Mercy mission turned into PR plus for Trump
Sorry, this was a mistake, good intentions gone awry.
I am not going to accuse Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen of grandstanding, nor question his motives, but the optics and feel of what he did is not going to help Democrats, who bear the responsibility for the invasion of illegals. Looking at you, Joe Biden.
The Maryland Democrat flew to El Salvador on the fool’s errand of trying to secure information about, and hopefully gain the release of, Maryland resident, illegal alien, and accused MS-13 gang member Kilmer Abrego Garcia.
Van Hollen went 1 for 2.
There was zero chance of him springing Abrego Garcia because President Donald J. Trump doesn’t want him released, and the American President has a bromance going with El Salvador dictator President Nayib Bukele, who surprisingly allowed the U.S. senator to enter the country.
Probably because he had a trick up sleeve.
Van Hollen loudly proclaimed that Trump is lying about the case, and evading a court order to return Abrego Garcia. A recent Reuters poll showed 82% of Americans, including two-thirds of Republicans, want Trump to obey court orders. That is a winning issue for Democrats, who could have beat the drums very effectively from home.
Although a majority of Americans want all illegals deported, sympathy was generated after publication of videos showing prisoners at the notorious CECOT prison being manhandled, given GI haircuts, and forced into white T-shirts and shorts.
Contrast this image with the one at the top, with Van Hollen having what seems like a pleasant business lunch with a sportily attired Abrego Garcia. Hardly a picture that generates much sympathy, and that is surely what the Salvadoran government had in mind.
In case you think Van Hollen’s presence helped get Abrego Garcia moved from CECOT into a less harsh prison, forget it. Abrego Garcia was moved nine days earlier.
Van Hollen became a useful publicity tool, and the picture was widely circulated alongside one of Trump meeting with the mother of Rachel Morin, a mother of five who was raped and murdered by an illegal, although not this one. Republicans gleefully, and predictably, accused Van Hollen of caring more about illegals than his citizen constituents.
Please understand: Most people who feel as I do — that Abrego Garcia should be returned — are not on “his side.”
We are on the side of the court order that said he could not be removed to El Salvador.
He should be returned to the U.S. and given a due process hearing.
He need not be a gang member to be deported. Being here illegally is cause enough.
Many Democrats don’t like that, but I do.
Break our law and pay the penalty.
By thumbing his nose at the law, Trump lost standing.
By allowing himself to be used as virtue signaling, Van Hollen took some heat off Trump.
He forgot the rule that when the other guy is digging a hole for himself, just stand back.
