Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said Friday on Iowa PBS’s “Iowa Press” that it was “stupid” for Republicans to call to defund or shut down the FBI.
Anchor Kay Henderson said, “Senator, you have some of your fellow Republicans who have suggested defunding the FBI. You have one presidential candidate who’s saying dissolve the FBI. Are Republicans the law and order party still?”
Grassley said, “Anybody that takes that position is stupid for saying it. We’ve got to have an FBI.”
He continued, “And secondly, as Republicans, because you made a good point about Republicans saying this for the last three or four years, we’ve been making fun of the Democrats wanting to defund the police. It’s the same thing. You can’t defund. We don’t want to defund the police. You can’t defund the FBI.”
When asked about a potential government shutdown, Grassley said, “Before I answer that question in regards to Kay’s question, I want to follow up and say that obviously, things are right with the FBI, from my point of view. But you don’t defund the FBI. To make that point, you reform the FBI. I don’t think government is going to shut down. It’s cost money to shut the government down.”
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