Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) busted in on President Donald Trump’s family dinner in his private residence Wednesday night to craft a last-minute out for Trump as a bicameral rebuke on his national emergency declaration becomes more and more likely.
According to a Thursday Washington Post report, they pushed an 11th hour proposal to give senators a way to vote for the emergency declaration and also take a stand on what is being perceived as presidential overreach.
A White House lawyer was hauled in to explain why the proposal wouldn’t work. Trump reportedly ended the exchange irritated and surly and began Thursday morning with a new veto threat on Twitter.
A big National Emergency vote today by The United States Senate on Border Security & the Wall (which is already under major construction). I am prepared to veto, if necessary. The Southern Border is a National Security and Humanitarian Nightmare, but it can be easily fixed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 14, 2019
According to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Vice President Mike Pence and White House staff had already told Republicans to give up, that Trump was not going to participate in any move that would limit his own power. Nevertheless, the senators persisted.
GOP Sens. busted in on Trump’s dinner despite Pence and the WH telling them not to bother pic.twitter.com/nvyPAia5IB
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) March 14, 2019
With Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) last-minute effort to give the President some cover in the garbage, a rejection in the Senate and Trump’s first presidential veto seem to be on the docket.
