Evening Briefing

Trump signs Executive Order asking judge to modify consent decree (which Obama apparently agreed to) that forbids holding children for more than 20 days. The judge almost certainly won't do that, which means we're back to catch-and-release.

Even though a modification of that decree to permit holding families as a unit seems to command a plurality of support:

This is the point in the script where the NeverTrumpers start howling about Trump being soft on immigration, ignoring the part where they've joined the liberal mob for a week in agitating for just that outcome.

Four things the media won't tell you about the border crisis.

The Obama administration responded to these rulings with a combination of deportation raids targeting criminals and a "catch-and-release" policy for families apprehended at the border, who would usually be issued notices to appear at an immigration hearing at some later date. This "catch-and-release" policy is what the Trump administration is trying to end.

To that end, Trump has invoked Flores as the reason for separating parents and children, saying the settlement limits what federal agencies can do with children brought here illegally and apprehended at the border. He blames congressional Democrats for failing to negotiate on an immigration bill that would solve the problem--although saddling Democrats with all the blame is disingenuous. Republicans have also failed to act on immigration (although now they say they're ready to pass a bill to keep families together).

The media have been nearly unanimous in contradicting Trump, arguing that Flores does not force the federal government to separate parents and children, and that the administration has discretion in how it treats these families.

Both sides have a point. Flores does indeed limit how long, and under what circumstances, federal immigration authorities can detain children. But it only "forces" the separation of families if the parents are detained and prosecuted for illegal entry. In that case, families are separated because children can't stay with their parents if the parents are in criminal custody.

Before Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, families caught crossing illegally were often released within a few days and the parents fitted with an electronic ankle monitor to reduce the likelihood of them absconding. Back in March, when I was reporting on the border in McAllen, Texas, I met a number of people from Central America who were wearing an ankle monitor. Most planned to cut it off and throw it away when they got to where they were going.

I'm having a Bush flashback: It shouldn't be up to The Federalist to explain these things. Trump should do a primetime address explaining them.

Do Republican Presidents just not do communications?

"Reporter" admits he's a Democrat seeking to "inflict" damage on Trump, then pretends he didn't mean that.

"You can't inflict this kind of policy on Americans, and not pay a political price," Heilemann told MSNBC's Nicole Wallace, referring to Trump’s recent executive order to stop separating families who entered the United States illegally. "We have a great chance to inflict [a political price on Trump] and his party on November. We, I mean the Democratic Party."

Heilemann quickly tried to cover his tracks. "I'm not part of the Democratic party, but people who object to this policy, which I think is a lot of people."

Christopher Steele visited the State Department just before the 2016 election to brief people there on the Steele Dossier Sid Blumenthal and Cody Shearer Dossier with the Words "Totally by Christopher Steele" Added at the Top.

Former British spy Christopher Steele visited the State Department in October 2016 and briefed officials there about his work on the infamous anti-Trump dossier, it was revealed on Wednesday.

"Based upon our review of the visitor logs at the State Department, Mr. Steele visited the State Department, briefing officials on the dossier in October 2016," Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr said during a hearing held to review the U.S. government's response to Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Steele's visit to Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C., prior to the election has not been previously reported.

Burr revealed Steele's visit during an exchange with Victoria Nuland, who served as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs in former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Sounds like Hillary's Minions were frantic to get this reported as a story -- "Steele briefs State Department" was their last effort before the election to get this sham printed up.

But it would take Clapper and Comey staging a false briefing with Trump -- which did not brief him at all -- to get CNN the "news hook" they told Comey they needed.

Finally -- Instapundit apparently isn't as submissive to the whims of Jake Tapper as Tapper's Fanbois are.

posted by Ace of Spades at 08:21 PM

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