Daily News Brief for Thursday, January 25th, 2024
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This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, January 25th, 2024.
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Calls Grow Louder for Haley to Drop Out of GOP Primary
Demands grew louder for former Gov. Nikki Haley to drop out of the GOP primary race on Tuesday after placing second in New Hampshire to former President Donald Trump.
Many Republicans believe Haley should leave the race so all available GOP resources can be allocated towards defeating President Joe Biden. Republicans spent over $167 million in losing efforts to defeat Trump in New Hampshire and Iowa, with plans to release millions more in future primaries.
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After Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) exited the race Sunday, Haley’s path to the nomination did not appear to improve. In fact, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ endorsement of Trump further consolidated support behind the former president, placing pressure on Haley to also end her fledgling campaign. In all states besides New Hampshire, Trump leads by no less than 30 points.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said Trump is the de facto GOP nominee moving forward. “Congratulations to President Trump on another decisive win in New Hampshire and becoming the presumptive nominee of our party,” he said.
Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) congratulated Trump on his big win Tuesday evening: “To no one’s surprise, @realDonaldTrump won BIG tonight in New Hampshire. President Trump’s message is resonating with voters. It’s only a matter of time until 45 becomes 47. Congratulations, Mr. President!”
CEO of the Federalist Sean Davis urged Haley to drop out, noting that if she did not, she would be “fully owned by the left-wing Democrats.”
“If Nikki Haley’s primary goal is to defeat Joe Biden in November, she will drop out tonight and endorse Trump. If she continues to stay in a race she cannot win just to attack Trump, then we’ll know she’s fully owned by the left-wing Democrats who are funding her campaign,” he said.
Social media influencer Ryan Fournier demanded Haley just give up and drop out. “Nikki Haley is refusing to drop out, claiming “this race is far from over.” It’s been over from the start. You all betted on the worst happening to Trump to secure victory. It’s time to give it up.,” he said.
Nate Cohn, the New York Times’ chief political analyst, wrote on Monday the polling undoubtedly shows Haley’s inevitable resignation from the race, so Trump can turn his focus to defeating President Joe Biden. “So, without a monumental shift in the race, he will secure the nomination in short order,” he said.
“Too little, too late,” Haley backer and a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, Fergus Cullen, told the New York Times about Haley’s prospects. “She had to inspire and engage unaffiliated voters, and I just haven’t seen her doing what she needs to do to reach that audience and turn them out in the numbers that she needs.”
Biden administration demands Texas grant border access following Supreme Court decision
The Biden administration has demanded the state of Texas relinquish control of a 2.5-mile strip of land on the border and grant federal agents access following a Supreme Court decision that gave Border Patrol agents to slash state-installed razor wire.
The Department of Homeland Security sent Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) a letter Tuesday obtained first by the Washington Examiner in which General Counsel Jonathan Meyer called out the state for its inaction after the highest court rescinded an appeal court injunction and allowed federal police to cut down razor wire fencing in Eagle Pass in order to rescue and apprehend illegal immigrants as they cross the Rio Grande.
“The state has alleged that Shelby Park is open to the public, but we do not believe this statement is accurate,” Meyer said. “To our knowledge, Texas has only permitted access to Shelby Park by allowing public entry for a memorial, the media, and use of the golf course adjacent to Shelby Park, all while continuing to restrict U.S. Border Patrol’s access to the park.”
Meyer said the Supreme Court decision allowed federal law enforcement not only to cut wire at the border but to be present on the border, the latter of which has not been possible since the Texas National Guard commandeered the 2.5-mile strip of city land and locked out all federal employees on Jan. 10.
“As you are aware, yesterday, the Supreme Court vacated the injunction prohibiting the Department from cutting or moving the concertina wire that Texas had placed along the border except in case of emergency, and restored the Department’s right to cut and move the concertina wire placed by Texas in order to perform their statutory duties,” Meyer wrote. “The Department must also have the ability to access the border in the Shelby Park area that is currently obstructed by Texas.”
But despite the court’s decision, Texas National Guard soldiers reaffirmed the state’s position Tuesday. Soldiers in Eagle Pass installed more razor wire at the river and laid out more fencing and concertina wire despite the rain that swept through the region Tuesday, according to video.
The DHS maintained in its letter that it had the upper ground in terms of legal ground that allowed its personnel to be on city land along the border. It cited the U.S. Code, in which the department acquired permanent real estate interests in and around Eagle Pass in 2008 to build border wall barriers in the vicinity.
“Because the Department owns property rights to the areas depicted on the attached map, we demand that you immediately remove any and all obstructions on it,” Meyer said.
Border Patrol still has limited access to a boat ramp within Shelby Park despite the state’s initial concession earlier in the land seizure to let agents load and unload a boat into the river. Meyer called for full access to the boat ramp and river.
The Biden administration had threatened Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) with legal action on Jan. 14 if Texas did not relinquish control of land, but has not followed up with a lawsuit.
“We demand that Texas cease and desist its efforts to block Border Patrol’s access in and around the Shelby Park area and remove all barriers to access in the Shelby Park area,” Meyer told Paxton in the letter.
The showdown between state and federal leaders comes 12 days after three immigrants drowned attempting to wade across the river from Mexico on Jan. 12. Border Patrol officials in Eagle Pass were alerted to immigrants who had drowned and two others in distress and attempted to respond but were denied access at a gate into the state-seized land.
The state has taken issue with Border Patrol cutting its wire on the basis that the wire would deter and prevent more illegal immigration. Federal law enforcement agents are required to arrest anyone who has illegally entered the country or is illegally present, including those who cross the river and are blocked from continuing up the riverbank by the razor wire.
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