Fox News’ Chris Wallace grilled Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN) by asking the congressman how can Republicans portray Democrats as anti-police when he and other members of the GOP voted against funding for law enforcement.

Banks appeared on Fox News Sunday, where he claimed President Joe Biden is being “held hostage” by “the squad” and turned against his old views in support of the police. He continued by laying the country’s current crime rates at the feet of Democrats because they “spent the last year stigmatizing one of the most honorable professions in America,” and “now Joe Biden wants to take guns away from law-abiding gun owners who have guns to protect themselves.”

Wallace pointed out that “in the program [Biden] announced this week, the president said that the central part of his anti-crime package is the $350 billion in the American Rescue Plan — the Covid relief plan.” This led to Wallace asking a question about who’s really defunding the police.

“Congressman Banks, you voted against that package, against the $350 billion, just like every other Republican in the House and Senate,” Wallace said. “So can’t you make the argument that it’s you and the Republicans who are defunding the police?”

“Not at all,” Banks retorted. He immediately moved to invoke “the squad” again, but Wallace jumped in.

“Respectfully, I heard you make that point,” Wallace said, “but I’m asking you — there’s $350 billion in this package the president says can be used for policing.” Banks tried to interject, but Wallace said “let me finish,” and he went on by listing elements of the American Rescue Plan.

Banks answered by again railing against the Democrats:

When Rep. Omar says that policing is 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 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, then we’re at a dangerous point.

Watch above, via Fox News Sunday.

The post WATCH: Chris Wallace Confronts GOP Rep. on Whether Republicans Are ‘Defunding the Police’ first appeared on Mediaite.

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