Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Newsmax on Friday that "the only person that would actually close the border is [former President] Donald Trump."
As the campaign enters its final weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris has been trying to gain an advantage on the critical issue of immigration. Harris has said that Lankford, one of the chief architects of the failed bipartisan immigration bill, was told to kill the bill by the former president.
Newsmax host Rob Finnerty asked Lankford why he didn't do a more effective job of pushing back against the Democrat's narrative of Trump being behind the bill's demise. Lankford said he's "posted online and made public statements" defending Trump.
"Even during the vice presidential debate, when it came out and [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz strangely brought up my name and called me the superconservative that worked on this bill. I posted immediately, even that night, saying I'm very clear who I'm voting for. The only person that would actually close the border is Donald Trump," he said during an appearance on "Finnerty."
Lankford said he understands the frustration on the part of conservatives but insisted that his efforts to find a middle ground with Democrats came from a place of noble compromise.
"I understand there's people that wanted more in the bill. I'm trying to work with the Democrat Senate and a Democrat White House that wanted to leave the border open. I was pushing to say, 'Is there some way we can make the bleeding stop?'" he added.
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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