Trump to Homeland Security Official: Close the Border Despite Promise of Delay
11 replies, posted
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/12/us/politics/trump-border.html
President Trump last week urged Kevin McAleenan, whom he was about to name as acting secretary of homeland security, to close the southwestern border despite having just said that he was delaying a decision on the step for a year, according to three people briefed about the conversation.
It was not clear what Mr. Trump meant by his request or his additional comment to Mr. McAleenan that he would pardon him if he encountered any legal problems as a result of taking the action. Federal judges have already blocked the administration’s attempts to limit asylum seekers who illegally enter the country, and it is not likely Mr. McAleenan would have ended up in jail if he had followed the president’s directive.
One of the people briefed on the conversation said it was unclear whether Mr. Trump had intended the comments to Mr. McAleenan as a joke. But the conversation, which took place during the president’s visit to the border town of Calexico, Calif., alarmed officials at the Department of Homeland Security who were told of it, according to the people familiar with the comments.
Besides Mr. McAleenan, who was then commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Mr. Trump was accompanied on the trip by Kirstjen Nielsen, at the time the secretary of homeland security.
Ms. Nielsen had earlier refused to carry through with Mr. Trump’s desire to close the border, telling him it was illegal. But the president encouraged Mr. McAleenan to disregard Ms. Nielsen and enforce the move himself. Two days later, Ms. Nielsen submitted her resignationunder pressure from Mr. Trump, and the president appointed Mr. McAleenan acting secretary of homeland security.
Mr. Trump’s desire to close the border, despite the legal impediments, was a factor in the forced resignation of Ms. Nielsen. It was one of a number of instances in which Ms. Nielsen believed she was being asked to engage in conduct that violated laws, according to several people with knowledge of those discussions.
“I’m going to have to call up more military” to the southern border, Mr. Trump told reporters during a visit to San Antonio this week. “Our military, don’t forget, can’t act like they would normally act because if they got a little rough, everybody would go crazy.”
Definitely not an authoritarian at all...
I wonder if McConnell can talk the President off the ledge like he did last time. I realize the people with higher levels of melanin turkadurr and are a problem, but there's plenty of American companies that deal directly with Central and South America that need the border open to do business.
Yeah but that would require thinking beyond just "Dem mexicants"
Yeah I was going to post this, POTUS is willing to pardon people who knowingly break the law.
Jesus Christ, all I want for Easter is this fuck impeached.
The coming recession will be either very good or bad for the United States in the long term.
Meanwhile Republicans are too far up their own asses to give a shit about the fact that their chosen candidate has openly said that he'd use the power of presidential pardon to allow his stooges to disregard the consequences for breaking the law.
Every single one of them should be ashamed, lmao. I know I would be if I'd actually put someone this openly corrupt into office.
The bulk of these people do not give a shit about perceptions of being corrupt or what have you. They care about winning. Why wouldn't they welcome some of their own getting to play outside of the rules?
I guess I'm just still too used to being a thinking human being, with a sense of dignity and shame. 'Few more years of politics like this'll probably beat that out of me.
I know the pardon has always been a political tool but not to premeditate crime!
