Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Sunday called for the removal of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), citing secrecy, lies and broken promises by Senate Republican leadership. , which led to the historic abandonment of pro-immigration borders), is irreversible. .
“They have refused for months to show us the bill they claim they are negotiating on our behalf, yet it is foolish and unpatriotic to not support the bill without question. Lee posted on X, outlining the following: A leadership strategy that McConnell has employed many times over the years.
“This is a disqualifying betrayal.”
Senate Republican leadership screwed this up and screwed us. For months they have refused to show us the bill they claim to be negotiating on our behalf, yet they have no doubt that it would be foolish and unpatriotic not to support the bill. even claimed. This is a disqualifying betrayal. https://t.co/PZnI6KorFK
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 5, 2024
Mr. McConnell handed over the unfortunate task of being the face of Republican negotiations to Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). But as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear, it was McConnell who gave Republicans the power to decide.
“I have never worked so closely with Leader McConnell on any legislation,” Schumer told reporters on Sunday.
Mr. Schumer’s revelations come at a time when the two men have frequently collaborated in lockstep while leading their respective chambers, most recently on budget-draining spending bills and American taxpayers’ contributions to the Ukraine war effort. This is surprising considering that he has also been working on subsidies.
Mr. Lee did not mention Mr. McConnell by name, but appeared to question Mr. McConnell’s loyalty and suggested that Mr. McConnell does not work for his own Republican conference.
“If you have a lawyer, agent, or employee who (while negotiating on your behalf) screwed up a deal as badly as the Senate Republican leadership screwed up this border and additional aid measure, you would immediately call that person out. Do you want me fired?” Lee asked rhetorically.
If you had an attorney, agent, or employee who (while negotiating on your behalf) screwed up a deal as badly as the Senate Republican leadership screwed up this border/additional aid package, you would immediately Do you want to be fired?
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 5, 2024
“This is worse than bad negotiation,” he said. “That’s a betrayal.”
This is worse than bad negotiation. That’s betrayal. Senate Republicans can still block it if all 41 members unite. #41 To kill border trade https://t.co/6hauDynzHY
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 5, 2024
During months of negotiations, allies of Mr. Lankford and Mr. McConnell strongly pushed back against leaked and rumored criticism of the terms of the draft agreement.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) even claimed that Russian disinformation was behind the “rumours.”
“Probably a lot of things are “I hope that this rumor will be shut down, because rumors on the Internet often come from abroad, and some people do not want to give money to Ukraine,” he said.
Critics claim that McConnell and other negotiators shared a draft agreement with Vladimir Putin.
Lankford previously assured Americans that the bill would not allow for more than 5,000 immigrants per day, calling the claims “internet rumors.”
Are you serious, Lankford? https://t.co/5e8dJ×HXLl pic.twitter.com/ZNpdZXcaRx
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 5, 2024
“It’s absolutely ridiculous to agree to 5,000 people a day,” he said.
His last claim may be true. However, the bill’s language confirms that new emergency authorities would not be activated until 8,500 migrants cross the border in a day, or an average of 5,000 people cross in a seven-day period, which Lankford This is an even higher trigger than the bar for absurdity.
Mr. Lee highlighted to X the objectionable provisions of the bill and revealed that Mr. Lankford and his leadership puppeteers are playing a game of hiding the ball.
“There’s still a lot of ground to go into this 370-page bill, but so far I haven’t seen anything that contradicts what I’ve been advocating for the past few weeks,” Lee said. “So why did the authors of this bill (and those who parrot their talking points) accuse me and others of explaining how little I know about this bill? ?
“For that matter, why did they keep it a secret for so long?”
There’s still a lot of ground to cover in this 370-page bill, but so far there’s nothing that contradicts what I’ve been saying for weeks. So why did the authors of the bill (and those who parrot their talking points) accuse me and others of explaining something I know so little about?
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 5, 2024
Lee has made it clear he wants new leadership for the Senate Republican conference, and other members are bound to join him as anger and backlash over the border betrayal grows.
This feels like an elaborate prank.
But it’s not interesting.
Not the slightest bit.
I don’t understand why Republicans think this is a good idea or anything but an unmitigated disaster.
We need new leadership – now https://t.co/7ioRgksSNSN
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 5, 2024
“Senate Republican leadership screwed this up and screwed us.”
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
