In-Town Pool Note #3: Stephen Miller Gaggle

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller gaggled at the sticks. A link to the Otter is below. As always, check the quotes against the transcript. Link: https://otter.ai/u/q9sW5EuET_Ylb68Jcn-CAbZMXNQ?utm_source=copy_url

Asked about becoming the national security advisor, Miller replied, “I am very thrilled with the job that I currently have. My focus right now is, I'm supporting Secretary Rubio Marco,” who he called a “close friend” and “truly one of the all stars in this government.”

Asked about suspending the writ of habeas corpus as part of deportation efforts, Miller said the administration was exploring the idea:

“The Constitution is clear, and that of course, is the supreme law of the land, that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus could be suspended in time of invasion. So that's an option we're actively looking at. A lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”

Asked about Border Czar Tom Homan’s prior comments concerning Eric Adams’ compliance with ICE operations, Miller replied:

“All I would say to that is, this administration is going to pursue immigration enforcement and cooperation in every city, and anyone who doesn't comply with the laws&will face the appropriate legal consequences. That applies to Eric Adams, and that applies to every other mayor in this country. The law is the law is the law.”

Miller touched on South Africa, saying that “what’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created. This is persecution based on a protected characteristic, in this case, race. This is race based persecution.”

“The US Refugee Program has been a catastrophic failure,” he said of past administrations’ application of the program. Trump’s changes, he continued, are “an example of the president returning the refugee program to what it was intended to do.”

Best,

Philip Wegmann

White House Reporter

RealClearPolitics

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T: @PhilipWegmann