GOP senator: 'Immoral' for Republicans to use border deal as 'linchpin for Trump to win'

25 January 2024

A senior Republican senator is blasting both his colleagues and former President Donald Trump for allowing politics to delay a legislative fix to the ongoing struggles at the Southern border.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) told NBC News' Frank Thorp that the suggestion that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is letting Trump call the shots in the ongoing negotiations over a border security bill is "parallel universe s---," adding "that didn't happen." He then unleashed on his GOP colleagues — without naming any particular names — for dragging their feet to aid Trump's political ambitions.

"It is immoral for me to think you look the other way because you think this is the linchpin for President Trump to win," Tillis said.

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Trump has signaled he will base his campaign primarily on fueling fears about the Southern border and immigration. According to journalist Ken Klippenstein of The Intercept, the former president has already begun to frame the immigration debate as a "national security crisis."

"[U]nlike other national security crises, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ‘border crisis’ is one which ordinary people comprehend and feel strongly about," Klippenstein wrote. "Not since 9/11 has national anxiety been so high about a security issue. And as with 9/11, Trump seems poised to similarly overreact."

Earlier Thursday, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) blasted the 45th president of the United States for exploiting the border issue for political gain, saying it was "appalling" to think that such a major problem should be allowed to continue in order to allow a Republican to take credit for it. And Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) has already vowed to not vote in favor of any border legislation, saying "I will not help the Democrats."

Sen. McConnell has said that both a border security bill and a Ukraine funding package are in danger of not passing due to political concerns surrounding the 2024 election. This suggests that the former president may be lobbying Republicans behind McConnell's back in favor of inaction.

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