January 15, 2018: Sen. Lindsey Graham Takes a Poke at Fellow Republicans

 

1/15/18: Today marks President Trump’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Day as leader of the Free World. He has no public events scheduled – probably because he doesn’t want anyone asking, “Mr. President, are you a racist? Are you ready to come out of the closet, as it were?” 

 

“My memory hasn’t evolved.” 

In the meantime, a White House source is floating a new cover line for the president. He didn’t say “shithole.” He said “shithouse.” (See: 1/11/18.)

See. Better. 

Senator Graham continues to try to keep a path open to a DACA settlement. That means avoiding throwing Trump under the bus. Graham does take a verbal poke at GOP colleagues in the room during the meeting with Trump. The Charleston, South Carolina Post and Courier begins an article this way: 

After taking the weekend to reflect on a combative White House meeting in which President Donald Trump reportedly referred to African countries as “shithole countries,” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday he is even more determined to reach an immigration deal with hardliners in his own party.

 

In his most extensive comments yet about Thursday’s explosive Oval Office meeting, the Seneca Republican again declined to confirm whether Trump specifically used the term “shithole” to describe the countries.

 

But, in what appeared to be a direct jab at Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue, Graham said, “My memory hasn’t evolved. I know what was said and I know what I said.” Sen. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston, said Friday that Graham told him media reports of what Trump said were “basically accurate.”

 

The president spends the morning at Mar-a-Lago. Then he heads for his golf course at West Palm Beach.

 

* 

WHILE TRUMP AND HIS FAMILY enjoy the Florida sun, in less balmy Detroit, Michigan, federal immigration agents are snatching Jorge Garcia from his family and deporting him to Mexico. 

Garcia, 40, was brought to the U.S. when he was 10. He grew up here, married, had kids – one son, one daughter – and worked as a landscaper. He paid his taxes (something we don’t yet know President Trump has done). According to Rep. Debbie Dingell, in whose congressional district the Garcia family lives, “He never got a traffic ticket. He worked hard. ... He had never done anything wrong.”

 

In MAGA land it made sense to deport a father and deny his wife and children of his support and love.

 

And that is how you “Make America Great Again.”

 

BLOGGER’S NOTE: Garcia is finally granted a reprieve and allowed to return to this country on Christmas Day, 2020.