House Republicans, faced with growing public outcry over the separations of migrant families at the border, plan to confront President Donald Trump about changing the policy at a Tuesday meeting, according to a Monday Axios report.
Trump will be a guest at a special House Republicans meeting Tuesday evening, when GOP lawmakers reportedly plan to use Trump’s sensitivity to disturbing photos and negative media spin to circumvent Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ “zero-tolerance” immigration policy.
However, per Axios, Trump views family separation as a bargaining chip and is disinclined to roll back the policy without securing a concession like his border wall in return.
Republican sources reportedly told Axios that the story’s legs and emotional heft are making it a cudgel they fear will hammer GOP candidates during the midterms.
They also fear that the party line that the policy is Democrats’ fault and responsibility to change is too unbelievable to hide behind, as Republicans control all of Congress and the White House. Also, a simple fact check reveals that the separation practice comes from the Trump administration’s policy and not any preexisting law.