Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for Donald Trump’s campaign, appeared on CNN on Wednesday to do what Trump press secretaries do: misinform the public. This time, it was about the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. However, host Kate Bolduan was not having it.
"The former president has said that [Federal Emergency Management Agency] funds were stolen to be used to house illegal migrants, that no one from FEMA was on the ground in North Carolina, that funds were being withheld from Republican areas of the state on purpose,” Bolduan said at the outset of the interview. “None of that is true. … Is the former president going to stop saying this?"
Trump and others’ claims have been debunked repeatedly, and Leavitt’s replied with one disinformation talking point after another. But Bolduan cut her off, pointing out that Trump’s claim about President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris using disaster-relief funds to house migrants was “not true.”
“There's no disaster-relief-fund money that was going to house migrants,” Bolduan said.
"I don't think the American people care which pocket the money came from,” Leavitt said, ignoring that the “pocket” was the crux of the question—and Trump’s lie.
"You don't think the American people care where the money comes from. You think it is bad that they are using FEMA money to house migrants,” Bolduan continued. “Ironically, Donald Trump attempted something very similar to what he falsely now is claiming about [Biden and Harris].”
Bolduan then detailed Trump’s 2019 redirection of FEMA disaster funds to migrant operations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“So he is then okay with moving disaster-relief funds for dealing with migrants, but now is not. Is that what you're saying?" Bolduan asked.
“What President Trump didn’t do is allow an open-border policy for four years,” Leavitt said, launching into one of Republicans’ favorite false talking points.
"You say you haven't heard Kamala Harris answer a question. I'm just going to leave it here,” Bolduan interjected, clearly fed up with Leavitt’s act. “But I'm not hearing you answer the question of why it was okay for the Trump administration to use disaster-relief funds in order to deal with migrants in 2019, and it is now completely not okay, and something he's hitting the administration on now.”
But before Leavitt can give a nonanswer again, Bolduan closes the whole thing down, saying, “We're going to leave it there because I offered you three times to give me the answer, and I'm not getting it."
You can watch the entire exchange below.
Trump’s campaign staff and hangers-on have two job responsibilities: spewing misinformation to the public and doing damage control for their incompetent boob of a boss. The only character trait required for the work is a lack of shame.
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