The effort in the media has begun to paint anyone voicing concern over the handling of the Boston terrorists within the ICE system as in some way “using the terror in Boston” as a means to slow “immigration reform,” and Schumer tried to make it official. But, apparently, Sen. Grassley is having none of it.
It sure seemed like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was accusing some of his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee of using last week’s Boston terror attack as an excuse to slow down the “Immigration Reform” bill the committee began hearings on today. During his statement Monday he said:
“I would say to my colleagues – and I understand their views are heartfelt – the chairman has a very open process, so if you have ways to improve the bill, offer an amendment. Those who are pointing to the terrible tragedy in Boston as, I would say, an excuse for not doing a bill or delaying it many months or year-“
At this point Schumer was interrupted by a shouting Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) admonishing his colleague from New York saying, “I never said that! I never said that!” Schumer shot back: “I didn’t say you did sir! Those remarks were not aimed at anyone on the committee or the three witnesses. There were people out there, you read it in the newspapers, who have said it.” Objectively speaking, it appears as though Schumer really did mean Grassley or other Republicans on the committee.
Look at the quote from Schumer, he talks to his colleagues and then refers to their chairman. Clearly he was speaking to his colleagues on judiciary, not “people out there” as he claimed.
However, if you take Schumer at his word, then he is allowing a meme in the media and “newspapers,” as he put it, to raise a red herring in the immigration hearing.
Roll Call magazine took Grassley’s comments last week about the Boston terrorists at conflated them into a direct link to the immiration bill. Their headline screamed: Grassley Injects Boston Bombing Suspects Into Immigration Debate
Grassley’s offending comments? This relatively benign reference:
“We also appreciate the opportunity to talk about immigration. Particularly in light of all that’s happening in Massachusetts right now and over the last week. We are here trying to understand why these events have occurred. It’s hard to understand that there are people in this world that want to do Americans harm, so this hearing is an opportunity to refocus on the issues at hand and the importance of remaining vigilant and secure in our homeland.”
This is what Roll Call translated into “Injecting” the Boston terrorists into the immigration debate and what Schumer claimed was an effort to “pointing to the terrible tragedy in Boston as, I would say, an excuse for not doing a bill or delaying it…”