It’s hard to say if it came from a disdain for the U.S. military, an extension of CNN’s "President Trump is literally a third world dictator" narrative, or some other sinister motive. But in the middle of a segment on the “migrant” caravan making its way to the southern border during Monday’s Prime Time, host Chris Cuomo suggested that the military would end up shooting the over 7,000 people when they got to the border in order to turn them away.
Cuomo invited on former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli pn the discussion. It was one of the few times Cuomo allowed more conservatives than liberals to be a part of the debate and he was up in arms that his guests would advocate for National Guard and military troops to be placed on the border.
“You can send the National Guard if you had to send people who were armed. Why isn't the Border Patrol enough,” Cuomo demanded to know from Cuccinelli (who was dealing with a bad studio connection). As Cuccinelli was explaining how the border states could send their National Guard troops to turn people away, Cuomo began setting up his horror movie scenario.
“Rick, if you put military down there, we know what the god forbid is in this situation. And then how does it play,” Cuomo began. “How is that good for anybody if -- because you're not going to turn away thousands and thousands of people, even if people start getting shot. And what message does that send? Who wins in that?”
Santorum appeared to ignore Cuomo’s radical premise and talked about how the migrants in the growing caravan should not be allowed to cross the border indiscriminately. Cuomo seemed to pretend illegal immigration didn’t exist because he hit back with: “How are they going to cross indiscriminately? I mean, you've got fences in places. The place where it's open borders, it's very, very tough country to get there.”
But soon after, Cuomo was back to smearing the military as would-be massacre makers in waiting. “But would you be okay with the military shooting people to turn them away,” he asked his conservative guests again. He built off of that sick suggestion by ghoulishly demanding them to answer; is letting the migrants in or killing them worse:
But I’ll tell you what, if you have a must happen, what do you think is worse for America, to have thousands of people come in that shouldn't be here and you have to chase them around and process them or to kill a bunch of people on the border who are coming in? What do you think is worse for America, Ken?
“[Y]ou're going to extremes here,” Cuccinelli decried. The former AG reminded Cuomo that “National Guard troops are trained to deal with riots.” “I expect to see military and National Guard and Border Patrol in riot gear. That's how I expect this to be handled at the border if they're not coming in at entry points,” he explained.
From there, the trio argued whether or not Mexican authorities had the ability to halt the caravan’s progression northward.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN's Cuomo Prime Time
October 22, 2018
9:28 p.m. Eastern(…)
CHRIS CUOMO: What I don't get is, why aren't you deal with what's coming your way, Ken? He says I'm going to have the military go down to the border. Who's going to get behind that idea?! That's a recipe for disaster. You like that idea? And forget about posse comitatus. I’m just saying, there’s a law out there that says you can’t have a U.S. military…
KEN CUCCINELLI: [Static from his feed] If you hit it right on the border, if they're not coming to [Static] which is what I expect is likely to happen. I watched an interview with one of the chiefs. They divide the border up into regions. One of the Border Patrol chiefs, chief Padilla, who made the very logical point, and frankly this is just one of a rolling version of these, that every single one of these organized caravans that comes in easily invites the next ten. And so --
CUOMO: But what do you mean by “come in easily”? What do you suggest doing? What do you suggest doing with the military?
CUCCINELLI: I mean coming in illegally. I suggest turning them away at the border. Flat turning them away at the border.
CUOMO: But why the military? What do you think will happen if the military is there?
CUCCINELLI: If Mexico is going to let them come through… You said the military. I just answered your question.
CUOMO: Trump said the military.
(…)
CUCCINELLI: Yeah, well, that's the only resource he has at his disposal over and above the Border Patrol.
CUOMO: No, it isn't. He's got the National Guard.
CUCCINELLI: What are you going to do, send the IRS? What do you want to do?
CUOMO: You can send the National Guard if you had to send people who were armed. Why isn't the Border Patrol enough?
CUCCENELLI: No, no, no. The National Guard is not Trump's unless he federalizes it and then it's the military. But I’ll tell you what. The border states could send the National Guard and they can turn them away at the border as an invasion. States don't need federal permission to turn away invaders under article 1, section 10.
CUOMO: It's not about whether you're going to have the right to do that's why I waived away the idea about domestic law enforcement. Rick, if you put military down there, we know what the god forbid is in this situation. And then how does it play? How is that good for anybody if -- because you're not going to turn away thousands and thousands of people, even if people start getting shot. And what message does that send? Who wins in that?
RICK SANTORUM: Well, I mean you certainly have to turn them away. –
CUCCINELLI: We should be turning them away.
SANTORUM: You certainly can't just let people cross indiscriminately. You have to have some sort of process.
CUOMO: How are they going to cross indiscriminately? I mean, you've got fences in places. The place where it's open borders, it's very, very tough country to get there.
(…)
CUOMO: But would you be okay with the military shooting people to turn them away?
SANTORUM: Are you going to see 10,000 people lined up like they were on that bridge and waiting to be processed? I mean, the system is already overwhelmed.
(…)
CUOMO: I don't think they're going to wind up in the country, Rick and Ken. I don't think it has to happen that way. But I’ll tell you what, if you have a must happen, what do you think is worse for America, to have thousands of people come in that shouldn't be here and you have to chase them around and process them or to kill a bunch of people on the border who are coming in? What do you think is worse for America, Ken?
CUCCINELLI: You have -- you're going to extremes here and I want to adopt something you said earlier, which is the National Guard approach. National Guard troops are trained to deal with riots. I expect to see military and National Guard and Border Patrol in riot gear. That's how I expect this to be handled at the border if they're not coming in at entry points. And to turn them away right there, it's an invasion, treat it as an invasion, turn them away.
CUOMO: You see these as an invading force, these people?
SANTORUM: They're not coming in legally.
CUCCINELLI: Of course, it is.
[Crosstalk]
CUCCINELLI: This is an illegal alien expeditionary force.
(…)
