Trump Hit DHS Sec. So Hard on Illegals That She Wrote Resignation Letter
Those who have followed the liberal media’s negative coverage of President Donald Trump’s administration know that every few weeks, a story will emerge alleging chaos and near-resignations among key members of the cabinet and staff in an effort to sow discord among supporters and undermine the effectiveness of Trump’s team
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was the latest target of such stories, as reports late last week suggested she was close to resigning her position.
Politico reported Thursday that Nielsen had composed a resignation letter and nearly handed it in following a severe tongue-lashing by Trump at a cabinet meeting the previous day in regard to illegal immigration and border security.
The president was reportedly unhappy that border crossings by illegal immigrants had once again surged to unacceptable levels this year after they had fallen to historically low levels in 2017, and seemed to cast the brunt of the blame for that development on Nielsen’s supposed lax enforcement of border security.
Politico also reported that once Chief of Staff John Kelly and Vice President Mike Pence received word that Nielsen planned to quit after being berated by Trump in the meeting, they reached out and urged her to reconsider that decision. And it appears she did.
In a statement that neither confirmed nor denied the reports of a planned resignation, Nielsen said, “The president is rightly frustrated that existing loopholes and the lack of Congressional action have prevented this administration from fully securing the border and protecting the American people. I share his frustration.”
“I will continue to direct the department to do all we can to implement the president’s security-focused agenda,” Nielsen said.
Despite multiple reports from several media outlets citing unnamed sources — initially reported by The New York Times — a spokesman for DHS denied that Nielsen had drafted a resignation letter or was on the verge of quitting.
The @nytimes article alleging that the Secretary drafted a resignation letter yesterday and was close to resigning is false. The Secretary is hard at work today on the President's security-focused agenda and supporting the men and women of @DHSgov.
— ARCHIVED DHS Spokesperson (@SpoxDHS) May 10, 2018
“The @nytimes article alleging that the Secretary drafted a resignation letter yesterday and was close to resigning is false,” tweeted Tyler Moulton. “The Secretary is hard at work today on the President’s security-focused agenda and supporting the men and women of @DHSgov.”
It would not be a surprise to find out the report of Trump delivering a frustrated message to Nielsen on the topic of increased illegal immigration and lax border security was accurate. The president has made clear countless times that those issues are top priorities for him.
However, he has been met with obstinate obstruction on those measures by Democrat resistance in Congress, as they refuse to fund the border wall or consider his proposals for immigration reform.
There was a lull in illicit border crossings last year while everyone waited to see what Trump would do with the border. But with little progress in terms of the wall or dramatically beefed up security, the lull has ended and normal levels of illegal crossings have resumed.
That turn of events would be frustrating to anyone intent on making progress on securing the border, and it’s possible that she may have considered resigning in light of the appearance of failure on her part to achieve and maintain Trump’s goals.
In the end, Nielsen did not resign, nor was she fired in a fit of rage by the president. The latest effort by the media to drive a wedge between Trump and his cabinet members in a bid to make his White House look chaotic and ineffective has thus far been a failure.
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