SHOCKING VIDEOS: Pete Sessions Supports Amnesty to
‘Accommodate’ Illegal Aliens for ‘Right Reasons’
by Matthew Boyle 1 Mar 2014, 8:12
PM PDT
A series of videos from several
town halls in 2013 have surfaced showing that Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) supports amnesty for illegal aliens,
despite claims from his re-election campaign that he is against allowing
illegal aliens stay in America.
In the videos, Sessions frames his
support for amnesty as granting
legal status to illegal aliens who are not violent criminals—but somehow not
citizenship, even though anyone who obtains a green card is allowed to
eventually apply for citizenship. Sessions described such an amnesty as aiming
to “accommodate” illegal aliens, “millions of people who are here for the right
reasons.” He also said that he thinks “the vast majority of people who are
here” as long as they are “here truly for the right reason,” should and “would
be welcomed.”
“I believe that my colleagues in
the House have on a sheet of paper designed a system that would accommodate
millions of people who are here for the right reasons, millions of people who
today may be illegal—illegally here—but who would be handled fairly under a
process,” Sessions is seen saying on one video from 2013.
Sessions added:
“But we should not take those that
are here who are dangerous who have committed serious crimes and to do like
what the administration did when they released 2,000 people the first week of
sequestration, of people who had committed felony offenses. We got to worry
about trying to define these things and trying to separate—being here is one
matter, being a criminal and dangerous to this country is another because if
you come to this country legally you have to pass a background check and that
background check is something that I believe is still difficult for some. But
if you’re here truly for the right reason, I think the vast majority of people
are here and they would be welcomed. I think we have to separate that fact from
the rest.”
Much like how many other
Republicans in House GOP leadership—and even Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) did when
he was hawking the Senate “Gang of Eight” immigration bill—Sessions attempted
later to argue that his support for granting legal status to illegal aliens is
not “amnesty.”
At a different town hall event on
a separate night, a woman asked Sessions about the Heritage Foundation study
that found amnesty would add trillions to the national debt—specifically asking
him: “I believe you stated you support amnesty for those illegal aliens who
have passed a background check.”
Sessions denied having said what
he is seen on video saying in the first town hall. “No ma’am,” he replied. “I
don’t recall ever saying that. It’s not in my written literature and I have had
a policy for [unintelligible] years, and that’s never been a part of it—my
policy, writing or what I’ve said. So please strike that and I will tell you
that is not true and incorrect, thank you.”
Even though he denied supporting
amnesty in that second town hall, Sessions again publicly endorsed granting
legal status—i.e., amnesty—to illegal aliens in an early 2014 editorial board
interview with the Dallas Morning News. “Sessions backs a guest worker program
under which those in the country illegally could keep their jobs and pay taxes
but not obtain citizenship,” the paper wrote on Jan. 23 this year.
This is hardly the only way
Sessions, who the New York Times describes as a “top lieutenant” of House
Speaker John Boehner, has supported amnesty. Sessions also recently finished
service as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee
(NRCC), an official party arm used by the House GOP leadership to support
candidates they want in Congress. Sessions served as NRCC’s chairman from 2008
until 2012.
Tacitly, his decision to not
challenge the House GOP leadership’s rollout of immigration reform “principles”
earlier this year is a seems to be a de facto subtle endorsement of them. As
Chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, Sessions has the ability to
frame which legislation passes the House of Representatives and the terms of
its debate on the House floor. This includes which and how many amendments are
allowed. That means he is in the position to either ensure passage or defeat of
any bill or package of bills. If Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Eric
Cantor try to pass immigration legislation with Sessions in the Rules Committee
chairmanship, Sessions would need to be an integral behind-the-scenes part of
their plan. When they introduced their "principles" on the topic
earlier this year, he remained silent—essentially consenting to them, as it is
very rare for the Rules Committee chairman to buck, instead of enabling,
leadership. As such, remaining silent while in that role is in effect
consenting to what leadership is doing. If Sessions stood up and publicly
objected to the amnesty push, Boehner and Cantor would not be able to move
immigration legislation without either convincing him to join their team or
replacing him as chairman—a move that would undoubtedly spark an uproar from
the House GOP conference that would dwarf the rebellion after Boehner purged
four conservatives from key committees in late 2012—as leadership needs
complete allegiance and compliance from the Rules Committee to procedurally
accomplish moving their agenda through the House.
These new videos were obtained by
Breitbart Texas on Saturday evening, and add a
new dynamic to the election that will happen in Texas next week. The immigration issue has
gotten extra attention as of late in this race, as Sheriff Joe Arpaio pulled an
endorsement of Katrina Pierson—a Tea Party activist challenging Sessions in the
primary election, which takes place on Tuesday. Arpaio claimed that Pierson
inaccurately told him that Sessions was pro-amnesty, and he has since learned
Sessions actually opposes amnesty.
The Sessions campaign jumped on
Arpaio’s announcement to take a shot at Pierson, and declare that the
congressman does not support amnesty. “Ms. Pierson should be ashamed for misleading
an individual of such great respect in the law enforcement community and as a
national conservative leader,” Sessions campaign spokesman Bruce Harvie told
the Dallas Morning News.
But these videos—and scores of
data from anti-amnesty grassroots group NumbersUSA showing Sessions’
pro-amnesty positions over the past several years, and other developments like
the January Dallas Morning News editorial board interview—prove otherwise:
Sessions supports amnesty.
In response to a request for
comment from Breitbart Texas,
Sessions’ campaign spokesman Bruce Harvie said that “Pete is absolutely opposed
to amnesty and he has worked hard to make sure we don’t give away legal status
the way that Senate did.”
Harvie added that Sessions
believes granting legal status to illegal aliens is not “amnesty.”
“Everyone with legal status isn’t
necessarily a permanent resident,” Harvie said. “There are a number of visas,
including work visas and seasonal visas that guarantee no legal status, or
citizenship, in the future.”
That is not true, according to
Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), not to be
confused with the Congressman Pete Sessions who this article is about. In a
document published earlier this year meant to expose myths of the pro-amnesty
community, Sen. Jeff Sessions said it is a misleading talking point from
various establishment Republicans to claim that legal status does not equal
amnesty.
“Any path that leads to a green
card for someone who is currently ineligible for a green card because they
violated U.S. immigration laws, such as the Senate bill, is a special path to
citizenship,” Sen. Jeff Sessions wrote in that document, adding later in the
lengthy Myth vs. Fact document that this same talking point is similar to
Senate Gang of Eight talking points: “Like the Senate plan, the House plan
provides legal status and work authorization first – the fundamental grant of
amnesty.”
Pierson, on the other hand, is a
fierce fighter against amnesty. Last summer, she was one of only a few
conservative leaders who rallied against the GOP establishment and Democrats’
immigration plans in Washington
during the Black American Leadership Alliance’s March For Jobs. In response to
these developments, she told Breitbart Texas
that “Pete Sessions has admitted, on camera, that he supports legalizing
millions of illegals.”
“That's amnesty, whatever
euphemism Sessions wants to apply to it,” Pierson said, adding that Boehner and
Cantor are relying on him for any amnesty plays they plan to run in 2014 or
beyond.
“As Rules Chair, Pete Sessions
controls the floor of the House,” Pierson said. “What he supports goes forward
to the House floor. What he opposes dies in Rules. An amnesty bill can only go
forward with Pete Sessions' support, so his position on amnesty is
critical--and he's on the wrong side.”
Pierson points to recent reports
that House GOP leadership and Boehner plan to move on amnesty after GOP
primaries as a concern grassroots conservatives should have this year.
Pierson has surged in recent
weeks, especially after an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and
from various national conservative organizations. What the GOP establishment
both in Washington, D.C., and in Texas, thought was originally going to be a
mild nuisance from Pierson against Sessions, who would cakewalk to re-election,
is turning into a bitter battle at the last minute with establishment forces
descending into the Dallas district to attack Pierson in the few days before
the finish line. While it remains to be seen what will happen, Pierson might
just pull this race off—or she might not. But either way, in the process, she
has exposed Sessions for being a supporter of amnesty, and won other successes
like putting the fear of God into Sessions and other GOP establishment
lawmakers as they stumble—instead of glide—to election day.
“Primary campaigns against party
leaders are often more of a nuisance than a serious threat, token challenges
waged by local gadflies,” the New York Times wrote in a late February piece on
GOP leadership officials’ primary challenges, a piece featuring Pierson. “But
what is startling to Republicans this year is the sheer number of candidates
who are willing to take on the party’s most powerful players in Washington, and the
backing they are receiving from third-party groups.”
Pete Sessions
Pete
Sessions is a member of the U.S.
House of Representatives, a House member for the TX congressional delegation, William
S. Sessions’s son, and Scott Styles
was his chief of staff.
Note: William S.
Sessions is Pete Sessions’s
father, and a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development, Amnesty International, and the Center
for American Progress.
George
Soros was the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society, and a supporter for the Center for American Progress.
Donna
S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc.
was the Obamacare contractor that
developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare
is Barack Obama’s signature policy
initiative.
Melody
C. Barnes is Barack Obama’s golf
partner, was the domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration, and the EVP for the Center for American Progress.
Center
for American Progress was a funder for the America's Health Insurance Plans.
Scott
Styles was the SVP for the America's Health Insurance Plans, the
chief of staff for Pete Sessions,
and is a partner at the C2 Group LLC.
C2
Group LLC is the lobby firm for the America's
Health Insurance Plans.
America's
Health Insurance Plans is a major player in the health care debate.
Duberstein
Group, Inc. is the lobby firm for the America's
Health Insurance Plans.
Kenneth M.
Duberstein is the chairman & CEO for the Duberstein Group, Inc., a director at the Boeing Company, and was the VP for the Committee for Economic Development.
William S.
Sessions is a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development, and is Pete
Sessions’s father.
Donna
S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc.
was the Obamacare contractor that
developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare
is Barack Obama’s signature policy
initiative.
Barbara G. Fast
was a VP for the CGI Group Inc., and
a VP at the Boeing Company.
W. James
McNerney Jr. is the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company,
and a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP
Newton
N. Minow is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Obamacare
is Barack Obama’s signature policy
initiative.
No comments:
Post a Comment