Nancy Pelosi is wasting no time in showing her reclaimed authority as Speaker of the House. She recently clashed with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Pelosi interrupted Nielsen’s presentation on border security and illegal immigration by saying, “I reject your facts.”
The clash between the top House Democrat and a key member of President Trump’s Cabinet occurred during a Wednesday meeting in the White House. They were in the midst of a confrontation over the government shutdown, with Trump standing firm and demanding $5 billion for the border wall.
Pelosi’s interruption came when Nielsen was citing statistics related to the border, including how many criminal illegal immigrants attempted to enter the U.S. last year.
“I reject your facts,” Pelosi told Nielsen
“These aren’t my facts,” Nielsen shot back. “These are the facts.”
Following the confrontation, Nielsen went to social media to criticize Pelosi and the Democrats for not wanting to hear about the issue of illegal immigration.
“I am disappointed that Dems did not want to hear from @DHSgov about the security & humanitarian crisis we are facing at the border,” Nielsen wrote. “They didn’t want to hear about criminal aliens, drug smugglers, smuggled & abused children or violent caravans trying to breach the border wall.”
“The crisis is not going away-it is getting worse. The status quo in funding & authorities for #DHS is irresponsible & makes our country less secure,” she continued. “Kicking the can down the road is not the answer. I look forward to engaging w Members who want to.”
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who is the second-ranking Senate Democrat, also criticized Nielsen’s presentation. He said that it “was not a credible presentation.”
“It was preposterous,” Durbin said. “At a time when we have the lowest level of apprehensions at the border — stopping people from coming in illegally — the lowest level historically, she is saying that we have all these terrorists and criminals and all these people on their way in.”
Wednesday’s meeting didn’t resolve the government shutdown as both sides continue to stick to their principles and refuse to give in.
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