Sunday Shows: From The People Who Brought You ICE Murders, Airport Screenings by ICE!

We watch so you never have to.

On Saturday, Republicans voted against a clean bill to fund the TSA. This is the ninth time that Republicans have rejected a clean bill to fund TSA, FEMA, and other DHS functions, with talks to rein in ICE and CBP, and the sixth time they rejected just funding TSA.

Trump administration toadies appeared on the Sunday shows to blame the Democratic Party for this while offering worse “solutions.”

Tom Homan

We start with the human embodiment of civil rights violations and police corruption, “Border Czar” Tom Homan. Appearing on CNN’s State Of The Union, Homan was asked about Trump’s new batshit plan to send ICE to “assist” TSA at airports starting today.

But host Dana Bash seemed skeptical that unprepared and untrained ICE agents would be ready to perform TSA functions with even less training on such short notice.

Homan did nothing to assuage these concerns when his first answer was an outright lie.

HOMAN: ICE agents receive a high level of training.

The murders of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and Ruben Ray Martinez dispute that. Hell, this video of former actor Dean Cain struggling through the kiddie obstacle course ICE agents must pass through disputes that as well. But it was clear, as Homan kept speaking, that he didn’t even know what TSA actually does.

HOMAN: But there's — you got TSA agents covering exits, people that enter through the exits. Certainly, a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit and makes sure people don't go through those exits, entering the airport through the exits. And stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines.

TSA doesn’t do that, you dumb motherfucking goon! TSA’s airport entrances and exits are already protected by local law enforcement and federal agents, not TSA. That’s some real Lucille Bluth levels of detached ignorance.

In fact, Homan then accidentally revealed they are not gonna actually help with what TSA actually does.

HOMAN: So, wherever we can provide extra security — I don't see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine, because we're not trained in that. But there are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs, and put them in the specialized jobs to help move those lines.

BASH: OK, that was going to be my next question. So what you're saying is, when you move ICE into airports, they are going to be just around the exits and the exteriors? They're not going to be helping people get through the lines and screening people's bags?

HOMAN: Those discussions are going on now. I'm not expert at TSA, so that's why I'm talking to the TSA administrator and the ICE director to find out where we can fit in.

Bash then made the obvious observation, outside of whatever history ICE has prior.

BASH: With respect, if you're doing this in 24 hours, how well thought out could it possibly be?

It isn’t well thought out, Dana. That’s a running theme of this administration.

Trump plans to send his 21st Century version of the Gestapo to airports, where they will not only not help but will also actively cause more fear and possibly more rights violations, as a mob tactic to try to strong-arm Democrats to give up on reforms of the very same unaccountable presidential police force. Which we’re positive will speed up those screening lines until someone gets shot by an ICE agent for bringing a 10ml shampoo bottle, and we spend months having Trump’s lickspittles try to gaslight us about the footage we all saw.

Thom Tillis

Speaking of gaslighting, soon-to-be retiring Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina was on ABC’s This Week.

Tillis, because the political news media are always quick to heap praise for doing less than the bare minimum, has been getting kudos for opposing the Trump administration regarding Iran and DHS. He has no love for a certain weaselly White House advisor.

JONATHAN KARL: So who are these sycophants and cowards [who you believe are undermining Trump’s agenda]?

TILLIS: Well, you know, I’m not going to get into details. I think I’ve shared with you my opinion about Stephen Miller.

KARL: Stephen Miller.

TILLIS: [H]e doesn't speak for the Article I branch, and he does that sort of garbage all the time. […] If the president thinks that Stephen Miller is worried about his legacy, he's fooling himself. Stephen Miller is worried about his own legacy.

But despite this post-retirement-announcement flare of honesty, Tillis was still not quite done gaslighting and defending Trump when host Jonathan Karl pointed out an obvious logic conundrum.

KARL: I mean, it was Donald Trump who put Kristi Noem in charge of the Department of Homeland Security, who has given Stephen Miller the authority that he has. It was Donald Trump who first talked about wanting to acquire Greenland for the United States. These are his policies and the people he chose to execute them. Doesn’t the buck stop with him?

TILLIS: If the — no, I still think that it goes back to the advice that they’re getting.

See, it’s not Donnie’s fault! It’s the fault of the advisors he picked to speak on and back up every crazy or xenophobic policy he comes up with! Donald is just a poor, naive soul beset by bad influences, everybody.

Scott Bessent

Speaking of bad advisors, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent showed his ever smug and punchable face on NBC’s Meet The Press.

Bessent is the most out-of-touch and feckless Trump ass kisser, outside of JD Vance.

Whether it’s talking about ending an unnecessary war:

BESSENT: Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate, Kristen.

(This isn’t a strategy, it’s just the lyrics to a Coolio song.)

Or the cost of this war:

WELKER: Would the administration ever raise taxes in order to fund this war?

BESSENT: Again, Kristen, terrible framing.

WELKER: It’s a simple question.

BESSENT: It’s a ridiculous question.

WELKER: Can you answer it?

BESSENT: Why would we do that? We have plenty. We have a trillion dollars.

(Funny how that money always goes missing when it’s to help Americans.)

Or the sacrifices Americans are willing to make for it:

WELKER: What do you say to Americans who feel they were promised lower costs and now they’re getting the opposite?

BESSENT: The American people are beginning to understand thanks to President Trump that there is no prosperity without security.

(Whose “prosperity,” Scott? Whose “security”? Because the answer to both is not average Americans.)

Or it’s the way he addresses women in general:

WELKER: Isn’t the point of sanctions to prevent Iran from getting any of the money?

BESSENT: Again, Kristen, you’re missing the point. So please listen to me.

(He did this to Kristen Welker numerous times in this interview.)

But the most revealingly narcissistic moment is his answer when asked about Trump trashing Robert Mueller after the news of his passing.

WELKER: Do you think it’s appropriate for the president to celebrate the death of a Bronze Star, Purple Heart recipient who served in Vietnam?

BESSENT: […] Neither one of us can understand what has been done to the president and his family. […] I think that given what has been done to President Trump and his family it is impossible for either of us to understand what he has been through.

WELKER: So you don’t think there’s anything wrong with a post saying, ‘Good. Robert Mueller’s dead’?

BESSENT: We should have empathy for what’s been done to the president and his family.

And by “children” we mean billionaire criminals and alleged pedophiles who have seen zero accountability for their crimes.

Republicans, for such strong “alpha males,” are the biggest pussies when held even slightly to account.

Have a week.

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