‘You Will Be Held Accountable!’ Trump Border Official Spars With Dem Congressman Over Whether He Will ‘Need’ a Pardon

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) slammed the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott over his agents’ alleged “absolute disregard for the law,” and said Scott had “better hope” President Donald Trump pardons him following the recent shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Thanedar lambasted Scott while he and two other top-ranking immigration officials testified before the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday. The congressman pressed Scott on the recent shootings in Minnesota before asking whether he felt he will need a pardon from Trump.

“Do you think President Ttrump will pardon you and your boss, Kristi Noem, before he leaves office — just like he has for insurrectionist and his political allies?” Thanedar asked. “Do you believe President Trump will pardon you?”

“I’m not going to speak on behalf of President Trump. But I’ll tell you, I signed up for this job to protect America, and I’m very proud of the service that I provide,” Scott replied. “And I don’t need a pardon from anybody.”

That comment riled Thanedar up, and he spent the final 64 seconds of his allotted time ripping Scott and the Trump administration more generally.

“Well, you better hope so! You better hope you get pardoned because you will be held accountable for the absolute disregard of the law your agencies have shown over the past year,” Thanedar said. “Your agencies have lost the trust of the American people, with millions taking to the streets to protect (sic) the illegal actions of your agencies.”

He then noted he had introduced a bill to abolish ICE. 

“ICE must be abolished,” Thanedar insisted on Tuesday.

He then said Noem “must be impeached” and that Congress has to do everything it can to stop Trump’s “rogue departments.”

Scott testified alongside Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; all of their agencies fall under Noem’s DHS. There were some other notable moments from the hearing, including two Republican lawmakers squabbling after one cut off the other during questioning.

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!