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Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen
Jeff. And I'll take your question since you and your network falsely accused me of not wanting to be here. So I'll be glad to pass that question on to you now.
Q Why did you decide to have Secretary Nielsen answer questions instead of you?
MS. SANDERS: I'm here answering questions as well, but I thought it was important for the Secretary, one of the primary experts on this process and the things that are going on, to come out here and have the chance to speak to you and for you guys to be able to ask questions directly of her and the leaders in this administration.
But I'm standing here in front of you.
Q I have a real question, though. Would the President sign a bill that did not -
MS. SANDERS: I wondered if you were going to throw it away.
Q Would the President sign a bill that did not include border funding if it did indeed close this loophole that Secretary Nielsen talked about? Would he sign that specific bill? Or does he require an entire bill with that $25 billion in border funding?
MS. SANDERS: We've laid out what we would like to see on a number of different occasions. There are currently two bills that are in process in the House. The President supports both of those pieces of legislation that we have voiced support for the details in those.
The President doesn't just want to see a Band-Aid put on this. He wants us to actually fix our immigration system. He's tired of administrations claiming that they want to help the system and then just kicking the can down the road. He wants to actually fix the problems. He wants to secure our border. This isn't just something we can tinker with. We have to actually fix the entire system, and he's committed to doing that.
Q He would require border funding then?
MS. SANDERS: Again, we've laid out what we would want to see in legislation. The President wants to fix the system and we're committed to doing that. And we hope Congress will actually do their part. Democrats have got to stop playing political games and actually come to the table and get real about solving the problem.
John.
Q Thanks. On the IG report and the hearings in Congress with Mr. Horowitz and Director Wray: The President tweeted several times, today and yesterday, that the Mueller investigation continues to be "a witch hunt." He said on Friday that, after reviewing the IG report, it shows that there's no evidence of collusion. His own FBI Director today said that Mueller is not on a witch hunt and that the report doesn't speak to the special counsel investigation. How is there that disconnect there between what the President believes another branch of his administration is doing?
MS. SANDERS: The President has been clear. He was obviously very involved in his campaign, and he's laid out a number of times that there was no collusion, and he strongly feels this is a witch hunt. The President has also said that the IG report clearly calls into question the credibility of James Comey and many other senior FBI investigators who have been involved in the Russia investigation, and that report validates the claims that he's made repeatedly.
Dave.
Q Thanks, Sarah. The governor of Massachusetts, who's a Republican, today reversed course and ordered the National Guard not to send assets or personnel to southwest border because he said, in his words, actions of the federal government "are resulting in the inhumane treatment of children." Would you comment on that? And have you seen any other impact on border operations from this whole situation?
MS. SANDERS: I haven't seen his comments specifically, but I would tell him that he should call every member of Congress, particularly those in his own state, and ask them to fix the laws.
There's only one body here that gets to create legislation and it's Congress. Our job is to enforce it, and we would like to see Congress fix it. That's why the President has repeatedly called on them to work with him to do just that.
Deborah.
Q Sarah, what was the President's reaction to Laura Bush's piece in the Washington Post?
MS. SANDERS: I'm sorry, what was the last part of your question?
Q What was the President's reaction to Laura Bush's piece in the Washington Post?
MS. SANDERS: I didn't speak directly with him about that, but I'm happy to address the concerns and echo what Secretary Nielsen said. Look, we share the concern. The President himself said that he doesn't like this process.
But once again, it's Congress' job to change the law. We're calling on them to do exactly that. And frankly, this law was actually signed into effect in 2008 under her husband's leadership, not under this administration. We're not the ones responsible for creating this problem. We've inherited it. But we're actually the first administration stepping up and trying to fix it.
John.
Q Thank you, Sarah. I have here in my hands figures from the German Ministry of the Interior, under Minister Seehofer, who says that crime has gone down 5.1 percent in Germany. In fact, it's the lowest rate in a quarter century in Germany - violent crime down 2.4 percent, burglary down 23 percent, and theft down 11.8 percent. Where did the President get the statement that crime was way up in Germany under the Merkel plan for admitting refugees?
MS. SANDERS: I'm not aware of the report that you're referencing, but I'd be happy to check into it, and circle back to you.
Q It's from the German Ministry of the Interior.
MS. SANDERS: I heard that part, but I haven't seen it. But I'll be happy to check into it and circle back.
Jon.
Q Thanks a lot, Sarah. I read the First Lady's statement that was put out and she seems very troubled by this zero-tolerance policy. Is there any daylight between the President and the First Lady on this issue?
MS. SANDERS: I think we've made it abundantly clear that the daylight exists between Democrats in Congress and their ability to change this law. The President himself said that he doesn't - he hates these images; he hates this process. And that's why he's asked for it to be fixed.
I feel like we keep ignoring the fact that the President isn't the one that creates the law, but it's Congress' job to create the law. And the President has already laid out and gladly stated, a number of times, publicly, that he would sign legislation that fixes these loopholes and fixes our immigration system.
I think that people should be begging and banging down the doors of Congress and asking them to join with the President instead of fighting him. Instead of constantly criticizing it, why aren't they offering solutions?
And you have people like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer who come out and complain and attack. It's because they have no message. They have no solutions. We've laid out a solution and we'd like to see them work with us to put it in place.
Steve.
Q Also critical of this particular policy, besides the people that you mentioned on the Democratic side, are a number of Republicans, and also some very prominent members of some of the President's base - evangelical Christians. Do you know if the President has heard from those members of his base? Evangelicals, in particular - had discussions with the President about this particular policy? And can you sort of fill us in on discussions the President may have had in that regard?
MS. SANDERS: I think any evangelical that - or in any church for that matter - that feels strongly, they should open up their doors and help facilitate some of these individuals. I think that's their calling, that's the mission of the church, and they should certainly fulfill that. If they want to fix the immigration system, then they should call their members of Congress and ask them to join with us to do that.
Steve.
Q Thank you.
Q Sarah, can you just -
MS. SANDERS: Sorry, Steve. Go ahead.
Q There's some confusion about this Space Force that the President announced today. Did he actually sign anything? Does he believe that this can be done without the approval of Congress? The Air Force appears opposed to it. Where is the support for this coming from besides the President?
MS. SANDERS: The President has asked the Department of Defense to start the process. We're in the beginning stages of it, and we're going to work with the Department of Defense and the other relevant parties to put it into place.
Francesca.
Q Thank you, Sarah. If the administration is, as it says, not using the children as pawns in this situation, then why not just have Congress pass legislation that narrowly deals with this family separation issue, and sign it, and then deal with the other aspects of the immigration system that the President wants to overhaul at a different time?
MS. SANDERS: Once again, we want to fix the entire system. We don't want to just tinker with it. The President is tired of watching people kick it down the road and not take responsibility and not fix the problems that we have.
Q I understand, ideally, Sarah, that you would like to see all these other things change about the immigration system. But we're dealing with this particular situation right now. Why not -
MS. SANDERS: We're dealing with a number of situations. That's not the only one. We have people flooding over the borders. Look, the President wants people to come to this country, but we want them to come legally and through the right process. And that's what we're asking. We want to secure the border.
There have been a number of individuals that are permanently separated from their families due to the illegal aliens that have come across this border and murdered and killed American citizens. Where is the outrage over that separation? We want to fix the whole thing. We don't want to just tinker with one part of it. This is a broken system, and we've got to quit ignoring it. Just ignoring the rule doesn't fix it, and that's what this administration is actually trying to do.
I'm going to take one last question. Saagar.
Q Thank you, Sarah. So Secretary Pompeo came out today and he said that, in exchange for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, that the United States had committed to updating the armistice agreement that's currently in place. Can you confirm that the President did make this commitment to Kim Jong Un? And what exactly does updating the armistice mean? Does it put the future of U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula in question? And just any more information you could update us on in that regard.
MS. SANDERS: We're finalizing the details of what the process will look like. Certainly would confirm Secretary Pompeo's comments. And would refer you to the State Department and the Department of Defense, who will be putting those details out and together.
Thanks so much, guys. Have a great day.
END • 5:49 P.M. EDT
Go Back
Q Why did you decide to have Secretary Nielsen answer questions instead of you?
MS. SANDERS: I'm here answering questions as well, but I thought it was important for the Secretary, one of the primary experts on this process and the things that are going on, to come out here and have the chance to speak to you and for you guys to be able to ask questions directly of her and the leaders in this administration.
But I'm standing here in front of you.
Q I have a real question, though. Would the President sign a bill that did not -
MS. SANDERS: I wondered if you were going to throw it away.
Q Would the President sign a bill that did not include border funding if it did indeed close this loophole that Secretary Nielsen talked about? Would he sign that specific bill? Or does he require an entire bill with that $25 billion in border funding?
MS. SANDERS: We've laid out what we would like to see on a number of different occasions. There are currently two bills that are in process in the House. The President supports both of those pieces of legislation that we have voiced support for the details in those.
The President doesn't just want to see a Band-Aid put on this. He wants us to actually fix our immigration system. He's tired of administrations claiming that they want to help the system and then just kicking the can down the road. He wants to actually fix the problems. He wants to secure our border. This isn't just something we can tinker with. We have to actually fix the entire system, and he's committed to doing that.
Q He would require border funding then?
MS. SANDERS: Again, we've laid out what we would want to see in legislation. The President wants to fix the system and we're committed to doing that. And we hope Congress will actually do their part. Democrats have got to stop playing political games and actually come to the table and get real about solving the problem.
John.
Q Thanks. On the IG report and the hearings in Congress with Mr. Horowitz and Director Wray: The President tweeted several times, today and yesterday, that the Mueller investigation continues to be "a witch hunt." He said on Friday that, after reviewing the IG report, it shows that there's no evidence of collusion. His own FBI Director today said that Mueller is not on a witch hunt and that the report doesn't speak to the special counsel investigation. How is there that disconnect there between what the President believes another branch of his administration is doing?
MS. SANDERS: The President has been clear. He was obviously very involved in his campaign, and he's laid out a number of times that there was no collusion, and he strongly feels this is a witch hunt. The President has also said that the IG report clearly calls into question the credibility of James Comey and many other senior FBI investigators who have been involved in the Russia investigation, and that report validates the claims that he's made repeatedly.
Dave.
Q Thanks, Sarah. The governor of Massachusetts, who's a Republican, today reversed course and ordered the National Guard not to send assets or personnel to southwest border because he said, in his words, actions of the federal government "are resulting in the inhumane treatment of children." Would you comment on that? And have you seen any other impact on border operations from this whole situation?
MS. SANDERS: I haven't seen his comments specifically, but I would tell him that he should call every member of Congress, particularly those in his own state, and ask them to fix the laws.
There's only one body here that gets to create legislation and it's Congress. Our job is to enforce it, and we would like to see Congress fix it. That's why the President has repeatedly called on them to work with him to do just that.
Deborah.
Q Sarah, what was the President's reaction to Laura Bush's piece in the Washington Post?
MS. SANDERS: I'm sorry, what was the last part of your question?
Q What was the President's reaction to Laura Bush's piece in the Washington Post?
MS. SANDERS: I didn't speak directly with him about that, but I'm happy to address the concerns and echo what Secretary Nielsen said. Look, we share the concern. The President himself said that he doesn't like this process.
But once again, it's Congress' job to change the law. We're calling on them to do exactly that. And frankly, this law was actually signed into effect in 2008 under her husband's leadership, not under this administration. We're not the ones responsible for creating this problem. We've inherited it. But we're actually the first administration stepping up and trying to fix it.
John.
Q Thank you, Sarah. I have here in my hands figures from the German Ministry of the Interior, under Minister Seehofer, who says that crime has gone down 5.1 percent in Germany. In fact, it's the lowest rate in a quarter century in Germany - violent crime down 2.4 percent, burglary down 23 percent, and theft down 11.8 percent. Where did the President get the statement that crime was way up in Germany under the Merkel plan for admitting refugees?
MS. SANDERS: I'm not aware of the report that you're referencing, but I'd be happy to check into it, and circle back to you.
Q It's from the German Ministry of the Interior.
MS. SANDERS: I heard that part, but I haven't seen it. But I'll be happy to check into it and circle back.
Jon.
Q Thanks a lot, Sarah. I read the First Lady's statement that was put out and she seems very troubled by this zero-tolerance policy. Is there any daylight between the President and the First Lady on this issue?
MS. SANDERS: I think we've made it abundantly clear that the daylight exists between Democrats in Congress and their ability to change this law. The President himself said that he doesn't - he hates these images; he hates this process. And that's why he's asked for it to be fixed.
I feel like we keep ignoring the fact that the President isn't the one that creates the law, but it's Congress' job to create the law. And the President has already laid out and gladly stated, a number of times, publicly, that he would sign legislation that fixes these loopholes and fixes our immigration system.
I think that people should be begging and banging down the doors of Congress and asking them to join with the President instead of fighting him. Instead of constantly criticizing it, why aren't they offering solutions?
And you have people like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer who come out and complain and attack. It's because they have no message. They have no solutions. We've laid out a solution and we'd like to see them work with us to put it in place.
Steve.
Q Also critical of this particular policy, besides the people that you mentioned on the Democratic side, are a number of Republicans, and also some very prominent members of some of the President's base - evangelical Christians. Do you know if the President has heard from those members of his base? Evangelicals, in particular - had discussions with the President about this particular policy? And can you sort of fill us in on discussions the President may have had in that regard?
MS. SANDERS: I think any evangelical that - or in any church for that matter - that feels strongly, they should open up their doors and help facilitate some of these individuals. I think that's their calling, that's the mission of the church, and they should certainly fulfill that. If they want to fix the immigration system, then they should call their members of Congress and ask them to join with us to do that.
Steve.
Q Thank you.
Q Sarah, can you just -
MS. SANDERS: Sorry, Steve. Go ahead.
Q There's some confusion about this Space Force that the President announced today. Did he actually sign anything? Does he believe that this can be done without the approval of Congress? The Air Force appears opposed to it. Where is the support for this coming from besides the President?
MS. SANDERS: The President has asked the Department of Defense to start the process. We're in the beginning stages of it, and we're going to work with the Department of Defense and the other relevant parties to put it into place.
Francesca.
Q Thank you, Sarah. If the administration is, as it says, not using the children as pawns in this situation, then why not just have Congress pass legislation that narrowly deals with this family separation issue, and sign it, and then deal with the other aspects of the immigration system that the President wants to overhaul at a different time?
MS. SANDERS: Once again, we want to fix the entire system. We don't want to just tinker with it. The President is tired of watching people kick it down the road and not take responsibility and not fix the problems that we have.
Q I understand, ideally, Sarah, that you would like to see all these other things change about the immigration system. But we're dealing with this particular situation right now. Why not -
MS. SANDERS: We're dealing with a number of situations. That's not the only one. We have people flooding over the borders. Look, the President wants people to come to this country, but we want them to come legally and through the right process. And that's what we're asking. We want to secure the border.
There have been a number of individuals that are permanently separated from their families due to the illegal aliens that have come across this border and murdered and killed American citizens. Where is the outrage over that separation? We want to fix the whole thing. We don't want to just tinker with one part of it. This is a broken system, and we've got to quit ignoring it. Just ignoring the rule doesn't fix it, and that's what this administration is actually trying to do.
I'm going to take one last question. Saagar.
Q Thank you, Sarah. So Secretary Pompeo came out today and he said that, in exchange for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, that the United States had committed to updating the armistice agreement that's currently in place. Can you confirm that the President did make this commitment to Kim Jong Un? And what exactly does updating the armistice mean? Does it put the future of U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula in question? And just any more information you could update us on in that regard.
MS. SANDERS: We're finalizing the details of what the process will look like. Certainly would confirm Secretary Pompeo's comments. And would refer you to the State Department and the Department of Defense, who will be putting those details out and together.
Thanks so much, guys. Have a great day.
END • 5:49 P.M. EDT
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