The city of Tucson finally has one answer to its demands that the Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders campaigns pay the roughly $125,000 the city says the two groups owe for police protection at March rallies at the Tucson Convention Center.
A lawyer representing Sanders rebuffed a formal demand by City Attorney Mike Rankin for $44,013, saying the campaign never asked for police protection and suggested it should bill the Secret Service .
βThe U.S. Secret Service typically made arrangements for all security matters with regard to Senator Sanders during his presidential campaign,β wrote Brad Deutsch, a lawyer for Bernie 2016.
βTherefore, to the extent the Secret Service independently contacted the Tucson Police Department ... to assist in its security detail, the law enforcement organization should discuss cost-sharing matters directly with the Secret Service.β
The Trump campaign, which received a similar letter demanding it pay an $81,837 bill for police services, has not responded to the city.
While the city has the legal authority to pursue a lawsuit to get reimbursed , Rankin says it is up to the City Council to decide whether to do so.
The city isnβt alone in getting left with a giant bill for police protection, said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild.
He said his federal lobbyist βhas talked to Boston, Dallas and Seattle, none of which has been paid.β Rothschild noted that the National League of Cities and Towns is aware of the issue and has been pushing for federal reforms that would allow cities to be reimbursed for such costs.
Rothschild said he wonβt close the door on suing both campaigns, but wants to do more research.
βIβd like to collect the money, obviously,β Rothschild said.
βI want to review with the city attorney more carefully the existing law, the contracts that were made. I am not for filing a lawsuit if in fact we are not going to be successful.β
Some 180 Tucson police officers worked security at the Trump rally , which was marked by several protests and disruptions during his speech. It attracted about 5,000 people.
A night earlier, Tucson police assigned 76 officers to a rally organized for Sanders, also held at the TCC. Crowd estimates suggest Sanders had about 7,000 people at the event.
Meanwhile, a rally the same weekend as Trumpβs event at Sunnyside High School featuring former President Bill Clinton on the stump for his wife, Hillary, cost the district about $3,000. Her campaign recently reimbursed the district.
The city chose not to bill the Trump campaign for security at a recent event held at the Fox Theatre that featured his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a city spokeswoman confirmed.
