It’s being reported now by CNN that both Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz were among three GOP Senators who visited the White House last night in a last-ditch effort to discuss concerns they had over the upcoming Senate vote on the national emergency resolution.
Here’s what’s being reported:
After spending Wednesday trying (unsuccessfully) to schedule a meeting with President Trump, a trio of Republican senators went the the White House last night to present Trump with a proposal related to his national emergency declaration.
Sens. Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz were among the group of three senators who visited the President last night at the White House in a last-ditch effort to discuss concerns about the upcoming vote on his emergency declaration, sources familiar with the meeting confirmed to CNN.
The GOP lawmakers had tried earlier in the day to get an audience with Trump so they could discuss the vote, but White House staff prevented the meeting from taking place.
This is the first we’ve heard of Cruz on this issue since we posted on him saying that he would research Trump’s declaration to ensure it’s constitutional. I’m not sure if this suggests he’s against the declaration or if he’s just trying to make sure enough Republicans can vote against the Senate resolution and keep it from reaching Trump’s desk.
Interestingly enough, Trump seems to have conceded this morning to updating the law in the future:
Prominent legal scholars agree that our actions to address the National Emergency at the Southern Border and to protect the American people are both CONSTITUTIONAL and EXPRESSLY authorized by Congress....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 14, 2019
....If, at a later date, Congress wants to update the law, I will support those efforts, but today’s issue is BORDER SECURITY and Crime!!! Don’t vote with Pelosi!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 14, 2019
A vote for today’s resolution by Republican Senators is a vote for Nancy Pelosi, Crime, and the Open Border Democrats!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 14, 2019
So that’s something. Whether it is enough to turn the tide of Republicans set to vote with Democrats on the resolution of disapproval, that remains to be seen.
McConnell has said he will vote with the president on the resolution, as reported by Chad Pergram:
McConnell on national emergency statute: If Congress has grown uneasy with this law, as many have, then we should amend it. If the 116th Congress regrets the degree of flexibility that the 94th Congress gave the executive, the 116th Congress can do something about it.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) March 14, 2019
McConnell: The president is operating within existing law and the crisis on our border is all too real. I will vote to support the president’s decision later today and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) March 14, 2019
Well that’s good news. But it’s probably too little too late to turn the tide. Even Trump is already conceding he’ll probably have to veto the resolution:
“I don’t know what the vote will be. It doesn’t matter. I will probably have to veto,” Trump said.
We’ll be all over this later today when McConnell holds the vote for this, so check back later to see which Republicans stood against Trump’s national emergency.