The pressure appears to be getting to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
In a volatile interview with CNN’s Boris Sanchez on Monday, Miller repeatedly dodged questions about whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement was racially profiling immigrants—resulting in a rollercoaster of outrage, sarcasm and sneering.
“Is it the case that… you are profiling brown people? That, that this immigration crackdown is designed to go after people of color?” Sanchez asked.
“Oh, what a dumb question,” Miller snapped.
“The illegal aliens who are here are taking jobs away from Blacks. They’re taking jobs away from whites,” the 40-year-old said. “They’re taking jobs away from Latinos… and of course, in many cases, they’re committing heinous crimes.”
But when Sanchez pressed him to unequivocally state that ICE wasn’t racially profiling, Miller turned up the heat.
“My full answer is no, it’s a lie and a dumb question,” said Miller, one of Trump’s staunchest anti-immigration advisors.
Miller’s eruption came as the White House ordered 300 Illinois National Guard troops to be federalized—along with hundreds more from Texas—supposedly to protect ICE officers and federal buildings following weeks of protests.
But Illinois Governor JB Pritzker filed a lawsuit on Monday arguing that the president’s moves are “illegal, dangerous and unconstitutional,” a development that seemed to weigh heavily on Miller, who also referred to protesters as “street terrorists.”
“[The] Illinois governor says we’re provoking actions that are unlawful. Why would the mere presence—just think about this for a second: If I put federal law enforcement and National Guard into a nice, sleepy southern town, is anyone going to riot? Is anyone going to try to shoot them in the face? Are they going to try to attack them in a building?” Miller asked.
Miller’s grand plans to unleash the National Guard are currently stalled in Oregon, where a Trump-appointed federal judge has temporarily blocked his bid to send troops into Portland after finding there was no violent insurgency to justify it. Locals have also strongly disputed the president’s claim, and have asserted that they don’t want or need federal officers in the area.
Serendipitously, Miller’s mic cut out just as Sanchez asked if he planned to abide by the recent court ruling—though he later confirmed the administration will abide by the ruling.
Miller, who has also been railing over so-called “left wing terrorism,” told Sanchez he would “like to” charge some Dems with terrorism.
“The domestic terrorism statute in Congress obviously needs to be strengthened,” he said.
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