There’s nothing like a “person of the people” abusing what is already an ethically unsupportable government position, and some intrepid local California reporters just exposed Senator Kamala Harris for doing just that.
Kudos to Eric Reynolds and Andrew Blankstein, of NBCLosAngeles.com, for uncovering the towering hypocrisy of Harris, who, though checking all the social justice boxes and repeatedly claiming she represents those “in need”, was perfectly fine using as her own security detail the police - who are supposed to protect those people.
Armed, plain-clothes LAPD officers were dispatched to California cities outside of Los Angeles at least a dozen times to provide security for U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris at public events, media appearances, and a party.
Nothing like passing the buck. And nothing but class from Senator Harris, who used to be Attorney General of California, and should know better.
But wait, there’s more!
LA taxpayers paid for airline tickets, hotel stays, car rentals, and meals, according to detailed expense reports obtained by NBC News. The total cost of the trips, not including the officers' overtime, topped $28,000.
Now, some might wonder why it took local reporters to uncover this… Indeed, wouldn’t Senator Harris want to reimburse the taxpayers of LA, many of whom are already paying for her salary, along with other residents of the state? She’s so caring, after all… Didn’t someone in the city know about this?
Well, it turns out that Mayor Eric Garcetti (a high-profile collectivist-Democrat, like Harris) claims he knew nothing about it. He claimed that former LA Police Chief Charlie Beck signed off on Harris’ police protection outside the city. Yet, as Reynolds and Blankstein note:
The decision to end the out-of-town security program for Harris was made around the time the Los Angeles Times filed a lawsuit that demanded Mayor Eric Garcetti turn over records detailing the taxpayer expense of his own security detail during his extensive out-of-state travels, after both City Hall and the LAPD refused to release the documents through a routine California Public Records Act request.
So, despite the fact that the Mayor denies knowledge of this improper use of police who were supposed to be protecting the people in his city, despite the fact that he claims to have not known that the taxpayers who pay his salary were forced to pay for Harris’ protection in other cities, it’s striking to see the remarkable coincidence of the end of Harris’ extra LA police protection and the lawsuit to get Garcetti’s own security detail info.
And the NBC team adds:
Between January 2017 and July 2018 the records show LAPD officers flew to San Francisco at least seven times, including a trip in April 2017, when Harris gave TV interviews, a trip in March 2018 for a speech at a YMCA event, and a visit in June 2018, to escort Harris to the San Francisco Pride parade, where LAPD officers were visible in video and pictures captured along the parade route.
When was the last time you were given a personal police retinue at taxpayer expense as you made publicity appearances all over your state?
Why is a politician who claims to be helping the classic “little people” not paying for her own security?
And, finally, how did the US political system become so top-heavy that so many elitists in the Senate, House, Judicial, and Executive Branch stroll around with security we could never afford for ourselves?
Didn’t the colonials fight to get rid of royalty in 1776?
So far, Ms. Harris isn’t talking. And Mayor Garcetti’s sticking by his “pass-the-buck” to the former Chief, who also is not talking to the press.
Which leaves LA taxpayers to wonder why their police officers were flown all over the state instead of being in their city to fight crime.
And leaves the national pop media to continue overlooking this story as they fawn over Senator Harris and her thin-as-watery-bouillon claim that she “identifies” with the plight of the average taxpayer.