The White House refused to describe a Democrat-led border visit as a “publicity stunt” after it had discredited a similar trip conducted by House Republicans as “political theater” a day earlier.
In a statement punished on Wednesday (February 15) evening, White House spokesperson Ian Sams wrote that Republicans weren’t looking for solutions to the border crisis with their planned visit to the Southern border. Instead, Sams insisted that the GOP delegation was more interested in “publicity stunts.”
Sams made the assertion the day before a delegation of freshmen House Republicans, led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA.), would be visiting Cochise County in Arizona.
A day after Republicans’ Thursday visit to the border, House Democrats are scheduled to visit the Southern Border in Loredo, Texas.
The House Democrats visiting the border include House Minority Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Henry Cellar (D-TX.), who will meet with local mayors and border sheriffs in addition to taking an aerial tour of the border.
Although both parties have described their efforts as an attempt to gain an understanding of the border crisis, the White House only criticized Republicans’ efforts, describing them as publicity-seeking.
Yet, when they were reached for comment on Democrats making the same trip a day later, the White House wouldn’t comment.
In his statement, Sams called on House Republicans to “spend less time” focusing on “partisan publicity stunts” and focus more of their efforts on developing solutions, which he insisted President Joe Biden was doing.
Yet, Cuellar, a Democrat representing a border state, didn’t share the same disparaging views about Republicans’ border visit, encouraging his Congressional counterparts to visit the border to educate themselves on the crisis.
