The White House Press Briefing featured a surprise guest today – senior aide Stephen Miller, whom along with Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions is in charge of pushing policies that will make America white again.
Miller was there to promote the RAISE Act, the bill introduced by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA) which would curb the immigration of nonwhite Americans under the guise of bringing in better-educated workers. It’s a racist policy, which was defended at the White House podium by a racist, who – no surprise – cited some racist ideas.
At one point, Glenn Thrush of the New York Times asked Miller to cite studies proving that “low-skilled” immigration is detrimental to American workers (it isn’t). Here’s the video:
Here’s that whole Glenn Thrush/Stephen Miller exchange https://t.co/A6b1OC5c4A
— Meg Wagner (@megwagner) August 2, 2017
Yup, that’s a hate group Miller just cited – the Center for Immigration Studies, which apparently doesn’t like being called a hate group even though it’s circulated racist materials from white nationalists and anti-Semites some 2,000 times. This isn’t the first time Trump or his underlings have cited CIS, though it may be the first time they’ve done so at a White House press conference – which means that we need to remember that citations of hate groups by a presidential administration is not normal.
(And by the way, the studies Miller cited have been long debunked by groups such as the Cato Institute and the Center for American Progress.)
More about Stephen Miller’s press conference
- Miller took flak for attacking, of all things, the Statue of Liberty and claiming that Emma Lazarus’ poem (and reference to “huddled masses”) is irrelevant because it was “not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty” and was “added later”. (Fact: it was commissioned for the statue, and Miller’s belief about the poem is rooted in racist ideas.)
- Miller responded to a question about DACA by saying that whatever decisions are made, the Trump Administration will “prioritize the interests of American citizens and workers.” Well, DACA-mented Dreamers ARE American workers. And 58% of American citizens support keeping DACA in place. Will Trump’s decision about DACA reflect those facts?
- Many commentators wondered what newly installed White House Chief of Staff John Kelly might think about Miller’s performance. In a sane world, he’d be very concerned. But remember: this is the Trump White House, and Kelly has been implementing anti-immigrant policies crafted by Miller for the last six months.
