Bill de Blasio admits Democrats are wrong on ‘police defunding’ and border policies
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In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted to Sean Hannity that he disagrees with the Democratic Party on key issues.
De Blasio offered a consistent test on Thursday’s episode of the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast. He also said that his party “should” deserve the criticism it has faced with the management of the Biden administration on the southern border.
“In retrospect, the whole idea of ’taking money out of the police’ was absurd. It made sense to say, how can we do better?” said de Blasio.
In 2020, de Blasio promised to cut the New York Police Department’s budget by $1 billion following citywide protests. Funds were instead channeled to other agencies focused on youth centers and public housing.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks to the media following news that a judge recommended NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo be fired for his role in the 2014 death of Eric Garner, in New York City on August 2, 2019. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The former mayor noted that police leaders told him that more needs to be done to provide young people with good alternatives, calling it “good for safety” in communities.
Hannity responded with surprise at the admission, saying, “We’re not arguing, are we? This is surprising.”
“We’re doing well,” de Blasio said, adding, “So ‘defunding’ was a mistake. And I understand where it’s coming from, but it was a mistake.”
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At the border, de Blasio also agreed with Hannity. The former mayor called it “common ground,” saying the Biden administration could have handled the southern border operation better.
“I don’t like what Biden has done with the border,” De Blasio said.
Defunding police activists fill the streets of Brooklyn, New York, in the summer of 2020. (Getty Images)
When pressed on why he didn’t speak up earlier, he noted that at the time, he didn’t realize the problem was as bad as it was. De Blasio said he came to that conclusion after Biden moved to tighten border policies later in his presidency.
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“When I saw it in the Biden era, that he was able to reverse course in that last year and tighten the border — no, I mean, that’s ironic,” said de Blasio, who added that something has “changed” in the administration.
“We, as Democrats, deserve that criticism,” he added.
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In 2014, de Blasio significantly strengthened the state of New York City. He signed a law prohibiting the NYPD and the Department of Corrections from honoring detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless they have a warrant from a federal judge.
Even if they have an arrest warrant, they will only cooperate if the person has been convicted of a violent crime or a felony. He also ended the permanent ICE office at Rikers Island jail.
“Hang Out with Sean Hannity” launched this month on YouTube and Spotify, featuring interviews with Stephen A. Smith, Sen. John Fetterman and NHL star Matthew Tkachuk.
