GOP Senator Slams Republicans For Conspiring To Trash Border Deal

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) on Sunday blasted his GOP colleagues for their about-face on a bipartisan border deal, accusing them of putting politics ahead of what they claim to see as a major national security interest. (Watch the video below.)

Senators appear to be caving to a reported demand from former President Donald Trump to tank the deal currently in the works ― which would snatch an accomplishment away from President Joe Biden months ahead of the November election, where Trump is the front-runner for the GOP nomination.

Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” asked Lankford why he would want to let Biden take a victory lap in an election year, and she repeated GOP claims that the proposed measures would still let in many immigrants.

Lankford, the GOP’s lead negotiator, said the bill is focused on preventing all illegal crossings with no amnesty, Mediaite reported.

He chastised his fellow Republicans in Congress for potentially sabotaging action on a central concern for the GOP and its voters, and hinted at the hypocrisy of it.

“It’s definitely not going to let a bunch of people in,” Lankford said. “It’s focused on actually turning people around on it. It is interesting ― Republicans four months ago would not give funding for Ukraine, for Israel and for our southern border because we demanded changes in policy. So we actually locked arms together and said, ‘We’re not going to give you money for this. We want a change in law.’ And now it’s interesting, a few months later, when we’re finally getting to the end, they’re like, ‘Oh, just kidding. I actually don’t want a change in law because it’s a presidential election year.’”

“We all have an oath to the Constitution, and we have a commitment to say, ‘We’re gonna do whatever we can to be able to secure the border,’” he continued. “It is our constitutional obligation to be able to secure our country as fast as we can secure our country.”