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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson quickly became a target overnight after admitting to Fox News that not only has he has been talking about border legislation “pretty frequently” to ex-president Donald Trump, who adamantly opposes the bipartisan Senate border bill that would also deliver critical and overdue aid to Ukraine and Israel, but he agrees with him, despite trying to make the border the number one issue in the country.
“The president actually just got off the phone with me right before the show,” Fox News host Laura Ingraham, referring to ex-president Donald Trump, told Speaker Johnson Wednesday night, “And he said he has spoken to you about this deal and that he is against it. And he urged you to be against this deal. He was extremely – President Trump was extremely adamant about that. Your reaction to that, given the fact that, look, he already he knows how to do this enforcement stuff. You don’t need some new bill coming out of the Senate to get the border enforced.”
“Yeah,” the Speaker replied. “President Trump is not wrong. He and I’ve been talking about this pretty frequently. I talked to him night before last about the same subject. We don’t have the text of whatever the Senate has cooked up yet and so we have to reserve judgment, I think to see what comes out of it.”
Thursday morning via X, Ingraham added, “This is ludicrous. Biden already has all the executive authority he needs to shut down the border invasion.” Johnson similarly has repeatedly insisted President Biden effectively do an end-run around Congress via executive orders.
READ MORE: ‘Staggering Refusal to Govern’: Johnson Sparks Outcry for Tying Any Border Fix to a Trump Win
Overnight, Donald Trump on his social media platform attacked the Senate border deal, which is supported by both Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!” Trump declared. Experts say using the term “invasion,” especially against people seeking asylum, is “racist and dangerous.”
“Also,” Trump added, confirming Johnson’s remarks, “I have no doubt that our wonderful Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, will only make a deal that is PERFECT ON THE BORDER. Remember, without Strong Borders and Honest Elections, we don’t have a Country!!!”
Also Thursday morning, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough on “Morning Joe” slammed Johnson.
“You’ve got the Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, the White House, all agreeing on a tough border deal.All agreeing to aid Israel. All agreeing to aid Ukraine, and you’ve got Mike Johnson, and some radicals that are in the House,” Scarborough said before blasting the Speaker.
“With Mike Johnson you’ve got a guy who’s constantly on the issue of funding Ukraine been pro-Vladimir Putin.So you’ve got a pro-Putin Speaker, who has voted no on all Ukrainian aid, a pro-Putin speaker who now is killing a bill that’s the toughest border security bill ever, and I’m just asking why.”
“Is it because he’s pro Putin? Is it because he’s afraid Ukraine is going to get aid aid that he’s voted against time and time again, if he had his way Vladimir Putin would already have Kyiv, because he’s voted against all funding to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression. And so now he’s also killing a bill that would stop what’s happening on the southern border. The chaos on the southern border and you can get to ask why. If you’ve got Republicans saying this is the toughest bill ever, and we will never get a tougher bill on border security Mike Johnson is still killing it.”
“Doesn’t seem like it’s about the border,” Scarborough added. “Maybe it’s about letting Vladimir Putin take all of Ukraine. That’s gonna be a hell of a campaign ad. Coming come this fall: House Republicans helped Vladimir Putin conquer Ukraine.”
.@JoeNBC: “If Speaker Johnson had his way, Vladimir Putin would already [have taken] Kyiv because he’s voted against all funding to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression— And now he’s also killing a bill that would stop the chaos on the southern border? You gotta ask why.” pic.twitter.com/8fPZfxJTjw
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) January 18, 2024
Other critics, including Democratic lawmakers, also blasted Johnson.
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“A bipartisan immigration bill is in the Senate. But once again, MAGA extremists in the House are pretending to govern. Democrats continue to work for the American people,” noted U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA).
“Trump told him to do nothing so Trump can use it as an election issue,” observed U.S. Rep.Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).
“And there it is. Trump doesn’t want his number one issue this election taken away and he gave Johnson his marching orders. They don’t want to fix the border, they want the issue,” said former federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski, MeidasTouch Editor-in Chief.
“Mike Johnson admits he is receiving orders from Trump on whether to sabotage a border deal for political purposes,” was how the DNC’s Rapid Response team framed Johnson’s remarks with Ingraham.
Speaker Johnson says he has been consulting with Trump on the border deal. pic.twitter.com/delJ9iacJd
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 18, 2024
Watch the videos above or at this link.
READ MORE: Far-Right US Senators Demand Special Meeting Ahead of Crucial Ukraine Funding Vote
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