Trump Told Head Of Border Patrol He’d Pardon Him If He Broke Immigration Law

Project Manager James O'Loughlin explaining Border Wall prototypes to President Donald J Trump, accompanied with DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, and San Diego Sector Chief Pat... Project Manager James O'Loughlin explaining Border Wall prototypes to President Donald J Trump, accompanied with DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, and San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Rodney Scott, San Diego, March 13, 2018. Image courtesy Ralph Desio / United States Department of Defense. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

During his visit to the border in Calexico, California last week, President Trump told the then-head of Customs and Border Patrol, Kevin McAleenan, who is now the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, that he would pardon him if he were jailed for violating immigration law, CNN reported Friday.

According to officials briefed on the conversation, Trump told McAleenan he would “pardon him if he ever went to jail for denying U.S. entry to migrants,” one of the officials said. It was unclear if the exchange was a joke, CNN reported.

Latest News
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: