Former Attorney General Eric Holder quite literally called bullsh*t on Donald Trump’s latest lie that his administration’s new immigration policy is the fault of congressional Democrats.
Over the weekend, Trump tweeted this: “Put pressure on the Democrats to end the horrible law that separates children from there parents once they cross the Border into the U.S.”
The only problem with Trump’s claim? The policy shift came this month at the direction of his administration.
The ex-AG under Obama called out the lie in his Wednesday speech at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, saying “it’s nonsense” that the policy of separating families at the border is the fault of Democrats in Congress or previous administrations.
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“This is a policy determination that this administration has made, to separate children from families, as a way to try to thwart people who are trying to come into this country either illegally or seeking asylum,” Holder said.
“This is, I think, government at its worst and not anything the Democrats or the Obama administration put in place,” Holder added.
In a lighter moment, as The Hill noted, Holder jokingly said he wouldn’t share his real thoughts on the blatant Trump lie about his own immigration policy because they were too vulgar.
“But it starts with ‘b’,” Holder added.
Jeff Sessions is on tape announcing the policy change
Trump’s claim about his new immigration policy – that it’s the fault of the Democrats – is provably false.
After all, Jeff Sessions is literally on tape announcing the policy change earlier this month.
“If you cross the border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you. It’s that simple,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you. And that child may be separated from you.”
Rachel Maddow reminded the Trump administration of this fact on her show on Wednesday:
Rachel #Maddow reminds the president that the immigration policy to separate children from their families at the border was “invented by the Trump administration.” pic.twitter.com/165z0PeVvj
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) May 31, 2018
“This policy decision to take little kids away from their mothers and fathers, that is a brand new policy, and it was invented by the Trump administration and is being implemented by them,” Maddow said.
So, as former attorney general and potential 2020 presidential candidate Eric Holder suggested on Wednesday, there is no other way to describe Trump’s assertion that this inhumane new practice is somebody else’s fault.
It’s simply bullsh*t.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
