Report: House Judiciary Committee aides secretly worked on Trump's immigration order
While President Trump's executive order on Friday that keeps travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States came as a surprise to Republican leaders, a small group of senior House Judiciary Committee staffers were aware of it, having helped draft it in the weeks before Trump's inauguration, Politico reports.
An unnamed aide told Politico that Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) was not consulted by the administration on the executive order, and several other people with knowledge of the matter said Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) only saw the order's final language when reporters received it Friday night. It's "extremely rare" for administration officials to go around Republican leadership and work directly with congressional committee aides, Politico reports.
While staffers offered their expertise on immigration law, "the Trump administration is responsible for the final policy decisions contained in the executive order and its subsequent rollout and implementation," an unnamed aide said. Politico was told by several people that the staffers who helped with the order signed nondisclosure agreements, an unusual move for congressional employees, and had the GOP leaders had the opportunity to look at the order before it was signed, they would have been able to point out its problems, like denying entry to green card holders. The order was purposely kept under wraps, Politico reports, with the rollout coordinated mostly by Stephen Miller, White House policy director, and senior strategist Stephen Bannon. Read more about the blindsiding of GOP leaders and how they reacted at Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Bormio: 'a great Alpine getaway'
The Week Recommends From snowy slopes and hot-spring spas, to high-end food and wine, this Italian town has something to offer everyone
By Asya Likhtman Published
-
Crossword: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published