Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" - Transcript: House Minority Whip Steve Scalise on whether President Trump is facing Republican defections on border security
Interview
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INGRAHAM: Here to tell us where his caucus actually stands. The man in- charge of the GOP vote. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise Congressman Scalise even after the speech that was so well-received, is the President really facing defections among Republicans.
STEVE SCALISE, CONGRESSMAN: Laura, not really. I mean frankly what you're seeing is a growingly unified conference. Vice President Pence came last night to speak to our members and really gave a very passionate plea about what this is all about. Then of course you saw the President--
INGRAHAM: What does Adam Kinzinger talk about. He joined seven other Republicans today to vote for partially funding the government. Financial Services Appropriations bill. So, Adam Kinzinger is you know - he has kind of tweak the President on a number of issues, Syria and other things.
SCALISE: Well, but keep in mind, the media was reporting before that vote that there were going to be 25 Republican defections. Go read the Politico article. On the Republican vote counter, we were never anywhere close to that and sure enough, we thought maybe a dozen or less, we ended up with eight. So, when they reported 25 and they're ended up being eight. I'm sure they're going to be a lot of reports tomorrow saying that they were wrong. In the end, the President laid out I think a very passionate plea yesterday about why we're in this fight.
INGRAHAM: Let's talk about today. You had a meeting today that you were at with the President and Chuck Schumer comes on TV and said, the President, it's his favorite word tantrum. I always say it's like psychological projection, because last night--
SCALISE: Nobody has had more tantrums than Chuck Schumer. Watching he and Nancy Pelosi last night lit the Green Acres segment that they gave. In the end, they had no rebuttal to what the President said is a crisis at the border. And so, when you see Nancy Pelosi and I've been in these meetings now, this is the third meeting we've had in the last week. And Nancy Pelosi will start off by saying, I'm for border security and the President will say, OK, how can you say you're for border security. I need funding for border security. And she will not agree to a dime. And so, last week, the only time she's ever put an alternative on the table was when last week she jokingly Laura said, she'd support a dollar.
Now, any American out there, no matter what side of this debate you're on regarding immigration. If you really think a dollar is a serious argument and proposal.
INGRAHAM: Spitting at the President.
SCALISE: This is a serious - we're in a serious negotiation.
INGRAHAM: Yes.
SCALISE: The President said, the experts have told me it's going to take $5.6 billion to secure the American border. What's your alternative? And she says a dollar.
INGRAHAM: Kamala Harris from tonight, we have a sound bite for her. This is how the left is demagoguing this issue.
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SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, MEMBER, D-CALIF.: Then start talking about well African-Americans and Latinos don't want this, this stuff happening. I mean, what was that supposed to be about? Tell me that. If not about inserting race in a way that was intended to create fear and division.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Thoughts?
SCALISE: The fear and division is coming from people who are tired of seeing the drugs poor across our border. Officer Singh's family, there's so many people like that. And I've seen story after story, colleagues of mine who have shared stories with me about deaths that have happened in their districts from people who crossed here illegally. Every year bring in over a million people into our country legally to seek the American dream. It's the people that are coming across the border illegally that are here to do bad things -- drug dealers, terrorists. Last year ICE agents saved over 900 children from human trafficking. What are they going to say to those of 900 kids? Are they OK with that, Laura?
INGRAHAM: The president signed legislation today, antihuman trafficking legislation. I don't know if it got any publicity. I don't know if it was covered at all on the networks. If it was, I missed it, but it was probably like a reader.
SCALISE: This president has done more to try to stem some of the tide of the bad things that are coming across our border from drugs to human trafficking to sexual assaults. Look at the numbers. Over 30 percent of all the women in the caravan had been sexually assaulted.
INGRAHAM: Where are the feminists?
SCALISE: Why don't they care about that?
INGRAHAM: Because it's always, it's not real.
SCALISE: By the way, Chuck Schumer voted for a similar wall in 2006. Where is their indignation on all this?
INGRAHAM: Was the president petulant today?
SCALISE: The president never banged his -- he was very calm. He was trying to get a solution. Nancy Pelosi never wanted to put an alternative on the table, not once. And he looked at her and said, OK, you keeps saying you want to open the government up again. What if I opened up for the next 30 days? At the end of 30 days will support the wall? Without even blinking, she said no. And he said, OK, well, we are not getting anywhere.
INGRAHAM: The president tweeted, Negotiations 101, the best deals you can make are the ones you walk away from and then get them with better terms, tweet today. Congressman, thank you so much. Great to see you, as always.
SCALISE: Great to be with you.
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