OF A FLOOD OF NEW MIGRANTS AT
THE BORDER.
JOINING ME NOW IS FORMER U.S.
ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL MATT
WHITAKER.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
YOU SAY THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
POLICY TOOL THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION WILL TAKE AWAY
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY.
TELL US ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS
YOU SEE.
>> WELL, WHAT HAPPENS AT THE
BORDER IS THE BORDER PATROL IS
UNDER COMPLETE ASSAULT BY
ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSERS AND THEY
NEED EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER
TO DO THEIR JOBS AND BY TAKING
AWAY TITLE 42 WHICH ALLOWS THEM
TO TURN AROUND PEOPLE AT THE
BORDER BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19
SITUATION, THAT GAVE THEM A TOOL
TO, AGAIN, CONTINUE TO TRY TO
ADMINISTRATE AND KEEP FOLKS FROM
ILLEGALLY COMING INTO OUR
COUNTRY.
THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIG
LAST TOOLS THAT BORDER PATROL
HAD AND NOW ANYONE IS GETTING
INTO THIS COUNTRY AND IT’S GOING
TO -- THIS NEWS IS GOING TO
CAUSE PEOPLE NOW TO COME FROM
ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THE EXPECTATION IS WE’RE GOING
TO HAVE 15 TO 18,000 PEOPLE
EVERY DAY AND BY THE END OF THE
YEAR WE COULD HAVE MORE PEOPLE
IN OUR COUNTRY ILLEGALLY JUST
FROM THIS POLICY CHANGE THAN THE
WHOLE CITY OF LOS ANGELES HAS IN
POPULATION SO IT’S A MASSIVE AND
FUNDAMENTAL POLICY CHANGE.
MARIA: WELL, I MEAN, GOVERNORS
-- CERTAINLY REPUBLICAN
GOVERNORS ARE OUTRAGED BY THIS.
TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT
YESTERDAY SAID HE’S GOING TO
START BUSSING THE MIGRANTS TO
WASHINGTON, D.C. AND THE WHITE
HOUSE CLAIMS THAT’S A PUBLICITY
STUNT.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY AT
THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> NOW THAT THE TEXAS GOVERNOR
IS SAYING HE’S GOING TO START
BUSSING BORDER CROSSERS TO
WASHINGTON, D.C., WHEN THEY GET
HERE WILL YOU HELP THEM FIND A
PLACE TO STAY AND SOMETHING FOR
THEM TO DO.
>> I’M NOT AWARE OF WHAT
AUTHORITY THE GOVERNOR WOULD BE
DOING THIS UNDER.
I THINK IT’S PRETTY CLEAR THIS
IS A PUBLICITY STUNT.
ENFORCEMENT OF THE IMMIGRATION
LAWS LIES WITH THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, NOT A STATE.
MARIA: YOUR REACTION, MATT.
>> WELL, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE --
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE.
IT POLLS AS ONE OF THE TOUCH TOP
ISSUES.
THEY WANT A SOLUTION AND IF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT GOING
TO DO ITS JOB, THE STATES ARE
LEFT TO DO EVERYTHING THEY
POSSIBLY CAN WITHIN THEIR
POWERS.
JEN PSAKI IS RIGHT THAT THIS IS
A FEDERAL POWER BUT IF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT GOING
TO DO IT, THEN SOMEONE HAS TO
HELP SECURE OUR BORDER AND MAKE
SURE THAT THESE STATES LIKE
TEXAS DON’T BEAR THE ENTIRE
BURDEN OF THIS POOR POLICY AND
POOR PLANNING BY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
MARIA: MATT, DO YOU THINK THIS
IS A DERELICTION OF DUTY?
I WAS JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO
SPEAKING WITH CONGRESSMAN GREG
MURPHY AND WE WERE GOING THROUGH
SOME OF THE STORIES AROUND JOE
BIDEN AND WHETHER IT’S THIS WIDE
OPEN BORDER, THIS CLIMATE CHANGE
AGENDA, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES,
NO MATTER 40 YEAR INFLATION, OR
THE MONEY THAT HIS FAMILY HAS
TAKEN IN IN TERMS OF THE DEALS
HUNTER HAS DONE.
HE SAID IT’S IMPEACHABLE.
LISTEN TO GREG MURPHY A MOMENT
AGO.
I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON THIS.
WATCH.
>> I THINK THERE’S GOING TO BE
PLENTY AFOOT.
THERE’S PLENTY IF YOU LOOK AT
AFGHANISTAN, YOU LOOK AT THE
BORDER CRISIS, YOU LOOK AT SO
MANY OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
THE SAD THING IS, MARIA, LOOK AT
WHO IS NUMBER TWO.
LOOK AT WHO IS NUMBER TWO.
I THINK NUMBER TWO IS WORSE THAN
NUMBER ONE.
SO THIS IS THE PREDICTMENT THAT
WE’RE IN.
THESE OF FENCES THIS PRESIDENT
HAS DONE -- OFFENSES THIS
PRESIDENT HAS DONE AGAINST LAW
AND ORDER I THINK ARE GROUNDS
FOR IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES.
MARIA: MATT, HE’S BASICALLY
SAYING HE WANTS TO IMPEACH HIM
BUT WE’RE AFRAID BECAUSE NUMBER
TWO IS WEAK, KAMALA HARRIS.
YOUR REACTION?
>> WELL, AS WE’VE TALKED MANY
TIMES, MARIA, IN THE PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATION IMPEACHMENT IS A
PURELY POLITICAL TOOL THAT CAN
BE USED BY CONGRESS WHEN THE
PRESIDENT OR OTHER EXECUTIVE
BRANCH MEMBERS AREN’T DOING
THEIR JOBS OR ARE VIOLATING THE
LAW.
CERTAINLY CONGRESS HAS AN
IMPORTANT ROLE IN MAKING SURE
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IS DOING
THEIR JOBS AND FOLLOWING THE LAW
AND IN THIS CASE, ESPECIALLY ON
THE BORDER THAT WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT RIGHT NOW, THERE’S NO
DOUBT THAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION IS FAILING AT
ENFORCING THE LAW AND DOING
THINGS THAT ARE -- WOULD MAKE
AMERICANS’ LIVES BETTER.
THE ONLY THING I WORRY ABOUT IS
THE POLITICS OF GOING INTO 2022
AND TALKING ABOUT IMPEACHMENT
WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY ISSUES,
INFLATION YOU POINT OUT AND
OTHERS THAT ARE AFFECTING
ORDINARY AMERICANS’ LIVES AND
CONGRESS INSTEAD OF WASTING
THEIR TIME ON THESE TYPES OF
EFFORTS I THINK WOULD BE BETTER
SITUATED TO PASS LAWS THAT MAKE
THE SITUATION FOR ALL AMERICANS
PERSON INCLUDING CLOSING THE
BORDER AND ONLY ALLOWING LEGAL
IMMIGRATION WHICH IS -- WE’RE
THE MOST GENEROUS DONE ANY THE
WORLD.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT MANY TIMES
-- COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT MANY TIMES.
THE SOLUTIONS ARE NOT DIFFICULT.
IT’S JUST HAVING THE DESIRE AND
THE WILLING TO IMPLEMENT THEM.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS
COMPLETELY FAILED AT THE BORDER.
MARIA: YEAH.
MATT, IT’S GREAT TO GET YOUR
INSIGHTS ON ALL OF THAT.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
MATT WHITAKER JOINING US THIS