On Sunday's CNN SOTU, Jake Tapper said Trump's own border experts have explained USAID monies are actually helping Central American countries like El Salvador cut the crime rate and ease the migration issue, but acting COS Mick Mulvaney demeaned administration officials by calling them "career staffers" to dismiss their expertise.
Apparently, loyalty in the Trump administration only applies to Donald. If you disagree with him, you're a deep state functionary that wants to sabotage him.
Host Jake Tapper interviewed Mulvaney and asked about Trump's decision to use a cat o' nine tails to punish three central American countries by ending their USAID funds.
Tapper stated "...the State Department told CNN yesterday that the U.S., the Trump administration, is going to cut off aid to the Northern Triangle countries, the Central American countries, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras."
He continued, "Your own border experts in your own administration say that investing in those countries is working. For instance, in El Salvador, USAID money has gone to El Salvador. The homicide rate has gone down and migration from El Salvador has gone down as well. Isn't this also self-defeating? Taking away aid from those countries ultimately will make the migration crisis worse."
Mulvaney answered, "Look, there's -- there's -- there's a lot of good ways to help solve this problem. Congress could do it, but they're not going to. Mexico could help us do it. They need to do a little bit more. Honduras could do more. Nicaragua could do more. El Salvador could do more. And if we're going to give these countries hundreds of millions of dollars, we would like them to do more."
He continued on, but the CNN Host interrupted.
Tapper, "Right, but that's the USAID money does, is it makes those countries more stable. This is not according to me. This is according to experts in your administration."
Mulvaney sneered, "No, no, that's -- right. OK, career staffers, but let's talk about -- let's talk about that for a second."
What a piece of crap.
Question: When did giving one's country a lifetime of service by working for the federal government suddenly become a bludgeon against them?
Answer: When a narcissistic fool and his enablers took over the Oval office.
Mulvaney sidestepped the question, changed the subject and said, "And if we're going to give these countries hundreds of millions of dollars, we would like them to do more."
Real facts, figures, and information is anathema to Trump and his administration.
WaPo's Jennifer Rubin observed this and writes:
First, Mulvaney’s sneer that only “career staffers” are claiming aid helps stabilize those countries is absurdly dismissive. After all, this includes Trump’s own Customs and Border Protection commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, who has repeatedly said this.
In December, McAleenan told ABC News that a then-new State Department plan to increase aid to those countries is a “tremendous step forward,” because investments in improving both the security and economic conditions there would improve migrants’ “opportunities to stay at home.”
More recently, in March, McAleenan told reporters: “We need to continue to support the governments in Central America to improve economic opportunities to address poverty and hunger and to improve governance and security.”
In saying these things, Trump’s own border chief is stating what is now widely understood: These migration surges are largely driven by terrible civil conditions at home. Thus, what is called for above all is a regional strategy designed to discourage them in the first place. People who have worked on this problem in multiple administrations agree with this.
Silly me. Trump is the only one, true master in the history of the country on every topic a president must confront. I forget.
May I be forgiven?
