Acting DHS Deputy Sec’y Cuccinelli: Trump EO Puts Defunding Localities That Won’t Enforce Law ‘Firmly on the Table’

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Ingraham Angle,” acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli stated that President Trump’s executive order on monuments has put withholding federal dollars from local governments that are not enforcing the law “firmly on the table.”

Cuccinelli said, “Whether it’s Washington, D.C., or cities all around the country, you’ve seen federal reinforcements playing a role, whether it’s surveillance that they’re sharing with state and local law enforcement, or whether they’re taking the responsibility on themselves. So, when you go beyond that to some of the federal dollars at stake, you obviously bring a whole new side of this into play, and I can tell you, as a former state legislator, if you want to get state legislator’s and governor’s attentions, talk to them about their pocketbooks. And when they’re busy not enforcing the law, that’s something that is legitimate to bring into play, and President Trump has put it firmly on the table.”

He later added that there have been “enormous” numbers of arrests and there are “a large number of federal investigations going on right now, following up on the violence you’ve seen, the destruction you’ve seen.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett