Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, stepped up his challenge to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday after she turned down a request to attend an in-person demonstration of the border issue.
What is the history?
Cruz invited Jean-Pierre to Texas, where immigrants enter the country every day, after Jean-Pierre incorrectly stated last month that they are not “walking” over the border.
On his podcast, Cruz referred to Jean-assertion Pierre’s as a “11-alarm, trousers on fire” lie. She was either “deliberately dishonest” or “deliberately uninformed,” according to Cruz.
When a reporter questioned Jean-Pierre on Tuesday about accepting Cruz’s offer, she declined it right away. Using the opportunity to criticize former President Donald Trump, Jean-Pierre claimed she had previously visited the border (in 2018 before the present border issue).
“I visited the border. In 2018, I went. I was in front of the facilities where the Trump government was pulling children from their moms’ arms and separating families. Some of the children’s families have still not been reunited with them. I’ll start by saying that I definitely don’t need Republican invites or lectures on the border or border policy.”
What was Cruz’s response?
The Texas senator increased the stakes in addition to reiterating his first challenge.
Cruz remarked on Fox News, “I’m going to issue a challenge, Karine Jean-Pierre, right now. Visit this border, please. Spend an hour, or 60 minutes, with the Border Patrol union. We’ll see dozens, if not hundreds, of unauthorized immigrants crossing.”
“And if we don’t, let’s bring the whole White House press corps. If we don’t run into anybody, I’ll get up and admit I was mistaken,” he said.
“But do you have the fortitude and integrity to stand in front of the press corps you’re lying to and say, “I lied to you?” when we come across hundreds of individuals crossing. An honest White House press secretary would say that.”
President Joe Biden has not been to the southern border even once since taking office, despite invites from senior government officials.
However, the U.S. has seen a record-high number of migrant interactions during his leadership. In fact, the problem is so severe that by the end of the month, the number of migrants encountered during the fiscal year 2022 may surpass 2 million.
Biden has only ever made one trip to the southern border, according to the Washington Post. When Biden “briefly drove beyond the border while on a campaign trip,” the newspaper said the incident took place in 2008.
