Natalie WintersBranding Border Patrol officers a part of the “swamp,” Carl DeMaio, Republican primary candidate for CA-50, solidified his pro-amnesty and Never Trump track record.
In contrast, his primary opponent, Darrell Issa, has been endorsed by the National Border Patrol Union, and from his prior tenure as a Congressman, has demonstrated commitment and support to President Trump’s immigration agenda.
Citing that crucial endorsement, a potential voter asks why DeMaio insists Issa is not tough enough on border security in a town hall – a policy position unknown to DeMaio.
He’s asked: “You said you support a wall on the border, and you say Darrell Issa doesn’t, but I read about how the National Border Patrol Union endorsed him and supports him. Why would they support or endorse him if he’s not for border security or a wall?”
DeMaio responds: “Are you familiar with the swamp? You have Washington lobby groups that tells the politicians in exchange for consideration on other issues that have nothing to do with the core issue. That’s what’s going on there.”
As a firm Never Trumper and establishment Republican, DeMaio is certainly familiar with the “swamp” and selling out American citizens and their tax dollars for corporations and lobbyists who benefit immensely from an unsecured border.
To demean Customs and Border Patrol officials as members of the “swamp” involved in corrupt beltway politics reflects his irreverence for border security and disrespect for hard-working men and women who are on the frontline of defending America’s sovereignty every day.
It’s also entirely inaccurate. The “swamp” thrives on a weak border and resulting cheap labor, the exact opposite of the National Border Patrol Union’s mission.
To DeMaio, immigration is just another run of the mill political issue preyed upon by the political establishment.
In 2014, article, The Hill reported: “DeMaio said he hopes the House will pass major immigration reform before the next elections, though he argued that any offer of citizenship for illegal immigrants should be contingent on first securing the border, a major stumbling block in negotiations. DeMaio said some illegal immigrants should be given a path to citizenship, singling out well-educated immigrants and those who came here as children.”
At the same time, the Los Angeles Times reported, “DeMaio is a self-described ‘proud gay American’ who bills himself as a reformer willing to take on his own party. In a recent TV ad, DeMaio said he was not a ‘tea party extremist.’ On immigration reform, for example, DeMaio said in an interview that he wanted to ‘cool the Republican rhetoric,’ which he described as disrespectful.”
To Issa, real border control seems to be a defining issue.
