Democratic Tennessee congressional candidate Aftyn Behn repeatedly dodged CNN host Kasie Hunt’s direct questions Monday about whether boosting police funding would help combat crime.
Behn is attracting scrutiny for her dramatic behavior, far-left agenda, and past statements disparaging the very state she now seeks to represent in Tuesday’s special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Appearing on “The Arena with Kasie Hunt,” Behn immediately distanced herself from her old posts criticizing law enforcement after Hunt pressed her on whether putting more money toward additional police officers in the district she hopes to represent would help fight crime.
“My question for you today is whether more money for cops on the streets in the district you hope to represent would help fight crime. Would you like more money for more cops on the streets in your district?” Hunt asked Behn.
WATCH:
“So those past comments were at a time when I was a private citizen as an activist and organizer. And now as a Tennessee lawmaker, I represent 40,000 individual opinions and political thoughts,” Behn said.
Hunt pushed again: “What do you think now? Would more money for cops be good or bad?”
Behn refused to take a position.
“I think it depends on what the community wants. And so I’ve worked with communities, at least my constituents, want to ensure that there is investment in their community for community safety, community protection, mental health services. And that’s what I’m hearing from, at least my constituents,” Behn said.
In 2020, Behn posted on X that Nashville’s police department should be dissolved, that defunding the police should be required before reopening schools, and that burning down police stations can be justified. She refused to walk any of it back during an interview on MS NOW Sunday.
“I’m not going to gauge in cable news talking points. But what I will say is that you know our communities need solutions. We need local people deciding solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with. And in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee,” Behn said.
Behn has taken repeated swipes at the community she now wants to represent, telling the “Year Old GRITS” podcast in early 2020 that she despised Nashville and later saying Tennessee is a “godforsaken” place in a 2023 clip. She has also called the state “racist,” argued that college sororities embody “white supremacy,” and voiced support for using public funds to cover gender-transition procedures for minors.
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