President Trump inclined to declare national emergency if negotiations continue



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Although this is not the preferred plan of the administration, the use of emergency powers to fund the wall "provides a way out" amidst a series of discussions and disputes between Homeland Security officials and Democratic lawmakers on fundamental facts about border security, said the official. .

"We can only stay like this for so long," said the official who attended meetings with Trump-led White House representatives this week, saying factual disputes had suspended talks.

As the government's partial closure begins its third consecutive week of the funding dispute, Trump has publicly announced that it will reject any plan for less than $ 5.6 billion for a border wall. The president acknowledged the possibility of using emergency powers to fund the wall during a speech in the rose garden Friday, stating "we can call a national emergency for the security of our country" .

"I did not do it, I can do it," Trump said. "We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly."

On several occasions, discussions became tough during the presentations by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. According to the White House official, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi twice cut off Nielsen's presentations to dismiss DHS statistics on border security as inaccurate.

"I do not believe your facts," Pelosi told Nielsen during a meeting Friday, according to a source, according to which a similar incident would have occurred at a Wednesday meeting in the crisis room from the White House. The Wall Street Journal first reported Pelosi's remarks.

"In their presentations, they repeatedly used unfounded statistics to try to qualify every migrant as a terrorist or violent criminal actor." The secretary proved that she was not not credible on these issues "A Pelosi advisor told CNN.

In response to CNN's request, DHS Press Secretary Tyler Houlton said, "We publish the facts and statistics publicly and transparently to inform the conversation about the humanitarian crisis on the southern border. that some members of Congress want to ignore this crisis, and as always, we stand ready to explain these difficult problems to those who seek to better understand the problems and to find solutions. "

"How are we even going from there," said a White House official, referring to disagreements, while congressional aides and senior administration officials plan to meet again on Sunday.

If a national emergency is declared to build the wall, the administration will likely face legal action challenging the legality of the move.

"The president's authority in this area is for wars and real national emergencies," CNN's Evan Hollander, director of communications for the House's credit committee, told CNN. "Asserting this authority to build a useless wall is legally dubious and could invite a court challenge."

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