In a desperate attempt to deflect blame for the serious illegal immigration crisis at the U.S. southern border away from President Biden, MSNBC’s MTP Daily host Chuck Todd tried to argue that Republicans had “sabotaged our immigration policy.” Refusing to hold the Democratic administration accountable for the disaster, Todd later claimed the GOP was “rooting for a problem so they can walk away from it.”
Leading off the show, Todd fretted: “The humanitarian emergency is quickly becoming a political emergency, just as the White House hopes to take a victory lap on COVID relief.” Moments later, he complained that Republicans were “seizing on” the issue:
The situation at the border has become a lightning rod for criticism from Republicans. They’re seizing on the issue politically at a moment when the White House is trying to keep the focus on the COVID relief law. Later this hour, President Biden will be departing the White House for Pennsylvania, as he and the Vice President continue to hold events all across the country this week, touting their response to the COVID crisis. Meanwhile, Republicans are planning more visits to the border.
Wanting to “dive into politics of this current moment,” Todd wailed: “...Republicans try to keep focus on a border emergency. In some ways they’ve sabotaged our immigration policy and this is why we’re here...” Despite Biden actually being in the White House, Todd singled out a top Trump aide for blame instead: “...look, this is an impossible situation in some ways, because in many ways, the asylum process was essentially destroyed by Stephen Miller, they sort of blew it up, and so it is an extra mess.”
Todd lamented that “it’s hard to look at Republicans in Congress and see that they’re willing to – that they want to solve this problem.” After briefly acknowledging that he has “watched both parties at times, duck a potential compromise because they think the politics will help them,” Todd targeted the GOP once again: “This is what it looks like now with Republicans, that they’re almost rooting for a problem so they can walk away from it.”
When things go wrong on the watch of a Democratic president, the left-wing media must find a way to blame Republicans.
Todd’s partisan hackery was brought to viewers by Verizon. You can fight back by letting this advertiser know what you think of it sponsoring such content.
Here is a transcript of the March 16 coverage:
1:00 PM ET
(...)
CHUCK TODD: If it’s Tuesday, the Biden administration braces for a surge at the border unlike anything this country has seen in 20 years. The humanitarian emergency is quickly becoming a political emergency, just as the White House hopes to take a victory lap on COVID relief.
(...)
1:01 PM ET
TODD: Welcome to Tuesday, it is Meet the Press Daily and I’m Chuck Todd. The White House is not calling the situation at the border a crisis, but they’re certainly acting like it is one. This morning, in a lengthy statement addressing this emergency, the new DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, said that as a nation, we are, quote, “on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in last 20 years.” Think about that, that’s quite the statement. He noted Border Patrol facilities have become crowded with children and that HHS has not had the capacity to intake the number of accompanied children we have been encountering.
And that number of migrant children continues to go up. NBC news learned that as of Sunday, Border Patrol had nearly 4,300 unaccompanied children in its custody, it is now a record number. We reported on the number last week, that also was a record number. This is a 30% spike, by the way, in just a week. Nearly 3,000 of those migrant children were being held beyond the current three-day legal limit. NBC News has also confirmed reporting from the Associated Press that FEMA plans to convert a Dallas convention center into a facility to house unaccompanied migrant children. That report comes amid more reports like this one in The New York Times about how children are sleeping on mats in overcrowded border facilities.
The situation at the border has become a lightning rod for criticism from Republicans. They’re seizing on the issue politically at a moment when the White House is trying to keep the focus on the COVID relief law. Later this hour, President Biden will be departing the White House for Pennsylvania, as he and the Vice President continue to hold events all across the country this week, touting their response to the COVID crisis. Meanwhile, Republicans are planning more visits to the border.
(...)
1:11 PM ET
TODD: I want to dive into politics of this current moment as Republicans try to keep focus on
a border emergency. In some ways they’ve sabotaged our immigration policy and this is why we’re here, as they also don’t want to have a focus on the pandemic. Democrats, meanwhile, would like nothing more than to talk about what they believe is a popular COVID relief bill signed into law last week. The situation at the border has complicated things for them significantly.Joining us now, Maria Teresa Kumar, founding president of Voto Latino, an MSNBC contributor, and former Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo, he’s also an MSNBC political analyst. Maria Teresa, look, this is an impossible situation in some ways, because in many ways, the asylum process was essentially destroyed by Stephen Miller, they sort of blew it up, and so it is an extra mess. Throw in the pandemic, throw in the natural disasters and there’s sort of a normal draw of sort of people fleeing extreme poverty and extreme problems. But they’re gonna have to go it alone here and there’s – because it doesn’t look like they’re going to be able to get anything done in Congress. This doesn’t seem like an easy – there’s an easy answer here.
(...)
1:14 PM ET
TODD: Carlos, it’s hard to look at Republicans in Congress and see that they’re willing to – that they want to solve this problem. I mean, look, I’ve – I’ve watched the immigration issue, I’ve watched both parties at times, duck a potential compromise because they think the politics will help them. I think Democrats did that in 2010. This is what it looks like now with Republicans, that they’re almost rooting for a problem so they can walk away from it.
(...)
