Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) thought he had the perfect way to put Senate Democrats on the spot and make them vote against an amendment he proposed as part of a larger piece of legislation so he could label Democrats as being anti-cop, but his stunt blew up in his face.
During debate on a larger piece of legislation Tuesday, Tuberville added a non-binding amendment — which carries no actual penalties or weight — which would have punished localities that “defund” their police departments.
Newsweek reports that Tuberville announced his amendment and all but dared Democrats to vote against it:
On the Senate floor, Tuberville said four-fifths of law enforcement across the country was conducted by local and state police departments, adding: “Local leaders across the country have decided the woke thing to do is cancel their city’s police force.”
He said taxpayers in his state should not 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.”
After Tuberville sat down, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) immediately stood up and began speaking, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he declared:
“I am so excited! This is the highlight of this long and painful night. This is a gift. If it wasn’t a complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama.
“And I will tell you right now, thank God! “Because there are some people that said that there are members of this political body that want to defund the police. My horror! And now, this senator is giving us the gift of finally, once and for all, to put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this esteemed body would want to defund the police. So, let’s all of us, 100 people, not walk, but sashay down there and vote for this amendment and put to rest the lies.”
Booker concluded his remarks by telling his fellow senators:
“I am sure I will see no political ads attacking anybody here over defund the police.”
The amendment then passed by a vote of 99-0.
“This is a gift,” Cory Booker says in an animated speech praising Tommy Tuberville’s non-binding amendment to punish localities that defund the police.
“I am sure I will see no political ads attacking anybody here over defund the police.”
It passed 99-0, all Dems voted for it. pic.twitter.com/GUqAfcSlxH
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) August 11, 2021
As the vote was being taken, Booker did indeed walk over and give his colleague from Alabama a hug:
“If it wasn’t complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem, I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama,” Booker said in his speech.
Then, during the vote, he did just that: pic.twitter.com/hRmrcrj3bg
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) August 11, 2021
Featured Image Via Screenshot
