[ad_1]
Senator of South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, phoned Trump while he was in the car on Pennsylvania Avenue to inform him that he, the Texas Senator, Ted Cruz, and the Nebraska Senator, Ben Sasse, were on their way.
Graham said the group had "burst" at dinner last night and he made it clear that if the president backed a proposal from Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah to limit the duration of the emergency returns this would dramatically reduce republican defections.
The trio had tried unsuccessfully earlier in the afternoon to sit down with Trump, but the White House assistants said it was too late and did not see him. interest to have them come. Trump had already told staff that he was resigned to vet after it became clear that enough Republicans would support the move to cancel the statement.
Legislators had found themselves in a difficult position: to break with the president or vote against something with which they were in agreement. They wanted an agreement that if they voted against the measure on Thursday, Trump would no longer use his executive power that way in the future.
They went to the White House uninvited Wednesday night while Trump was dining. Sources told CNN that the meeting had quickly escalated, frustrated by Trump's attempts to limit his ability to declare national emergencies in the future. A White House lawyer has been called to report problems with this idea and explain why it would not work for the White House, a source said. The whole meeting itself, the source added, was "simply unproductive".
The White House assistants are now preparing for an embarrassing reprimand when the Senate voted to rescind their boss' urgent declaration. Despite the lobbying campaign they led last week, Trump's senior aides now claim that 14 Republican senators should break with the president.
Graham told reporters Thursday that the president had listened attentively during their meeting.
"I said that I did not expect you to give up the powers of the president you deemed necessary, but if you could find a way to sit down and bridging the gap prospectively, this would be in everyone's interest, "Graham said.
"We'll see what happens," added Graham. "It can bear fruit."
Although Trump summoned Wednesday a Republican lunch in the Senate to clarify by loudspeaker that he would not support a proposal to limit national emergency declarations to 30 days, he seemed to reverse the trend on Twitter Thursday.
"Leading jurists agree that our actions to address the national emergency on the southern border and to protect the American people are both CONSTITUTIONAL and EXPRESSLY authorized by Congress." , wrote Trump. "…. If, at a later date, Congress wishes to update the law, I will support these efforts, but the problem today is border security and crime! do not vote with Pelosi! "
Senate Republicans were caught unawares by Trump's tweet that he would support future changes to limit his authority over national emergencies, say several Senate advisers, but it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the count. final votes.
"Too little, too late," said one of the GOP's key collaborators. This could tip some senators on the ground, but the resolution should still pass with a number of GOP defections. Shortly after the president 's tweet, Utah' s Senator, Mitt Romney, announced that he would support the resolution to end the national emergency. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee then intervened and called Trump's statement "incoherent with the US Constitution, which I swore to support and defend". An assistant then told CNN that he would also support the resolution to end the national emergency declaration.
While Trump is ready to issue his first veto, his goal now is to reduce the room for maneuver that will benefit the bill. Trump hopes that the number of "yes" will remain below 60, a symbolic help that, according to him, would save a little embarrassment, while nevertheless requiring him to use his veto pen.
In internal conversations, Trump called the vote a test of loyalty, though some who would vote, including Lee and Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky, proved to be allies in the past. Although his staff were focused on managing the Boeing jet crisis on Wednesday, Trump himself remained concerned about the impending vote, according to people who spoke to him.
He returned tweets. He made direct phone calls to lawmakers. And senators who attended a Wednesday trade meeting also heard a Trump proposal on the national emergency, although at this point he had already conceded that the vote would likely be passed.
This story has been updated to include additional developments on Thursday.
Kevin Liptak, Sunlen Serfaty and CNN's Lauren Fox contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link