As Twitchy reported, former first lady Laura Bush published a blistering op-ed in The Washington Post over the weekend in which she blasted the “immoral” and “cruel” separation of illegal immigrant families at the border and compared the detention centers to the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about the op-ed and hit right back:
Sanders to Laura Bush: "Frankly this law was actually signed into effect in 2008 under her husband's leadership. Not under this administration" pic.twitter.com/PFxfi5eFtU
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 18, 2018
The Washington Examiner reports:
“This law was actually signed into effect in 2008 under her husband’s leadership, not under this administration,” Sanders told reporters during Monday’s White House press briefing. “We’re not the ones responsible for creating this problem. We’ve inherited it. But we’re the first administration stepping up and trying to fix it.”
Sanders was referencing a bipartisan anti-trafficking bill signed into law by Bush in 2008 that requires certain unaccompanied minors to be transferred from immigration authorities to the Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours.
By Tuesday, however, all living former first ladies had expressed their outrage over the conditions at the border.
All four former First Ladies now condemn Trump policy of separating children from parents as #RosalynCarter joins @MichelleObama @HillaryClinton following @laurawbush lead
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) June 18, 2018
It’s like Sanders said; the Trump administration inherited a problem that’s been passed along from previous administrations. Where was Michelle Obama when those photos of kids in cages in 2014 were taken? And hasn’t Hillary Clinton’s position “evolved” since 2014 when she said, “They should be sent back”? And what were their husbands up to while in office? Which one fixed the problem?
Not one of these ladies spoke out against it when they occupied the white house. https://t.co/embL0hW1xJ
— Peg (@a_cold_rain) June 19, 2018
This literally means nothing because every one of them were quiet when it was their husbands doing it or creating policies that caused it. https://t.co/Sw7yDgM3dA
— Kaydee King (@KaydeeKing) June 19, 2018
All married to men who could have genuinely fixed these issues and didn’t out of political calculation or cowardice. https://t.co/VVNnOUQ6Xa
— DanRiehl (@DanRiehl) June 18, 2018
Where was the former first ladies condemnation of this policy when their husbands were in charge? https://t.co/5TIicoMU7z
— Jeff Bloeser (@jjbloeser) June 18, 2018
All four of their husbands are responsible for the problems on the border…this is known as CYA and of course https://t.co/Wd040283nB
— TRUMP 2020 Drain the Swamp (@asyoureadthis) June 19, 2018
What about the former presidents https://t.co/xySrGJoBF0
— Nora (@biettetimmons) June 18, 2018
ALL FOUR of their husbands did exactly what Trump is doing. Where were their TDS voices then? They KNOW Trump didn't devise this system or pass these laws.
NOW they must be in favor of child trafficking because too many of these kids are brought by strangers as a free ticket https://t.co/7CtesB9OVL
— ❌Time to #MAGA❌ (@JBaker31826004) June 19, 2018
It's good to see @MichelleObama condemn her husband's policy of separating children at the border…https://t.co/EUK0xVGgW6
— Rank Badjin (@badjin_rank) June 19, 2018
All former 1st ladies condemn Bill Clinton's policy separating children from parents. All four were on board until 2018. That's weird. https://t.co/FOzo5vVve9
— Terry O' (@IrishTea1) June 19, 2018
These women could have spoken up when their husbands were President and they chose to keep quiet then so they should do the same now. It was the law then and it is the same law now. Completely made to look like Trump did this, when it was Democrats who have caused the border mess https://t.co/dXcfC7n3T8
— Veteran For Trump #MAGAveteran (@Veteran4Trump) June 19, 2018
This is a completely manufactured media event. https://t.co/x05V0cPFpa
— David Reaboi (@davereaboi) June 19, 2018
Related:
'They should be SENT BACK.' 2014 Hillary contradicts 2018 Hillary BIG TIME on immigration (same ugly pantsuit) https://t.co/k8671TWEbl
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 19, 2018
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