We’re five months away from Election Day, but only two months away from the Democratic National Convention. Though President Joe Biden is expected to be nominated, rumors and speculation are swirling that maybe Democrats might go a different direction come convention time.
So with the border crisis being front and center of everyone’s mind and the DNC just around the corner, what better way to position himself as a waiting-in-the-wings “can-do” leader than for Gavin Newsom to pretend to be doing something about the mess he and Joe Biden have made at the southern border?
That’s exactly what California’s Democrat Governor tried to do Thursday in a photo op video he took of himself at the border, with Tijuana being shown in the background. In it, he talked about how he and the California National Guard had been meeting with border patrol representatives about what they could do to stop the fentanyl epidemic.
He also accused House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), without evidence, of “playing politics” and said it was time for him to “do the right thing” to provide the resources needed to combat the issue:
Like his laughable claims about California allegedly being a “model” for combating homelessness, his statements about the California National Guard being on the scene at the San Ysidro Port of Entry were fact-checked – and found to be sorely lacking.
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melguin, who has consistently worked the border beat throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, had thoughts:
Haven’t seen one – not a single one – of these CA National Guard soldiers in Jacumba where the mass illegal crossings of adult men from around the world are taking place. BP there so overwhelmed that the migrants wander aimlessly on highways and call Lyfts for themselves while waiting to be picked up, as San Diego sector now leads the nation in illegal crossings. I sent Gov. Newsom’s below post to a BP agent in Jacumba, who responded by laughing & telling me CA “isn’t doing shit” to help them with illegal crossings there, and any soldiers that they see there are National Guard from other states working w/ DHS under federal Title 10 orders. He said CA soldiers are helping with drug interdiction at ports of entry – not the mass crossing hot spots in Jacumba. If the Governor’s office has any images of CA National Guard helping Border Patrol in Jacumba, I’m happy to update.
There was also this from Melugin:
NEW: [Manny] Bayon, the President of the Border Patrol union’s San Diego area representation – tells @FoxNews he has never seen CA National Guard assisting BP agents in Jacumba, and provided the following statement:“California Governor @GavinNewsom refuses to acknowledge the many illegal migrants pouring into California due to his policies he has in place. This is also sending a message to the world, come to California, a sanctuary state.We need help in stemming the flow of illegal migrants entering California, not rewarding illegal migrants with taxpayer funded programs.Governor, if you are serious about closing the California/ Mexico border, you would allow CA National guard to help us in enforcement operations. I would be glad to provide you a border tour so you can see for yourself.“
Another Fox News reporter, Matt Finn, said he hasn’t seen any California National Guard presence either:
As it relates to Newsom’s handling of the border, here’s the reality of the matter:
Indeed.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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