MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Friday pressed Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) to
explain why he thinks President Obama’s executive actions on immigration are unlawful.
Brooks, a vocal critic of immigration reform, had suggested Wednesday that Obama’s plan to temporary shield approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation could constitute a felony.
“At some point, you have to evaluate whether the president’s conduct aids or abets, encourages, or entices foreigners to unlawfully cross into the United States,” he said in an interview with Slate. “That has a five-year in-jail penalty associated with it.”
The very first question Hayes asked Brooks was whether he thought the Presidents’ immigration effort was criminal.
“I don’t know, I’m going to have to reserve judgment on that,” Brooks said.
Hayes then asked Brooks whether President Ronald Reagan was breaking the law when his administration deferred deportation for some 200,000 exiles from Central America.
“I have not examined the facts of those circumstances so I can’t pass judgement one way or the other,” Brooks responded.
“But that would seem to be enticing people to come illegally if you grant people deferred action who’ve come, wouldn’t that?” Hayes pressed.
Brooks again said that he hadn’t examined that particular action, which he repeatedly referred to as having been taken by former President Bill Clinton instead of Reagan. Hayes let it go.
“The question to me seems to be, if the President is saying this is a category of people we should not deport, is that a category of people we should deport?” Hayes asked Brooks later in the interview.
Brooks avoided directly saying that anyone should be deported.
“If I have to make a decision between Americans getting jobs or illegal aliens getting jobs, I’m gonna side with Americans 100 percent of the time,” Brooks said.
Watch below around the 2:15 mark via MSNBC:
Any word from Larry or Curly?
This will be a strategy on their part. They aren’t going to admit that Saint Ronnie did the same thing as Obama so they’ll try and deflect it onto Bill Clinton. He’s probably just the first to do it.
The President has put these idiots in the trick box and it will get real bloody in there before they see any daylight. The Teabags are frothing like Boner the Orange gave them meth and powdered donuts for recess snack. Bamz is just gonna spend two years fucking with them. He’s playing long ball and literally has nothing to lose.
“between Americans getting jobs or illegal aliens getting jobs”
This is a construct that makes as much sense as
“between Americans getting jobs or Flying Pigs getting jobs”
Neither have any serious impact on Americans getting jobs… In fact both would probably stimulate American job growth.
Hayes should great restraint in letting poor Mo stick his foot in his mouth over and over again—and he never answered any of Chris’ questions.
If Brooks is all the GOP has to trot out for public consumption, they’re in worse shape than I ever dreamt they could be.