House GOPers Will Confront Trump About Separating Families At The Border

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 29: President Donald J. Trump walks from the Oval Office across the South Lawn to board Marine One at the White House on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Wash... WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 29: President Donald J. Trump walks from the Oval Office across the South Lawn to board Marine One at the White House on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

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.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: