'Let me finish': CNN host skewers Trump staffer over false federal Helene response claims
CNN's Kate Bolduan sparred with Donald Trump national campaign press secretary Karoline Levitt on Wednesday over whether the former president will stop spreading lies about the federal response to Hurricane Helene, after even Republican lawmakers have asked him to do so.
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) published a letter to his website on Tuesday debunking "damaging" Hurricane Helene federal response myths, such as "FEMA 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 emphasized, "None of that is true. The head of FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] says that worse than it not being true, it is dangerous that if this is pushed in circulated for the people who are most in need of help." The CNN host then asked Levitt, "With that knowledge, is the former president going to stop saying this?"
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The Trump press secretary proceeded to say that "FEMA spent over $1 billion on funding for illegal immigrants that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden let into the country," and that DHS Secretary Mayorkas last week said that FEMA does not have sufficient funding to get through this crisis."
Bolduan replied, "Let's keep to the facts. On that suggestion that Donald Trump did say that they were stealing money from FEMA, and it's all gone because they were using it to house migrants — that's not true. There's no disaster relief fund money that was that was going to house migrants...What you're now saying is that you don't think the American people care where the money comes from. You think it is bad that [the Biden administration] is using FEMA money to house migrants. Ironically, Donald Trump attempted something very similar to what he falsely now is claiming about them."
Levitt tried to interrupt Boulduan but the CNN host shot back, "Let me finish."
Bolduan continued, "In 2019, Trump used money from FEMA's disaster fund for migrant programs at the southern border. He told Congress that he was intending at the time in 2019 to send $271 million from DHS, including $155 million from FEMA's disaster relief fund, to pay for detaining and transporting undocumented immigrants. Less than the $155 million was transferred. But money was transferred by Donald Trump in 2019 and the Trump administration, from the FEMA disaster relief fund, to house migrants. So is he then okay with moving disaster relief funds for dealing with migrants, but now is not. Is that what you're saying?"
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Levitt replied, "What President Trump didn't do is allow an open border policy for four years, allowing nearly 20 million illegal people into the country, stressing our public infrastructure in cities across the country. Using tax payer dollars to fund illegals, and put them in luxury hotels like we've seen in New York City, to give them prepaid debit cards to buy clothing and food when the American people are suffering from it."
Bolduan then concluded, "So it's okay for Donald Trump to do it. It's not okay for the Biden administration and to do it."
Watch the video below or at this link.
READ MORE: 'A distraction': CNN’s Tapper methodically debunks Trump’s lies about federal hurricane response
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