Trump floats immigration deal with Democrats, but their House leader won't work with Miller
Hakeem Jeffries calls new chief of staff Stephen Miller "a stone-cold racist," while Trump says deportations may be "too tough" and rules out amnesty.
Stephen Miller replaced Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff on Monday. Miller, an immigration hard-liner, is described by Semafor and the Los Angeles Times as the architect of Trump's hard-line immigration policies, including the mass program. In an interview with Ross Douthat on 60 Minutes, Trump acknowledged his deportation policy might be "too tough."
He said, "I'd love to do something on immigration," and called a bipartisan deal "doable." Trump also said his handling of immigration "both helped and hurt" in the elections. Democrats will control and in the new , which is sworn in on Jan. 3.
On Monday, Trump said, "We're not going to have amnesty or anything." White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said his "strong immigration policy remains unchanged." House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called Miller "a stone-cold racist" and said he has "zero interest in working with that kind of individual."
Rep. Robert Garcia, who will head the House Oversight Committee, said Democrats will investigate actions he called unconstitutional, unjust and possibly illegal, with Miller at their center. An administration official told Semafor the two sides are too far apart to avoid a "crazy bill."
- 60%exit-poll voters who disapproved of how ICE was doing its jobWashington Examiner
- 89% to 10%vote split for Republicans among voters who listed immigration as their top issueWashington Examiner
Three sides of the story
17 news outlets reported this
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Liberal7 outlets
Whether courts and Democrats can limit Miller's power
The Los Angeles Times asks whether courts will stand in the way of Miller, and recounts his past calls to jail journalists and suspend habeas corpus. It quotes Josh Hammer of the conservative Article III Project, Bruce Brown of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and retired judge Jeremy Fogel, and notes Trump's remark that deportation "was too tough." Rep. Robert Garcia says Democrats will investigate actions he calls unconstitutional and possibly illegal, with Miller at their center.
Semafor's headline says Miller's promotion "extinguishes hope for immigration deal." It reports that Democrats scoffed at the promotion and that Jeffries called Miller "a stone-cold racist." An administration official tells Semafor the gap with Democrats is too wide.
Spokeswoman Taylor Rogers says policy is unchanged. Rep. Veronica Escobar says the decision is Trump's: "Let's see if he's a man of his word or not."
Center3 outlets
Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.
Conservative7 outlets
Whether Miller blocks or sells an immigration deal
The Washington Examiner's headline asks about the odds of a Trump immigration deal with Democrats, and its report treats Miller as a key player in whether one gets done. It sets his selection against the 60 Minutes interview released days later, in which Trump allowed that his immigration enforcement may have overreached. It quotes Trump at length, including that he gets "A+" for border security and that immigration "both helped and hurt" him.
It places Miller among those who think illegal immigrants should be put out, and nearly every Democrat in Congress among those who think they should be allowed to stay. The outlet says Miller's position would give him sway to effectively block a Gang of Eight-like accord, and asks who is better suited than Miller to sell one to Trump's backers. It cites exit polls: 60% disapproved of how was doing its job, and those whose top issue was immigration split 89% to 10% for Republicans.
It also points to Ross Douthat's New York Times column, "The Necessity of Stephen Miller."
- Washington Examiner: Stephen Miller and the odds of a Trump immigration deal with Democrats
Which side made the stronger case?
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All sources: 20 articles from 17 outlets
Liberal (8)
- HuffPost: Stephen Miller Issues New Mandate To WH Staff, And It's Chock-Full Of Trump Worship
- HuffPost: Ex-Trump Aide Reveals Stephen Miller’s Secret Weapon For Getting His Way In D.C.
- Los Angeles Times: Stephen Miller expected to push hard-line Trump agenda. Will courts stand in the way?
- MS NOW: Stephen Miller wants to be Trump’s gatekeeper. Trump may not want one.
- Semafor: Miller’s promotion extinguishes hope for immigration deal
- Slate: Stephen Miller Does the Work in the Dark Corners Trump Ignores
- The Daily Beast: Micro Manager Miller’s New White House Rule Revealed
Center (3)
- Christian Science Monitor: Stephen Miller landed his dream job. How far can he push Trump’s executive power?
- The Hill: White House staff to need prior approval to meet with lobbyists, under Stephen Miller memo
- UPI: Memo: White House staff must get approval to meet with lobbyists
Conservative (9)
- Breitbart News: Panetta: 'Concerned' Stephen Miller 'Thinks He’s Running the Show,' Not Trump
- Daily Caller: Stephen Miller Makes Life ‘Impossible’ For Lobbyists Seeking Access To Trump White House
- The Daily Wire: ‘Impossible To Lobby’: Stephen Miller Spells Trouble For The Swamp’s Corporate Insiders
- The Epoch Times: New White House Chief of Staff Imposes Restrictions on Meeting With Lobbyists
- The Post Millennial: Stephen Miller memo to White House staffers says no lobbyist meetings without prior approval
- The Washington Times: New White House lobbying rule under Stephen Miller: Staff can't meet with lobbyists without approval
- Washington Examiner: New York Republican says Stephen Miller can leverage MAGA reputation to cut immigration deal
- Washington Examiner: ‘Patriots in control’ means dark times ahead
- Washington Examiner: Stephen Miller and the odds of a Trump immigration deal with Democrats
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