Clyburn: I Think Pelosi Would Agree with ‘Smart Walls, Barriers That Are Welcoming’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) stated that “smart walls, barriers that are welcoming,” are things he thinks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would agree to.

Clyburn said that permanent DACA protections would be the start of a discussion. He added that the debate over a wall isn’t just over whether there is a wall, but what a wall constitutes. Clyburn continued, “I’ve been talking about a smart wall. I’ve been talking about a combination of barriers, a smart wall, using drones, sensors, x-ray equipment. I’ve been talking about opening up, retrofitting our points of entry, building other ports of entry, and requiring, hopefully, all asylum seekers to come through those ports of entry, and be sure that they are welcoming, well-staffed, when they get there.”

Co-host Willie Geist then asked Clyburn if he agreed with Pelosi’s characterization of a wall as immoral.

Clyburn answered that Pelosi was referring to “a concrete edifice.”

He continued, “I’ve talked to her a whole lot about a smart wall. I’ve talked to her a lot about barriers in appropriate places. And that’s not what she was talking about. … We’ve seen the Great Wall of China. We’ve seen the Jericho walls. We’ve seen the Berlin Wall. These things have all been immoral in our history. And that’s what she’s talking about. But smart walls, barriers that are welcoming, these things I think Nancy would agree to.”

(h/t Grabien)

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