it's miller time
Is Stephen Miller trying to torpedo Trump's immigration deal?
If President Trump is unable to strike an immigration deal, White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller might be to blame, McClatchy reports.
Citing a whopping 14 sources, McClatchy reports that people on both sides of the aisle think Miller is pushing for controversial policies in an immigration deal because he knows they are untenable to Democrats and moderate Republicans and would thus sink any hopes of passing major legislation.
Miller has long held hard-line views on immigration. One source complained to McClatchy that Trump "could have had a deal months ago. [Miller] is actively undermining the president."
Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to craft an immigration deal sympathetic to the DREAMers — immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children by their parents — but Miller reportedly keeps pushing the White House to the right in bipartisan negotiations. McClatchy reports Miller was "irked" after White House Chief of Staff John Kelly agreed to relent on some of Miller's pet policies, including a reduction in legal immigration and harsh restrictions for people seeking asylum.
But last Friday, the White House reasserted its desire for the hard-line policies Miller has advocated for. Moreover, the aide has long been on the front line for tough immigration policies. McClatchy pointed out that in 2013, Miller — at the time a staffer for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was then serving as a Republican senator for Alabama — worked relentlessly to oppose a bipartisan immigration bill that ultimately failed in the House.
One source told McClatchy that Miller's previous efforts do not bode well for the future: "Look what happened last time. ... [Lawmakers] are having flashbacks." But the administration defended its man, with one unnamed White House source telling McClatchy, "He is trying to make a deal." Read more at McClatchy.