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OAN reporter battles George Santos for 'sincere' apology: 'You have not yet shown that'
January 31, 2023
OAN correspondent Caitlin Sinclair faced Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in a tense interview about lies he told to help his 2022 campaign.
During the 13-minute interview, Sinclair pressed Santos about the sincerity of his apology.
"What I might have done during the campaign does not reflect what is being done in the office," the lawmaker explained.
"The American people can pretty much forgive anything, but that starts with a sincere apology normally, a lot of remorse shown," Sinclair said. "The prevailing opinion is you have not yet shown that."
"I don't know what you mean by that," Santos replied.
"Well, you seem angry," the reporter interrupted.
"I'm not angry," Santos insisted.
"Are you sorry?" Sinclair asked.
"I've said I was sorry many times," Santos remarked. "I've behaved as if I'm sorry."
"I don't know what looking sorry looks like to you, Caitlin," he added.
"The prevailing opinion out there right now, from your voters, is that they have not heard a sincere apology from you yet," Sinclair pressed.
"I've made my sincere apology multiple times," Santos said. "I thoroughly apologize for lying about my education and embellishing my resume. I've made that very, very clear."
Santos did not respond to the other lies and questionable behaviors to which he has been connected.
Watch the video below from OAN.
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Gov. Greg Abbott hires “border czar” to accelerate wall construction
January 31, 2023
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday the creation of a Texas “border czar” and said he has appointed a recently retired Border Patrol agent to that position who will “tap his expertise to deploy strategies that reduce illegal immigration and keep our community safe.”
Abbott said Mike Banks, who retired from Border Patrol 10 days ago, will work alongside the Texas National Guard, state troopers and the Texas Facilities Commission to “accelerate the building of the border wall in Texas.”
Banks said his top priority in his new job “is to make the state of Texas the least desirable place for illegal immigration to cross. I don't think it’s going to be that difficult. ... We just need to be more aggressive.”
Since President Joe Biden came into office, Abbott has heavily criticized the president’s immigration policies, and in March 2021, he launched Operation Lone Star — sending hundreds of National Guard soldiers and state troopers to border counties to apprehend migrants crossing the border. Hundreds of migrants have been charged with misdemeanor trespassing and are being held in prison. The state has spent more than $4 billion on the effort since Operation Lone Star began.
During the Monday news conference in San Benito, Abbott said “combating illegal immigration in Texas is a full-time job,” and “requires a leader whose only focus is responding” to the president’s immigration policies.
Abbott didn’t offer specifics on Banks’ duties or how much he will be paid.
Abbott said Banks worked for the Border Patrol for more than 20 years, serving under four presidents, including as the agent in charge of Border Patrol stations in Weslaco and McAllen.
During the news conference, Abbott also highlighted ongoing border wall construction by the state and said his office calculated that the state is spending $25 million per mile for wall construction.
So far, the state has erected a 1.7-mile stretch of wall on state-owned land in Starr County, part of a $162 million contract awarded to New York-based Posillico Civil Inc. in November 2021 to build eight miles of wall. Posillico Civil began another segment of wall in December in Los Indios in Cameron County.
Since Abbott announced the state would build a wall in June 2021, the Texas Facilities Commission, the agency in charge of the project, has awarded six contracts totaling $841 million to construct and manage 37 miles of border barrier in Cameron, Starr, Val Verde, Webb and Zapata counties.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/01/30/texas-border-czar-greg-abbott-mike-banks/.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
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Watch: Dem hammers Republicans for ‘wasting time’ with ‘absurd’ socialism resolution
January 31, 2023
During a House Rules Committee hearing this Tuesday, Rep. Mary Scanlon (D-PA) took aim at a resolution put forth by Republicans titled, "Denouncing the horrors of socialism," saying that the resolution is a "foolish waste of Congress's time and taxpayer dollars."
"When I'm home in my district, no one -- literally no one -- has ever expressed a fear that this country is in danger of falling under the sway of Stalin, or Pol Pot or socialism, because that's absurd,": Scanlon said, adding that her constituents "want to know what we're doing to protect and their medicare."
"My constituents want to know what we're doing to stop the flow of unregulated guns into our communities," she continued, later adding that it's "really disappointing that our Republican colleagues are wasting precious time and resources in this resolution."
According to Scanlon, the resolution is just another example of Republicans making political statements to "appease the radical right."
Watch the video below or at this link.
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