech against ‘defund the police’ movement

Sen. Cory Booker gave a rousing endorsement of a proposal to block defunding of police during a light-hearted speech on the Senate floor Tuesday evening.

“This is a gift,” Booker (D-NJ) gushed about a resolution proposed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) that would block federal funding to local municipalities that “defund the police.”

“If it wasn’t complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama.”

Booker claimed the resolution should settle the debate over whether Democrats in the chamber support the defund movement.

“This senator has given the gift that finally once and for all we can put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great, esteemed body would want to defund the police,” he said.

He rallied colleagues “not to walk but sashay” to vote for the amendment to “put to rest the lies.”

“Can we add also that every senator here wants to defund the police, believes in God, country and apple pie?” he said, punching his hand against a tabletop for emphasis.

Tuberville took the vote as a victory, saying on Twitter Democrats pounced at the chance to distance themselves from the rhetoric.

“The American taxpayers in Alabama [shouldn’t] have to pick up the tab for the local leaders in Oregon and Minnesota who value the woke ‘Defund the Police’ movement over their own community’s safety,” he said during his floor remarks.