The new Republican majority in Congress has voiced a willingness to work with President Barack Obama since sweeping the midterms, but Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus isn’t entertaining any talk of compromise.
In a Wednesday interview, CNN host Erin Burnett asked Priebus whether the new Republican Congress would pass legislation on immigration reform. Obama had promised to take executive action on the issue during a press conference earlier in the day.
“I don’t believe a thing he says,” Priebus told Burnett. “So he’s been talking about immigration reform for seven years, you’re using his words as if they actually mean something and asking me to respond to it. He’s been talking about this when he had 60 votes in the Senate and Nancy Pelosi in the House and they didn’t do a darn thing.”
“All he’s been doing for the last year is lying to Hispanic voters across the country,” he added.
Burnett pointed out that Priebus’ comments contrasted sharply with the more conciliatory tone Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has struck while talking about his plans for the next Congress, in which he’ll likely be majority leader.
“You’re not putting forth a tone that is ‘alright, let’s do a fresh start and work together,'” Burnett said.
Priebus repeated his point that Obama has mishandled immigration reform from the get-go.
“Now to come back and say, after the American people repudiated the policies of Barack Obama and everyone that was connected to him to now say, ‘what are you guys going to do to compromise with the person the American people had just repudiated?’” Priebus said. “I think it’s a little bizarre.”
Watch below via CNN:
