A senior administration source admitted that the White House was simply misleading reporters when it was leaked that President Trump was considering calling for a compromise on immigration in his speech before a joint session of Congress Wednesday.
Multiple sources reported the leak Tuesday, resulting in a flurry of commentary and opinion on the expected turn which never came in the actual speech from Trump.
Sara Murray of CNN reported about the misdirection in a panel Wednesday.
"Let's talk about the bait and switch that the president pulled when it came to immigration yesterday," Murray began.
He had this meeting with the anchors, he talked about a path to legal status, basically they fed up things that they thought that these anchors would like, that they thought would give them positive press coverage for the next few hours.A senior administration official admitted that it was a 'misdirection play' and you will note that when the president was actually out there speaking to the American public, he didn't talk about a path to legal status. He talked about reforming the legal immigration system so it's merit-based.
"That means, fewer low-skilled workers," Murray explained, "fewer people that are coming on family ties, more people coming on high skilled visas, that is still closer to a Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon framework of the world than 'Gang of Eight' who pushed comprehensive immigration reform."
"It does make you wonder," John King responded, "so we're not supposed believe what the senior-most official at the lunch says, who then they allowed to be the president's name, we're not supposed to believe what they say?"
CNN's Wolf Blitzer got a response about the "misdirection" from Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) Wednesday.
"A senior administration source is saying," Blitzer explained, "that was simply what the source is calls a 'misdirection play' to give network anchors a storyline to generate some positive news coverage for the president. If that is true, that it was a 'misdirection play,' then what is your reaction to that?"
"Well, that's a wonderful turn of phrase," Murphy mocked, "a 'misdirection play,' another simpler way to describe that is a lie."
Donald Trump once again lied to journalists in order to get good coverage for a couple of hours before he returns to his campaign pablum during his speech about blaming all of America's economic problems on immigrants and once again doubling down on his theory of the case in which he throws them all out and our economy magically comes back to life.The fact of the matter is that Donald Trump riled up the Republican base, further radicalized them on the question of immigration, and he is not going to come to Congress to try to do something responsible. And in the end, his immigration policy will just make this country weaker because we are built on the strength of being able to bring the smartest, brightest people from all around the world.
"And folks just don't want to come to this country any longer," Murphy concluded, "to try to make a better life or to try to start a company because of the way that Trump talks about immigrants, Muslims, and anybody who looks and feels different from him."
.@ChrisMurphyCT: Donald Trump once again "lied" to journalists in order to get good coverage https://t.co/WymdnOcJwl https://t.co/mgdg18OAOq
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) March 1, 2017
Others noted that this is just the most recent "misdirection" from Trump on immigration, as he has subtly suggested the compromise a few times but hasn't closed the deal. Trump had most recently said that the country has to deal with DREAMers, recipients of former President Obama's amnesty, with "a heart," making some demand that he legalize all 11 million illegal aliens in the country.
Some faith leaders are responding to Trump's hardline on immigration by organizing an "underground railroad" of safe houses for illegal aliens.
